The Alchemy of Expo East 2022

The Alchemy of Expo East 2022

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Taja Dockendorf is the Founder, Owner, and Creative Director at Pulp+Wire, a female-founded, award-winning, full-service, CPG branding and marketing agency. Pulp+Wire specializes in helping natural and organic foods, cannabis, hemp, and lifestyle brands discover their identities and create websites, packaging, and social media strategies that resonate with their audiences.

Taja has built P+W into one of the most in-demand, referred design houses in the Northeast, and her creative approach to a client-centric and holistic business model has consistently earned the company multiple graphic design and advertising awards. She is a regular contributor to Forbes, and Fast Company focusing on team culture in the creative space, and has been featured in The Dieline, Graphic Design USA, and Food Manufacturing Magazine, among other publications. Taja in addition to Pulp+Wire, Taja is also a co-founder of two beverage brands and an investor in emerging brands and companies.

Naomi Davidowitz is the Managing Director at Pulp+Wire, where she takes a holistic approach to corporate and client management by fostering long-term relationships with brands. As a leader with extensive design agency, CPG brand management, and television experience, Naomi has spent more than 20 years managing cross-functional teams in sales, planning, and execution of large-scale projects. Before Pulp+Wire, she was the Chief Customer Officer and VP of Client Success at Crowdtap and the Managing Director at Ceci New York.

Ashton Bean is the Brand Manager at Pulp+Wire, where she focuses on strategic storytelling, branding, and design.  As a marketing and accounts professional, she identifies, strategizes, and delivers needs for clients while managing branding design projects from conception to completion. Before Pulp+Wire, Ashton managed both small and large CPG brands helping them find their vision, was the DEI Director at AIGA Charlotte and the Education Director at AAF Charlotte.

Liz Lovasco is the Design Director at Pulp+Wire, where she creates package designs to tell visual stories for distinct CPG brands. Liz has helped Fortune 500 companies scale through holistic brand creation, top-notch visual identity systems, and compelling creative concepts. Before Pulp+Wire, she was the Creative Director, Art Director, and Senior Designer at Design B&B and the Design Director at Atlanta Magazine.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

  • The Pulp+Wire team shares their experiences interacting with brands at the 2022 Expo East trade show
  • How brands are pioneering upcycling and plant-based food trends
  • Innovation in the functional beverage category
  • Notable brands revolutionizing natural and organic foods
  • What were the Pulp+Wire team’s favorite Expo East brands?

In this episode…

The 2022 Expo East trade show featured a wide variety of CPG brands spearheading trends and developing innovative products in the upcycle, functional beverage, and natural and organic food categories. So, how are these brands forging their paths to success, and what trends should you observe?

Brands like Big Picture Foods and Blackbird Foods are experimenting with regenerative farming and upcycled ingredients to create healthier and sustainable products that educate consumers and protect the environment. Similarly, functional beverage brands, including Aqua ViTea, Needs & Wants, and Herbal Revolution, have created unique flavor profiles and revolutionized herbal recipes to reach a wider audience and impact wellness.

In today’s episode of the Brand Alchemist Podcast, Taja Dockendorf, Naomi Davidowitz, Ashton Bean, and Liz Lovasco of Pulp+Wire share highlights from Expo East 2022. Together, they discuss their experiences interacting with brands at the convention, notable trends in CPG categories, and their favorite brands at Expo East.

Resources mentioned in this episode: