6 South Florida Companies Making Waves in the Natural Foods Industry

I recently attended Natural Products Expo East, an annual industry trade show that showcases all of the movers and shakers in the natural products industry. I was on the hunt for South Florida companies that are making waves in the naturals space and man, did I find some great ones. Here’s what I found:

1. Shanti Bar Founded by Lauren Feingold and Ashanty Williams, who met while working at M Cycle in South Miami (now closed), Shanti Bar makes high-in-protein raw food and superfood bars. Each bar contains 10-17g of plant protein, healthy ingredients like spirulina, coconut, maca, turmeric and more and contains no refined sugars or preservatives. The best news? They truly taste great. You can find Shanti Bar on their website or at local Whole Foods.
2. The Spice Lab Based in Pompano beach, The Spice Lab is a woman-owned and family-run business that sells an array of gourmet gifts such as peppers, spices, seasonings, rubs, loose teas and more. Particularly of interest to the active-minded consumer are their new Spices Plus blends of herbs, such as Turmeric that include Probiotics (as of posting date, not yet available on their) and their 100% pure salt bath soaks. Their products can be purchased on their website.
3. Powerful Foods Created with athletes in mind, this Miami Beach based company makes yogurts, oatmeals, smoothies, drinks and more packed with 21-25 grams of whey protein per serving. Their yogurt is so delicious that it won “Best Yogurt” at the 2013 World Dairy Congress in Switzerland. You can purchase their products on their website or locally at Walmart.
4. 24 Hour Health This company’s CEO, Nathan Rich, told me at the show that he lost a significant amount of weight thanks in part to liquid vitamins. According to their site, “Multivitamin pills, capsules, gummy bears, tablets, and anything of the like, are near-useless placebos because the absorbability is only between 3%-20%...liquid vitamins are formulated with soluble ingredients that are absorbed up to 98%.” 24 Hour Health’s liquid vitamin blend is non-gmo, vegan, made in the USA, sugar and artificial sweetener free. You can purchase the liquid vitamin blends on their website.
5. La Croix Did you know that La Croix’s parent company, National Beverage is headquartered in Fort Lauderdale? Arguably the best (at the very least, most popular) sparkling water on the market right now, La Croix takes South Florida based brands to the next level.
6. PARA’KITO this Fort Lauderdale based company makes a wearable DEET-free blend of essential oils that is slow released and can withstand sweat and dips in the ocean.They have several sleek designs, including a sports band designed with the athlete in mind.