Washington, D.C. — Union Kitchen founder and CEO Cullen Gilchrist is heading to the national stage. Gilchrist has been invited to speak at the New Hope Network & SPINS Retailer Breakfast during the prestigious Natural Products Expo West, one of the largest gatherings in the natural and organic food industry. The panel, titled "Retailers Breakfast: Meet Today’s Challenges with Tomorrow’s Brands," will be held March 9, 2023 at the Anaheim Convention Center in California.
Moderated by Andrew Henkel, Executive Vice President of Retail at SPINS, the panel will explore how retailers can curate innovative, forward-looking product assortments in a rapidly evolving food landscape. Gilchrist will be joined by Liz Williams, President of Foxtrot, and representatives from this year’s NEXTY Award-winning brands, who exemplify innovation, integrity, and impact.
For Union Kitchen and its national network of food startups, this moment is more than a speaking engagement—it's a validation of the Accelerator’s core belief: that local food businesses can grow into national brands when given the right tools and support.
Cullen Gilchrist launched Union Kitchen in 2012 after co-owning the Blind Dog Cafe and realizing just how difficult it was for food startups to scale. Armed with a vision to create a food ecosystem that supports every stage of a business's lifecycle—from idea to scale—he built Union Kitchen to be both a commercial kitchen and a launchpad for consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies.
Since then, Gilchrist and Union Kitchen have helped launch over 200 food businesses, including widely recognized brands like Compass Coffee, Snacklins, Caribe Juice, Pop’s Bakery, and Mas Panadas. Under Gilchrist’s leadership, Union Kitchen developed a unique Accelerator model rooted in three pillars: manufacturing ownership, local-first distribution, and strategic scaling.
Union Kitchen brands don’t just rent kitchen space—they learn to manufacture their own products, access key retail partnerships (including Compass Coffee’s network of cafés), and prepare for regional and national growth.
Expo West is the Super Bowl of natural food innovation, bringing together tens of thousands of buyers, brands, investors, and experts who are shaping the future of food. Gilchrist’s inclusion on the Retailer Breakfast panel is both an acknowledgment of Union Kitchen’s influence and a chance to spotlight how ecosystems like his can future-proof retail strategy.
“In today’s crowded food marketplace, retailers are searching for brands that offer something unique but also have staying power,” Gilchrist says. “That’s what we specialize in—building brands that are both values-driven and operationally sound.”
As food retailers and investors look toward what’s next, Gilchrist’s insights will be grounded in experience—having guided numerous brands from farmers market tables to Whole Foods Market shelves.
The breakfast event will feature not only robust discussion but also the opportunity to network with industry leaders and taste products from this year’s NEXTY Award winners. It’s a celebration of the food world’s brightest future-facing entrepreneurs—and a chance to learn what makes them succeed.