Best New Organic Retail Products of 2009

Whether it’s an innovative idea that makes organic foods healthier or more convenient…
A product that takes environmental or social consciousness up a notch…
Or just simply a delightfully delicious experience…
These are our picks of some* of the most sensational new consumer goods of 2009.

Olade, a brand new functional electrolyte replacement drink, could be likened to an organic gourmet Gatorade. It ranks at the top of our new products list because not only is it refreshingly flavorful, but it also has no added sugar and practically no calories—just 10 for the whole bottle. Brad Wilk, from the rock group Rage Against the Machine, developed this product after hearing he had late-onset type 1 diabetes. To keep calories down and flavor high, Olade is made with stevia, organic fruit purees, and certified organic fruit flavors (kudos for using organic flavors versus just “natural” flavors!). As a feel-good perk, 7 percent of the profits are donated to finding a cure for diabetes.

Orgain is the first organic, ready-to-drink meal replacement. Developed by a doctor and cancer survivor, this healthy beverage blends nutrient-dense organic ingredients including whey protein, brown rice, omega 3s, fiber, green tea, pomegranate extract and 24 vitamins and minerals. With all this it has the antioxidant equivalent of 10 servings of fruits and veggies. Available in Creamy Chocolate Fudge and Sweet Vanilla Bean.

Yoga Chips, from yogavive, are another low-cal, no-added-sugar favorite. In stark contrast to soggy, dehydrated apple rings, these subtly sweet slices are nice and crunchy. Yet, unlike Apple Chips, this product is not fried and adds up to only 35 calories per serving. Flavors include Original, Caramel, Apple Cinnamon, Peach, and Strawberry.

Urban Moonshine revived a healthy tradition by launching the first-ever
Organic, Handcrafted Digestif Bitters. This old world classic, made from organic Vermont herbs and roots and a few worldly exotics, has been used for hundreds of years as a medicine to help stimulate digestion or soothe an upset stomach, as well as an apertif and cocktail mixer. Urban Moonshine offers three flavors: Original, Citrus and Maple, and is available in a 8.4-oz. bottle, 2-oz. bottle with dropper, or a 10-ml spray.

Anti-aging products are all the rage right now, but most contain a long list of unpronounceable synthetic ingredients. Recently, however, Intelligent Nutrients, the brainchild of Aveda’s founder Horst Rechelbacher, launched a new youth-preserving line, Organic Certified Anti-Aging Skin Care, which includes a cleanser, mist, moisturizer and serum. The serum seems have the most immediate results, promoting firmer, brighter skin through a seed oil complex made from acai, argan and essential oils that infuses the skin with antioxidants, plant sterols, vitamins and fatty acids to increase moisture, firmness, radiance, elasticity, enhancing skin tone and texture—without petrochemicals.

Organic Essence has always had high-quality organic personal care products, but this year the company set the bar for eco-friendly personal care packaging as well—creating two new completely biodegradable packaging systems, one for its Organic Lip Balm and one for Organic Shea Cream. Safe for home composting, these packaging systems contain no plastic and the labels are printed with soy ink on Forest Stewardship Council, Post Consumer Waste (PCW), 100 percent recycled paper. The company plans to share (or sell) these designs with others in the industry to encourage environmentally friendly packaging on a wide scale. This is the kind of innovation that needs to happen across the board—let this be an eco-inspiration!

This year Hero Nutritionals came out with Organic Yummi Bears, the first organic gummy vitamin. Gluten-free, gelatin-free and casein-free—Yummi Bears come in five varieties, Multi-Vitamin and Mineral, Immunity Shield, Brain Booster, Super Vision and Bone Builder.

To celebrate the holidays this year, Oregon Chai put a minty twist on its original flavor with its Peppermint Chai Tea Latte Concentrate. This product is so delightful, it is sure become a new holiday tradition for many, plus it is great for those with dairy allergies or intolerances—just substitute rice, almond, soy or hemp milk. The 32-oz box stays fresh for 4 weeks, long enough to last past New Year’s.

Crofter’s four new Superfruit Spreads are packed with exotic flavors and fruits from around the world—and a host of antioxidants and phytochemicals. Each spread features fruits from a specific area of the world, including macqui berry and passionfruit from South America, yumberry and raspberry from Asia, pomegranate and black current from Europe and cranberry and blueberry from North America. All use fair trade sugar and a pound of organic fruit.

Maggie’s Menagerie Co-op Animals are an example of socially-and environmentally-forward innovation. Promoting fair labor models, these stuffed animals are sewn by Opportunity Threads, a 100 percent worker-owned sewing cooperative in North Carolina. In addition, each unique toy is made of repurposed fabric and irregular socks that would have otherwise would have been wasted.

Nature’s Path has focused recently on developing more gluten-free options. Combining this trend with Canada’s signature ingredient, maple, has made Crunchy Maple Sunrise a big hit this year. The cereal incorporates quinoa, amaranth, flax, brown rice and buckwheat to add nutrients while avoiding gluten.

Happy Melts, a new product from Happy Baby, is an organic freeze-dried yogurt snack for babies and toddlers made from Stonyfield Farm’s Yo Baby yogurt. The baby bite-sized pieces melt in their mouths—no messes. It’s also the only baby food with prebiotics and probiotics.

Organic Valley’s Pasture Butter is not only creamier, but also healthier than most. Because it’s made from the milk of humanely raised cows that have been grazing at the height of pasture season, it has more of the nutrients that butter used to have before mass processing. This approach results in a butter with naturally higher levels of antioxidants, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), and omega fatty acids.

An organic foodservice product that has won accolades, taking home Best Overall Foodservice Product at the All Things Organic tradeshow, is Cloud Top Organic Functional Frozen Yogurt. It contains 10 percent of the daily requirement of omega 3s, vitamin D and calcium, as well as dietary fiber from inulin and a probiotic blend with six beneficial live cultures. All this and it tastes wonderful too!

*Of course, we could fill up a magazine with all the products we love. If you have products you would like to submit for future consideration, please email a description and a high-resolution photo to kat@organicprocessing.com.