2018 Tampa Bay Veg Fest
Zygote Nation was there! … At the 2018 Tampa Bay Veg Fest on Nov. 3, 2018, at the Perry Harvey Sr. Park in downtown Tampa, Florida.
The festival attracted thousands of attendees and the skies were clear and sunny. (Not so on the previous day, when heavy storms pounded Tampa Bay.) There was a really nice collection of local food businesses (e.g., restaurants, food trucks) and natural product vendors from across Florida and the southern United States.
Here is my list of the festival’s notable businesses and products:
Pacari Chocolate
Photo by Michael Sirak
Ecuador-based Pacari Chocolate sells premium USDA-certified organic chocolate. This has been one of my favorite chocolate brands since I first came across it in 2015. The company uses heirloom arriba nacional cacao that is native to Ecuador in its bars. It also has a line of bars featuring cacao beans from specific regions across the Andes region. Not only are its chocolate bars delicious, I respect the company for working with local small-scale farmers to preserve the Arriba Nacional cacao. My favorite Pacari bars right now are the raw Andean Blueberry, raw Cuzco Pink Salt & Nibs, and raw Spirulina. I also like Pacari’s Organic Jungle Peanuts and Organic Chocolate-Covered Cacao Beans. The company also offers chocolate chips and drinking cacao as well as chocolate-covered bananas, espresso beans, and golden berries.
221 BC Kombucha
Photos by Michael Sirak
Sarasota, Florida-based 221 BC Kombucha offers a nice selection of USDA-certified organic kombucha drinks. I run across my fair share of kombucha brands that do not impress me. More rarely, I find a brand like 221 BC Kombucha that re-connects me with kombucha and makes me want to drink more of it. The company’s current kombucha line includes: Berry Hibiscus, Ginger, Grapefruit Bee Pollen Basil, Koffee, Lemon Cayenne, Mint Matcha Honey, Moringa Lavender, and Orange Turmeric Cinnamon. It also has a jun drink: Jun Honey Matcha. (Brewers make jun drinks using honey to feed the drink’s bacteria culture as opposed to the cane sugar they use with the culture to create kombucha.) The Moringa Lavender and Jun Honey Matcha I had at the festival were delicious: fresh- and clean-tasting. I felt a nice boost of energy and invigorated after drinking them. I like that the company uses adaptogenic herbs (that help to balance the body when under stress), such as organic holy basil, organic schizandra berries, and organic moringa leaf, in its blends as well as ingredients like organic bee pollen. The latter is something I had not seen before in kombucha. Not only was I able to enjoy 221 BC Kombucha at the festival, but also at the Tampa Bay International Airport since one of the airport kiosks carries it. I drank the Grapefruit Bee Pollen Basil blend there. It also was delicious.
Pure Harmony Wellness
Photos by Michael Sirak
Pure Harmony Wellness from Austin, Texas, carries a line of ayurvedic and hemp-based body-care products, including coconut-oil-based hemp extracts. I found it intriguing that the company adds copaiba oil to all of these extracts, something I had not seen before. Copaiba is a resin of the copaiba tree. The label on the bottle of the Pure Harmony Wellness hemp extract I purchased explains the company’s reasoning for combining these substances: “Copaiba has been shown to bind with hemp extract to enhance assimilation.” Pure Harmony Wellness offers both full-spectrum hemp extract (i.e., contains the hemp plant’s natural occurring cannabinoids, including CBD, and terpenes) and hemp extract with just CBD. None of its hemp extracts contains any tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the hemp plant’s principle psychoactive substance. The company also sells hemp extract for pets; vegetable-glycerin-based hemp elixir with organic rose buds; pain-relieving hemp bath bombs with CBD and magnesium; body lotions with hemp extract and magnesium; and hemp salves. For oral care, the company offers bentonite clay-based toothpaste and tooth powder and oil pulls. It also sells doTerra essential oils and raw superfood truffles.
Clean Machine
Photos by Michael Sirak
Clean Machine of Pompano Beach, Florida, sells vegan, gluten-free, non-genetically modified sports nutrition supplements, including several with ingredients new and interesting to me. For example, the company’s Clean Green Protein powder features lentein, protein derived from a fresh-water flowering plant in the family of water lentil plants. (For more on lentein, see: lentein.com.) Clean Machine’s protein powder was the first product to hit the market with lentein. (I confirmed this with Parabel of Vero Beach, Florida, the company that runs the aqua farms that supply the lentein.) According to Clean Machine’s website, lentein is higher in naturally occurring essential amino acids and branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) than other plant proteins such as hemp, pea, rice, and soy. It also has higher nutrient density than chlorella, kale, moringa, spinach, and spirulina, states the website. Clean Machine also markets Ahiflower Oil capsules that provide omega-3, omega-6, and omega-9 fatty acids. Among its benefits, ahiflower is one of the highest known non-genetically-modifed plant sources of stearidonic acid (SDA) omega-3s, Clean Machine founder and CEO Geoff Palmer told Zygote Nation. Research has shown SDA converts to eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) omega-3s in the body at a rate of up to five time greater than alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) omega-3s convert to EPA, he said. Also, ahiflower oil has an optimal 4:1 ratio of omega-3s to omega-6s and contains gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), an omega-6 fatty acid recognized for its anti-inflammatory cellular benefits, according to the company. Clean Machine also sells Cell Block 80 capsules for men. This formula features opuntia flower extract and organic ashwagandha; it is designed to boost testosterone levels, inhibit the conversion of testosterone to estrogen, and promote prostate health. Clean Machine also offers a Clean BCAA powder with coconut water electrolytes; this blend helps reduce age-related muscle loss and promote muscle recovery after a workout, according to the company.
Body&Soul
Photos by Michael Sirak
Body&Soul of Jacksonville, Florida, markets a wide range of herbal and aromatherapeutic products designed to nourish one’s body and spirit. They include baby balms, powders, and sprays; bar soaps; beard oils; body and room sprays; bug spray; chakra oils; deodorants; essential oils; facial masks, serums, and sprays; herbal bitters and tinctures; inhalers; lip balms; massage oils; pain-relief balms; pet oils, shampoos, and toothpaste; shampoo bars; tattoo salve; and tooth scrubs and re-mineralizing tooth suds. The company also has a line of gemstone necklaces. Visiting the company’s booth, the chakra oils and the Tooth Suds were most interesting to me. There is a unique chakra oil for each of the body’s seven chakras. Each comes with a roll-on tip for application. They use a base of grapeseed and olive oil and a blend of essential oils optimized for the respective chakra. For example, the Heart Chakra blend features lavender, clary sage, bergamot, frankincense, and sage essential oils. The Root Chakra roll-on has lime and patchouli essential oils. The liquid, peppermint-flavored Tooth Suds formula is meant to heal and protect the teeth and gums. It contains olive oil castile soap; extracts of blue vervain, licorice, myrrh, peppermint, and stevia; and peppermint, sage, and spearmint essential oils. One places drops of it on one’s toothbrush and then brushes with it.
