Natural Products Expo West 2027: how a food exporter should prepare

When and where

Natural Products Expo West 2027 runs from 2 to 5 March 2027 at the Anaheim Convention Center in California. The organiser lists education sessions from Tuesday 2 March and the exhibit halls open from Wednesday 3 to Friday 5 March. It is produced by New Hope Network, part of Informa. When this page was written, in October 2026, registration for 2027 had not opened yet; check expowest.com before you book travel.

Who can get a badge

The organiser describes Expo West as a private trade show, not open to the public. Everybody has to register and show proof that they work in the industry, and the business category you register under depends on what your company does and your job title. Somebody not involved in the natural products industry is registered as a Guest.

If you are travelling from outside the United States, the organiser offers a visa invitation letter as part of registration. Its policy pages were still citing earlier shows when this was written, so confirm the current rules before you apply.

Does it fit what you sell?

The organiser describes the show as the place for buyers to find natural and organic products, and publishes a list of approved product categories for exhibitors. That is the question to ask first. If your product is organic, clean-label, or made for a health or speciality shelf, the buyers walking this show are looking for it. If you sell a commodity on price, a broader food show such as Gulfood or a speciality show such as Winter FancyFaire may suit you better.

The organiser also runs a Hosted Buyer Program for retail category managers and buyers who are actively sourcing natural and organic products. That tells you who the show is built around: retail buyers looking for new products.

Four to six weeks before

Read the exhibitor list for importers and distributors. The organiser publishes one; the 2026 list was on the site in October 2026. You are looking for companies that bring products like yours into the United States, not for brands that compete with you.

Pick twenty companies and write to them before you fly. One line on why you fit, one line saying you will be in Anaheim, and a request for fifteen minutes at their stand or a coffee nearby. The ones who answer are your best meetings.

Have your proof ready. If you sell organic, have the certificate ready to send, along with your spec sheets, your shelf life, your minimum order and how you ship to the United States ready to send the same week.

Check your email arrives. A note in a spam folder looks exactly like a note that was ignored. Our guide on why buyer emails go to spam covers the three records to check.

During the show

Write on the back of every card that evening: what they asked, what you promised, and one detail that will remind them who you are.

Keep the price for the follow-up. A considered answer by email next week is better than a number guessed in the aisle.

After the show

Send what you promised in the first few days, then one short, personal note to everybody else, then one or two more over the following weeks, each with something new to say. Our trade show follow-up guide has the week-by-week plan and three short notes you can adapt. Expo West ends about ten days before Gulfood opens in 2027, so if you are going to both, send your Anaheim follow-ups before you fly to Dubai.

The short version

Expo West 2027 is 3 to 5 March in Anaheim, with education from 2 March. It is trade only and built around natural and organic products. Check your product fits, register with proof of business, pick twenty companies from the exhibitor list, write to them first, and follow up within the week.

Next: How to follow up with buyers after a food trade show