Naturally Chicago is the community for our Good Food & Natural Product Industry.

Why Naturally Chicago?

We Create Connections

Naturally Chicago hosts regular networking events that provide an opportunity to exchange ideas and explore new business opportunities. These events connect entrepreneurs with investors, start ups with industry experts, retailers and other industry professionals.
We Support Our Partners

Your membership to Naturally Chicago, gets you resources, access and support to help your natural product start-ups and early-stage companies grow and succeed. This includes mentorship, access to funding opportunities, and market-focused workshops and events.
We Provide Insights

Naturally Chicago offers our members valuable industry insights and information through our educational and thought-leadership programs. These programs provide members with the latest trends, insights and best practices in the fast-growing natural products industry, helping them to stay ahead of the curve and make informed business decisions.

Naturally Chicago Events

IT'S A GREAT TIME TO INVEST IN CPG — 5/1/25 WEBINAR

It is a great time to invest in emerging CPG brands. Join us for our "It's a Great Time to Invest in CPG" webinar on Thursday, May 1, co-presented by Naturally New York and Naturally NorCal.
The investment landscape is constantly changing. Come hear what these leading CPG industry investors are thinking:
Arthur Chow, S2G Investments
Paul Mariani, Mesirow
Jason Mercer, Cleveland Avenue
Mollye Santulli, Springdale Ventures
Eric Schnell, Beyond Brands
Wayne Wu, VMG Partners
The discussion will be moderated by Jim Slama, founder and managing director of Naturally Chicago. There will be time set aside at the end of the conversation for audience Q&A.
For great background on the topic, please check out Jim Slama's article — It's Time to Invest in Emerging CPG Brands Again, Chicago — which was published in Crain's Chicago Business and on New Hope Network's website: https://www.naturallychicago.org/blog-2/its-time-to-invest-in-natural-products-cpg-again

REGISTER FOR THE INVESTMENT WEBINAR
NATURALLY CHICAGO'S NATURALLY RISING CONSCIOUS PITCH COMPETITION & FORUM — 6/2/25 LIVE EVENT

SAVE THE DATE OF JUNE 2 FOR NATURALLY CHICAGO’S BIGGEST ANNUAL EVENT
Tickets are now on sale for the natural products industry event of the year in Chicago. This is your best opportunity to meet established and emerging brands, investors, service providers, lenders, potential business partners and more.

BUY TICKETS HERE
Building a Partnership with a Broker — 4/2/25 Live Members-Only Event

Our IN-PERSON event in downtown Chicago enabled attendees to learn more about working with brokers — and to celebrate the success of our Mentorship program.
This gathering took place on April 2 at the headquarters of C.A. Fortune, a leading brand broker, at 651 W. Washington Blvd. in the West Loop neighborhood.
The event had two components: a panel discussion on brokers, as well as a social and networking finale to thank all of the Mentors and Mentees who have participated in the 2nd cohort of our Mentorship program.
Watch this space for our blog post recap of this informative and fun event.

Chicago Seed Co. Investor Group is Now Part of Naturally Chicago

Naturally Chicago — the region’s association for the natural products industry — has joined forces with Chicago Seed Co., the premier network of Chicago-area investors who are passionate about supporting food, beverage and natural products companies.

Click here to Learn More and Submit Your Investment Opportunity

Locally Made

Get on the Shelves with Leading Chicago Retailers Through Naturally Chicago’s Locally Made!

Welcome to Naturally Chicago’s Locally Made Program - a groundbreaking initiative designed to connect Illinois retailers with the region’s emerging and top-performing brands.

Locally Made is a partnership between Naturally Chicago and KeHE Distributors, along with other industry-leading partners who have extensive relationships with retailers and a proven track record of securing shelf presence for early-stage and emerging brands.

learn more