Retailers will get a chance to check out the latest products from healthy, chemical-free products to re-usable kitchen items, at this year’s 2021 Naturally Good Expo from May 30-31 at Sydney’s ICC.
Chemical-free cleaning and hygiene products gather steam amid pandemic
In the US last year, sales of aerosol disinfectants grew by nearly 400 per cent during the March 2020 period compared to the previous year.
In particular, the popularity of chemical-free products is growing with more people concerned about the environment and what they might be injesting.
Victoria-based exhibitor, Euclove, is launching its new All Natural Dish Soap this month in response to customer demand. 
“We have developed a unique blend of essential oils which helps to eliminate strong food odours,” says CEO Srini Ranganathan. “Our Natural Hand Wash, one of our top sellers, will also soon be re-launched.
“Our customers asked for thicker liquid soap, but as our products don’t have any synthetic thickeners we needed to redevelop and are really happy with the new product.”
Euclove also produces a wide range of products including its popular Bedding and Mattress Spray, disinfectant sprays, and kitchen and bathroom cleaners. The products contain natural ingredients such as eucalypt, clove, tea tree oil and lemongrass.
The business was founded by Mr Ranganathan and his wife Chelsy in 2017, but Mr Ranganathan says the family’s journey with natural products actually started more than 50 years ago when Chelsy’s mum Pat decided to make her own natural cleaners.
“Pat sourced her own herbs and plants to keep her home clean and fresh, as well as fix skin ailments from itchy bites to sunburn.
“Having passed down her special blends and natural remedies, we created own home-made products. We’d get endless positive comments and would give away our pre-made blends. So we decided to create a business and prove to people that natural cleaners really clean just as well as chemical ones.”
Sales have been strong and Euclove will also release a new laundry liquid and body wash later in the year.
The re-useable kitchen items helping eliminate single-use plastic
Despite growing environmental awareness, it’s estimated that more than 12 billion tonnes of plastic waste will reach landfill by 2050.
Whilst some plastic carrier bags, bread bags and frozen food bags can be recycled, according to group Recyle Now, kitchen cling film is generally not recyclable.
Little Mashies will feature its reusable straws, stretchy plastic, pouches and snack bags, Apple Green Duck will showcase reusable shopping bags, and Honey Bee Wrap will exhibit long-lasting wax wraps.
Another business, The Swag, will also be displaying its range of vegetable and fruit bags. Not only do the bags do away with the need for cling film, they also preserve food’s longevity. 
“In Australia each person wastes around 140kg of food every year with much of it being fruit and vegetable matter.
“As a waste-conscious mum, I was sick of throwing away rotting fruit and vegetables,” says Managing Director Peita Pini. “Not only does this cause a lot of food and plastic wastage, it’s literally money down the drain.
“So almost five years ago I launched The Swag. Made out of multi layers of unbleached, unseeded cotton, when dampened with water it allows produce inside to breathe and hydrate, staying fresher and nutrient rich for weeks in a fridge crisper.”
Since 2016 Ms Pini’s business has now sold more than 500,000 Swags.
“The timing has been right given there’s been a huge global emphasis on protecting the environment, using fewer resources and creating less food and plastic waste.”
The Swag has now expanded to include 100 per cent natural and plastic free Swag Produce Bags, Bread Swags, Beauty Swags, Tea Swags and Lunch Swags.
“Here in Australia, we’re in talks with a commercial kitchen, as many restaurants want to keep food wastage down. We’re also currently conducting a research and development project with organisation Applied Horticultural Research to prove the efficacy of The Swag’s ability to keep fruit and vegies fresh for weeks.”
Why your frying pan could help save the planet
Every year millions of disposable pots and pans contribute to overflowing landfills.
With most people going through dozens of frying pans in their lifetime, back in 2014 mechanical engineer Mark J. Henry decided to create a frying pan that was better for people’s health and the planet. The result was a “world-first” seamless pan, wrought from a single sheet of iron, “free from toxins, heavy metals, synthetic coatings, and durable enough to last for centuries.”
Solidteknics which now has a range of pans including its best-seller, the Satin Workhorse Pan, also recently launched their Quenched™ pre-seasoned iron cookware so you can start cooking straight out of the box. They also recently released their first kitchen tool, a scraping device, the TurnenScrapenScoopTM (or TSS). 
“Retailers are very interested in sustainability and the fact that customers literally never have to throw a frypan out ever again and can pass it down generations is enormously appealing,” says Managing Director Mark Henry.
“There are other high-quality cookware brands but we own the patents to our one-piece seamless design and are the only production cookware made in Australia.”
The company has two cookware ranges – AUS-ION™, made from clean Australian iron, and nöni™- a ferritic, non-nickel stainless steel range. AUS-ION™ cooks and seasons like traditional bare cast iron cookware but is half the weight and even more conductive as it cannot crack. Seasoned iron is the only known non-toxic and forever-renewable non-stick. nöni™ does not require seasoning so is low maintenance and can be used for all liquids, acidic foods, sauces and slow-cooking.
Solidtekniks will also be launching its range of kitchen knives later in 2021.
Jackfruit is here to stay
Jackfruit is rapidly growing in popularity in Australia. It is often used in stews as a meat substitute given its textural similarity to pulled pork, and mainly grown in the tropics.
In the last few years, Jackfruit has begun growing commercially in the Northern Territory and tropical North Queensland with leading brands Vegie Delights and Sanitarium releasing jackfruit products.
The country’s “first Australian-owned” jackfruit company, The Jack Man, will be one of the exhibitors showcasing to buyers and distributors. 
The business currently services almost all of Melbourne’s vegan restaurants and is stocked in Coles and independent supermarkets. It will soon add two other leading retailers in the coming months, featured in ALDI’s special buys and collaborated with Coles to launch its jackfruit wraps, which had “great success.”
So why all the buzz? “In Australia 12 per cent of people are now vegetarian and 32 per cent are limiting meat consumption,” says The Jackman CEO Mejo George who co-founded the company with partner Thamali in 2018.
“Jackfruit is in high demand because it’s incredibly healthy, mimics a meaty texture and is minimally processed.”
Mr George says the Smokey BBQ and Mexican jack fruit are strong sellers, however chefs love their Nude jackfruit which is not packaged in any preservative and is sourced sustainably from India. “Research shows 70 per cent of jackfruit goes to waste,” he said.
“Our production helps minimise waste, reduces carbon footprint and empowers local communities.”
The business currently has a new and exciting range in the pipeline for both retail and food services which they hope to launch by year’s end.
“This range will be unlike any jackfruit product currently in the market. We are also scaling our roll out into other parts of Australia in the food services sector due to the surge in demand to feature jackfruit in menus. We see great potential.”
For registration details and more information, visit 2021 Naturally Good Expo.