Exploring the Future of Food and Sustainability at Expo West

Expo West, or Natural Products Expo West, is one of the leading events for the natural and organic products industry, bringing together food and beverage brands, retailers, investors, and professionals from across the consumer goods space. This year, the event was held March 3–6, 2026, at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California. More than just a trade show or industry conference, Expo West is a place where new products are launched, industry trends begin to take shape, and conversations about the future of food, health, and sustainability happen in real time. We attended through the MBArk program, alongside MBA students from programs including Harvard Business School, Kellogg School of Management, Chicago Booth, UCLA Anderson, USC Marshall, among others.

In 2011, Joe Dobrow SOM ’92, former CMO of Whole Foods, and Julie Zagars, consumer marketing expert and former managing director of Naturally Colorado, created MBArk. This program brings selected MBA students from top business schools to Expo West through a curated experience to help them explore careers in natural foods and purpose-driven business. By connecting students with executives, alumni, and companies, MBArk offers a valuable introduction to the CPG industry and a more intentional way to navigate one of its most important annual gatherings.

MBArk’s programming features three distinct strands: focus sessions that dive deep into issues of professional relevance to MBA students; visits to the trade show booths of innovative CPG companies and distributors; and full access to all the official Expo West programming, including plenary sessions, pitch competitions, and thousands of booths representing CPG companies at diverse stages of development. One impact focus session was titled Sustainability and Career Balance, which was offered by MBArk alumna Darcy Shiber-Knowles SOM’13, the Vice President of Operational Sustainability & Innovation at Dr. Bronner's. Darcy shared some powerful advice with our group, including urging us to consider how sustainability and social impact can be integrated into a company’s core business operations so it cannot be deprioritized or cut during times when it is more challenging to uphold. She also spoke to the power of the imperfect pilot and described how taking small steps to develop proof of concept can be a more effective strategy for bringing suppliers and retailers along on the firm’s sustainability journey over the long term. 

Another valuable session, Career Paths and Hiring Strategies, featured executive recruiter Adrien Agoado and Rudi’s Bakery CEO Jane Miller (SMU Cox). Their advice centered not only on credentials, but on the personal qualities that matter most in the industry. Both emphasized empathy, a strong work ethic, initiative, clarity of vision, and, above all, genuine passion. They encouraged students to stand out by showing concrete examples of leadership and initiative rather than speaking in general terms. They also shared practical interview advice: know the brand, understand its positioning and growth opportunities, and come prepared with a point of view. Just as importantly, they reminded us that an interview is a two-way conversation, and that candidates should also be assessing whether the company is the right fit for them.

Another highlight of the program was a breakfast with Seth Goldman SOM ’95, co-founder of Honest Tea and Just Ice Tea. He shared the story of how Honest Tea came to life, including how Joe Dobrow’s industry connections helped support the brand’s early development and launch. He also reflected on spotting an opportunity in what was then a relatively sleepy iced tea category. Beyond the founding story, Seth spoke about the importance of building businesses where mission and business performance reinforce each other rather than compete. One of his clearest insights was that the food and beverage industry has a level of heart that feels distinct from more conventional business spaces. His advice to students was to be scrappy, stay open to doing whatever is needed, and remember that companies value people who can both analyze the data and stay connected to the mission.

Booth visits included conversations with 88 Acres founders and MBArk alumni Nicole Ledoux (HBS) and Rob Dalton (Babson Olin); Eliza Ganesh (HBS), an MBArk alumna and fractional COO; and Joanna French, Marketing Director at Painterland Sisters, as well as Doug Radi, President of Sweet Loren’s, among others. During these visits, we heard about how they found their way into their companies, how they think about growth and marketing, and what it takes to build and scale brands in this space. Gary Hirshberg of Stonyfield Farm reflected on his experience as a pioneer in the organic and natural products industry, sharing both how Stonyfield began and how he thinks about the future of the sector. He spoke about the importance of staying grounded in values, noting that companies should not compromise on the principles that define them, while also recognizing that scale is critical to achieving profitability and broader impact. He also highlighted radical transparency as an important direction for the industry, arguing that brands will increasingly need to move from having “nothing to hide” to having “everything to tell.” These visits helped participants build relationships with companies and potential mentors, while also learning about career paths and open roles in the industry.

Several themes emerged repeatedly across speakers and events throughout Expo West: 

• Passion is a kind of currency in this industry. Across nearly every session and conversation, speakers emphasized that genuine passion for the product, the mission, and the consumer is not just a nice-to-have, but often what sets people and companies apart.
• Building a durable competitive advantage in food and beverage CPG requires entrepreneurs to offer something truly differentiated from what is already on the market. Capitalizing on an exciting trend is not a strategy for long-lasting success in this industry.
• Two such key differentiators can be operational excellence and scalability. Many companies nail the foundational building blocks of a delicious product, a compelling story, and great branding to share it with the world, but stumble when it is time to produce reliably at scale for large retailers.
• Sustainability also appears to be more deeply embedded in this industry than in many others. Rather than sitting only within a dedicated sustainability team, it often shows up across operations, innovation, supply chain, and even marketing. In many of the companies we encountered, sustainability was not treated as a parallel priority, but as a fundamental part of how the business operates and creates value.
• Another key differentiator is knowing what your particular customer values, and more and more customers value sustainability and regenerative practices. Several entrepreneurs we spoke with shared that consumer demand for visible commitments to sustainability shaped their product strategy decisions. 

It was energizing to be surrounded at Expo West by other professionals who care deeply about natural, organic, and sustainable products in the CPG industry. The most compelling companies we encountered are not treating mission and performance as competing priorities, but rather as mutually reinforcing drivers of long-term success. Attending Expo West through the MBArk program allowed us both to learn about the dynamics shaping the industry today and meaningfully consider how we will translate them into our own paths in this space.