“The success of this year’s Holidays of Hope virtual show was a culmination of the company’s proactive work to go digital, and we are proud to say that it has been our most successful show yet," Brian Wilkinson, KeHE Chief Information Officer, said in a press release. The release explained that KeHE began to pivot to virtual in Fall 2018, holding its virtual show in October 2019. This proactive commitment to digital, the release notes, set the stage for a smooth transition to 2020’s virtualHolidays of Hope.
“Over the last few years, we have embarked on a journey to become the Next Generation distributor,"Wilkinson added. "Through KeHE’s strategic growth of in-house technology solutions, we have been able to gradually expand our digital event offerings and ultimately launch our first company-wide virtual show.”
As part of the show, KeHE presented it On Trend Awards to brands excelling in innovation, purpose, ingredients and salability. The 16 On Trend winners are:
- Best of Show: Miyoko’s Creamery’s Cultured Vegan Butter Made with Oat Milk
- Baking: Purely Elizabeth’s Grain-Free Protein Pancake Mix
- Beverage: Wonder Drink’s Prickly Pear Cascara Prebiotic Kombucha
- Condiment: This Little Goat’s Everything Sauce
- Confection: Alter Eco’s Grass Fed Organic Milk Chocolate with Rice Crunch
- Diversity: Mason Dixie’s Blueberry & Lemon Scones
- Fresh: Mush’s Wild Blueberry Overnight Oats
- Frozen: Pitaya’s Smoothie Packs
- HBC & Personal Care: Elementa’s Nano Silver Mouthrinse
- Pet: Tender & True Pet Nutrition’s Organic Pork Recipe Jerky Treats
- Holiday Cheer: San Francisco Salt Co.’s Organic Apple Sage Turkey Brine Kits
- Refrigerated & Dairy: Horizon Organic’s Growing Years Organic Whole Milk
- Mission-Based Brand: Nuttzo’s Keto 7 Nut & Seed Butter 2go
- Snack Food: Gooding Pudding’s Chocopalooza
- Pasta, Rice & Grains: Fullgreen’s Portobello Mushroom Risotto-styled Riced Cauliflower
- VMS: Beekeeper’s Naturals B. Soothed Cough Syrup
