ANAHEIM, CALIF. — Dressed as farmers and supported by their “sisterherd,” dressed as cows sitting alongside hay bales on the Natural Products Expo West Pitch Slam stage, the founders of organic skyr brand Painterland Sisters won over the judges and took home the Pitch Slam grand prize.

Sisters Hayley and Stephanie Painter of Painterland Sisters competed against 15 other food and beverage brands in a three-minute skit that showcased the brand.

“When deciding how we wanted to share our story in such a short amount of time, we knew we wanted to bring the farm to the audience,” said Hayley Painter, co-founder of Painterland Sisters. “We wanted to paint the picture of where our business is rooted. We even brought Stephanie’s daughter, Meadow, to close it out.” 

Other brands that competed in the competition included: Alice’s Sweet Tooth; Brune Kitchen; Chuza; Cien Chiles; Dr. Noah; Fair & Square; The Cracker King Artisan Crackers; Farmer Foodie; Kekoa Foods; Lentiful; Maspanadas; Philosopher Foods; Ringa; and Theo’s Plant-Based.

Once the skits were completed, the judges gathered to pick five finalists. Not only did the judges make their decisions, audience members also voted for their favorites for an Audience Choice Award winner.

Once the judges made their decisions, the five finalists chosen competed in a lightning round where the brands were asked questions about market strategies and other opportunities.

The five finalists included Painterland Sisters; Cien Chiles; Dr. Noah; Theo’s Plant-based; and Philospher Foods.

While Paintlerand Sisters took home the grand prize of a free booth at Natural Products Expo West 2025 and more than $30,000 in New Hope Network services, Philosopher Foods was named runner-up.  

Philosopher Foods, founded by Tim Richards in 2013, is a maker of fermented nuts called Gut Nuts and sprouted nut butters formulated from almonds. Gut Nuts comes in two options of fermented cashews and fermented almonds.

The Painter sisters founded Painterland Sisters to save their family’s dairy. The organic skyr yogurt is lactose-free, offers 21 grams of protein per serving, is formulated with 6% milk fat, includes probiotics, and is sweetened with organic fruit and cane sugar. Each cup also features four cups of Painterland Sister’s cow’s milk.

“Winning this competition helps us advance our mission of fostering direct connections between people and the source of their food,” Hayley said. “The opportunity to share our story on such a significant platform allows us to communicate the importance of sustainability and agriculture in a way that resonates with people.” 

The crowd chose organic baby food pouch maker Kekoa Foods as the Audience Choice Award winner.

From left to right are David Fullner and Danny Auld of Kekoa Foods, Stephanie Painter and Hayley Painter of Painterland Sisters, and Tim Richards of Philosopher Foods standing with their Natural Products Expo West Pitch Slam prizes. Photo: New Hope Network

Kekoa Foods was founded by Danny Auld and David Fullner after their son Kekoa was born prematurely via surrogate. Kekoa developed complications and spent several weeks in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

Once home from the NICU, the pair knew they wanted their son to have the best nutrition possible. After experimenting with different types of food, once their son was old enough to eat solids, the pair decided to create a baby food brand formulated from vegetables, fruits and spices, and packaged in a pouch.

 Audience Choice winners Kekoa Foods received opportunities to attend several trade shows hosted by New Hope later this year and in 2025.

“This win is a milestone for us,” said Danny Auld, co-founder of Kekoa Foods. “The opportunity to attend several trade shows for free over the next year will continue to help us grow our support network, connect with new buyers and new channel opportunities to sell our pouch purees and learn from colleagues who have encountered roadblocks we will face and can provide their insights so we can circumvent them more efficiently.

“It’s a moment to reflect on how far we’ve come and to look forward to a future where we can continue to make a positive impact in the world of baby nutrition, one tiny spoonful at a time.”

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