The highly successful Organic and Natural Products Expo is set to hit the shores of Cape Town for the first time, from 26 to 28 April. “Following the unprecedented impact of the ‘bigger, better’ 2023 Johannesburg show, an expo in Cape Town had to be the next step,” says event organiser John Thomson. 

 John Thomson

Warren Hickinbotham

With less than four weeks to go, more than 500 trade visitors have already registered and about 100 exhibitors are set to take part in one of the country’s premier lifestyle shows, to be held at the International Convention Centre in Cape Town. 

Show sponsor Standard Bank will host the SMME Showcase Pavilion, to throw light on the business potential of SMMEs as innovators, entrepreneurs and real contributors to the economy. The Small Enterprise Development Agency (SEDA) has taken 28 stands as a show of support for SMME growth. 

Many exhibitors from the Cape have already signed up, while others from Durban and Knysna have also registered. 

The official Tourism, Trade and Investment Promotion Agency for the Western Cape (Wesgro) with interests in agro-processing, has shown support for the expo. “With Wesgro accounting for almost half of the country’s agricultural exports, its role in the Western Cape economy is highly valued and respected and we are thrilled to have them on board,” says Thomson.  “We are strongly aligned in terms of agricultural beneficiation and marketing export-quality goods sourced from home-grown raw materials and our expo showcases these opportunities,” Thomson adds.

The Organic and Natural Products Expo is endorsed by industry stakeholders such as The South African Organic Sector Organisation and the Health Products Association, among others.  

The Expo has wide appeal across age and lifestyle choices, with exhibits on products for health, home, body and beauty, baby and kids, food and beverages and general lifestyle. 

Among the products in the health category, you will see healing crystals, baobab and kombucha products, superfoods, stevia, supplements, hemp products, muscle treatments, natural hair and body products, natural sugar scrubs, professional-grade make-up, tea tree soap and skin treatments. In the lifestyle category look forward to biodynamic farming, organic gardening aids, and dietary supplements and in the home category water-saving laundry products, household detergents and cleaning solutions. In the food and beverage category cassava flour, gluten and sugar-free condiments, honey and beeswax, fermented food, natural jams, soy products and sorghum are just some of the offerings.  In addition, there will be chef school on site, posture-support furniture and even spiritual insights to complete the full lifestyle promise of the expo. 

Head of sponsorships and partnerships, Warren Hickinbotham, says: “Visitors can look forward to exploring the latest innovations and trends in the industry, to make better-informed choices about sustainable and health-conscious lifestyles. Exhibitors have the opportunity to tap into new markets and showcase products to a captive audience comprising retail, wholesale and other potential trade partners as well as a cross-section of economically active consumers.” 

For more information to register as an exhibitor or sign up as a visitor go to https://www.organicandnaturalportal.com/expo/  To purchase tickets visit https://www.ees.events/OrganicAndNatural/TicketSales.aspx