Healthy food startups battle for national recognition at Pitch Slam - slideshow

From protein-powered frozen waffles to probiotic salad dressings to all-natural whipped cream, the top better-for-you brands thrive on their practicality and relatability. That’s why the founders of Evergreen (waffles), Loli’s (salad dressing) and Whipnotic (whipped cream) are Pitch Slam winners in their respective Naturally Network chapters.

The National Pitch Slam is the signature competition developed by Naturally Network, an empowering force in the natural products ecosystem. It’s a grand opportunity for emerging brands like Evergreen, Loli’s and Whipnotic to showcase their products in front of key industry experts who serve as judges. The chapter competitions occurred in May and June in nine cities: Austin, Texas; Bay Area, California; Boulder, Colorado; Chicago; Los Angeles; Minnesota; New England; New York; and San Diego. The national contest takes place virtually at 6 p.m. CT August 8. Here are all the finalists.

"Naturally Network's National Pitch Slam is going to be an incredible showcase of member brands. The competition is fierce!" Katrina Tolentino, executive director at Naturally Network, exclaimed. "This year's format is unique, where we will be publishing their improved pitches ahead of the virtual show on August 8 to create awareness for each brand ahead of Newtopia Now.

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"The audience will also have an opportunity to watch the pitches ahead of time, vote for their favorite pitch, and watch what we expect to be a tough Q&A with our incredible panel of judges on show day. Each region will come together for a watch party to celebrate and support their finalist as well. It's going to be an incredible day of support for all of our national finalists."

During the chapter Pitch Slam competitions, regional finalists discussed their efforts on sustainability, product differentiation and, of course, the innovation behind their brands. For example, Naturally Chicago winner Emily Groden, founder of Evergreen, created her concept because she wanted to serve her toddler something convenient and tasty in the mornings, yet she wanted it to be healthy. She claimed that there was nothing like her frozen breakfast line in the market.

“Evergreen waffles can be ready in 30 seconds and have one full serving of fruits and veggies, no preservatives, no refined sugars, no unnatural flavoring or artificial flavoring; just fruits, veggies, nuts and spices doing the work,” Groden said during her pitch. “No seed oils, a really nice amount of protein for sustenance and also fiber for gut health. None of our competitors are doing any of these things.”

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Groden continued, stating that she intentionally didn't develop keto, paleo, gluten-free or low-fat products because she didn’t want them to be perceived as “too trendy.” She wanted her brand to fit squarely in the functional foods category.

“Your great-grandmother probably had the ingredients you’ll find in my products in her pantry,” she said. “We want this to be a true evergreen brand. Our breakfast sandwiches have up to 30 grams of protein per serving, so that is a more protein-heavy offering for folks who are really looking for protein. As for the waffles, gut health is a huge thing these days – and I think is really the future of health – so we really wanted to make sure we had a bunch of fiber in there from the whole grain as well as the plant fiber.” In 2023, she launched a breakfast sandwich, and plans are underway to launch a breakfast entrée in 2025.

During the National Pitch Slam, Groder and the other eight finalists like Lentiful, Philosopher Foods and Rooted Fare will compete for the grand prize. The grand prize includes a complimentary booth at Expo West 2025 as well as $30,000 in New Hope-related services and prizes, a scholarship to SupplySide West as a hosted VIP brand (package includes hotel accommodations, flight and badge access to the show in Las Vegas), a $2,500 annual Pro subscription to Range Me and a generous data prize package from NIQ.

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All the finalists won their chapter Pitch Slam and have received a complimentary booth to Newtopia Now, occurring August 25-28, as part of their regional prize win.