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, all of which had to present a three-minute skit that showcased their stories.
“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 in which brand representatives were asked questions about market strategies and other opportunities.
The five finalists were Painterland Sisters, Cien Chiles, Dr. Noah Theo’s Plant-Based and Philospher Foods.
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.
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.”
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 crowd chose organic baby food pouch maker Kekoa Foods as the Audience Choice Award winner.