Expo West 2024—That's a Wrap

Borrowed

“The good-to-great companies did not focus principally on what to do to become great; they focused equally on what not to do and what to stop doing.”

From “Good to Great” by Jim Collins [Book]

Learned

It’s wild to think that just a week ago, I was writing my newsletter and getting ready for Expo West. Now, I’m back—tired, but inspired.

To kick off Expo West, Barrel hosted a panel with our client Sweet Loren’s and Mattel around their recent cookie collab with Barbie. It was a lively discussion and afterward, felt nice hearing how much value folks got from learning about what went into the collaboration. Mission accomplished!

The rest of the trip was non-stop—meetings with clients, prospects, and old friends. Thanks to Bitchin’ Sauce, I caught Third Eye Blind at the House of Blues. I also managed to stick to my workout schedule all week. I rarely drink, so I skipped alcohol altogether this trip, which made those early mornings easier. I figured Expo West would have a solid NA beer selection… but I was wrong. So, Liquid Death became my evening companion.

One of my favorite parts of the event? Talking to founders at all stages. Some standouts: one launching a low-alc beer, another creating a coffee concentrate (Kloo) inspired by their mother, a Q Grader (basically a coffee sommelier—didn’t even know this existed), and another building an ice cream brand (Heritage Kulfi) rooted in a traditional family recipe. Diving into CPG is no small feat, but the drive and passion were real.

I won’t attempt to cram everything on my mind into this newsletter, but here are some highlights.

Protein is getting HOT.

Every Expo West recap seems to start with this, and for good reason. If you can put protein in it, someone has. Protein pretzels, protein popcorn, protein crackers—you name it. People are realizing their diets are protein-deficient, and brands are listening. Protein is here to stay.

But it’s not just about snacks.

I’ve been a fan of egglife wraps since last year when I was looking for ways to hack my macros. Their wraps are 30 calories with 6g of protein. At Expo, they previewed a new pasta—100 calories, 18g of protein. The coolest part? Customers inspired it. People were cutting up the wraps and making pasta dishes, so egglife leaned in. Proof that some of the best product ideas come from simply paying attention to what customers are already doing. I love that protein doesn’t have to be about snacking, bars, or shakes—it’s about finding ways to sneak it into meals you already love.

DTC as an innovation lab.

A couple of weeks ago, I took Mylo to Costco. At 1.5 years old, he’s finally old enough to enjoy samples. One of them was Oats Overnight. I tried it too, was impressed, and bought a box—so I was pumped to see them at Expo. Turns out, they started DTC, built a community around flavor feedback, and now use their website as a testing ground. They’ve got 50+ flavors because their customers are obsessed with giving feedback. Some flavors have stuck, some haven’t, but that real-time feedback loop is golden. Even when retail becomes the focus, DTC can be a massive brand advantage.

The art of staying focused.

When we launched Sweet Loren’s new site in July 2023, they only had cookie dough. Now, they’ve got pizza crust, pie crust, biscuits, and puff pastry. But that expansion didn’t happen overnight. Founder Loren stayed focused on perfecting cookie dough for eight years before branching out. It was refreshing to see the brand GOOD GOOD take a similar approach, sticking to their spreads and jams and using Expo to show off new flavors, like lemon curd. Their white chocolate spread reminded me of the fluff sandwiches I ate as a kid—minus the sugar and whatever else was in fluff.

On the flip side, some brands are expanding rapidly. Take Siete Foods—they’ve been launching new products at a crazy pace. But as a customer, some of the newer products haven’t hit the same for me. I'm curious what others think. It was cool to see it all come together at their booth, though, where they were building full meals for folks. At one point, it felt like a full-on party with a line of people walking through, getting sauce added to their tacos.

I also caught up with Jordan Brown, co-founder of Hu. We talked about how they expanded into crackers right around the time we re-launched their Shopify store. At the time, it seemed like a logical next step—until they realized people love them for their chocolate. Instead of chasing new categories, they doubled down, cut crackers, and focused on making their core product even better. Sometimes, the best move isn’t adding something new—it’s getting even better at what you already do well.

Water is getting… weird.

It seems like everyone is trying to innovate with water. I was on my way to a meeting when I grabbed a Liquid Death, and someone immediately asked if I wanted to try “Holy Water.” No joke. It was packed with ketones and nootropics, but the taste didn’t win me over. However...

...soda water is all the rage.

I had the chance to try Liquid Death’s root beer, which is basically flavored sparkling water. I was pleasantly surprised since it tasted good without being too sweet. 20 calories, 2g of sugar, no caffeine. Just before Expo, Spindrift also announced they’d entered the soda space. I drink Spindrift daily, so I was curious but hopeful. My first taste was a Spindrift soda float with Van Leeuwen’s ice cream. Then I tried their new Ginger Ale. Unreal. I can't remember the last time I had a can of soda but I have a feeling that's going to change.

I got to talk to Spindrift's innovation team about how much effort went into getting the formula just right, and the taste says it all. When I asked founder Bill Creelman about the competition, his response was perfect: “Yeah… we don’t really look at them. We had this idea for years and spent a lot of time getting it right. It’s just a dialed-up Spindrift if you ask me.” Love this mindset—focus on what you do best and block out the noise.

A product is only as good as its positioning.

At the Wilde Chips booth, I spoke with their creative director, Eugene Heard. Wilde Chips makes chips from chicken breast. Wild, right? In the end, you get a protein-packed, low-carb snack. Heard shared how their packaging originally emphasized the chicken, but when they shifted the focus to chips, things started clicking with customers. Sometimes, you have to blend in before you stand out.

Then there’s Honey Stinger. They’ve been around for years, growing within the running community for their energy gels. They’ve expanded into new categories, like their recent stroopwafel-style energy snack, but everything serves the same purpose: fueling performance. Honey Stinger isn’t about format—it’s about energy. It’s cool to see how focus has let them evolve while staying true to what they stand for.

Expo was a whirlwind, but what sticks with me most isn’t just the trends—it’s the mindset of the brands that stand out. The ones that focus on what they do best and listen to their customers.

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See my LinkedIn post for more on my trip to Expo West.

Thought

Am I chasing expansion because it’s right for my business? my customers?