BOULDER, CO--(Marketwired - Jan 15, 2015) - The most successful business leaders in the nutrition industry for 2014 have been announced in Nutrition Business Journal's (NBJ) annual Business Achievement Awards issue. Recipients of the NBJ Business Achievement Awards will be honored during the 18th annual NBJ Summit, July 20-23, at the St. Regis Hotel Monarch Beach Resort in Dana Point, California.

NBJ is the premier publication for the nutrition, natural, organic, dietary supplement and integrative medicine industries. Each year, the publication recognizes the industry's most notable business leaders in its annual Business Achievement Awards issue.

"We're honored to be calling attention to every single one of these companies, not only for their individual successes but also for the ways in which they support and inspire the entire industry," said John Bradley, NBJ's content director and editor-in-chief. "That goes for everyone from a Whole Foods Market down to the 15-year-old inventor of Define Bottle."

For Efforts on Behalf of the Industry, Omega-3 Coalition is honored for rallying consumer interest in omega-3s led by GOED and key industry players. Receiving an honorable mention is Pom for its win at the Supreme Court against Coca-Cola's misleading label claims on its pomegranate drink, setting a precedent for other natural product companies to defend themselves against established corporations.

Aker BioMarine receives an award in Sustainability for taking the lead in ensuring sustainable harvests in Antarctic krill grounds. Honorable mention goes to Big Cricket Farms for becoming the first 100 percent, food-grade cricket supplier in the expanding industry of cricket-based flours and foods.

The Organic Excellence award goes to Harmless Harvest for becoming America's first Fair for Life Social & Fair Trade certified coconut water and investing in the rural community of Thailand by building its facility there and creating more than 100 full-time jobs. Receiving an honorable mention is Orgenetics for continuing to champion certified organic supplements.

Robert Craven, CEO of FoodState, wins the Management Achievement award for orchestrating the sale of whole-food supplements innovator FoodState and its flagship brand, MegaFood, to supplement giant Pharmavite. Honorable mention is awarded to Twinlab for CEO Tom Tolworthy's leadership that formed Twinlab Consolidation Corp. (TCC) in a strategic, employee-led buyout with TCC's first acquisition being Twinlab Corp. that then completed a merger into Twinlab Consolidated Holdings Inc., allowing the company to become publicly traded on the stock market.

Receiving the Education award is Manitoba Harvest Hemp Foods for its campaign to engage mainstream acceptance of hemp foods and its direct involvement in awareness initiatives like Hemp History Week and Non-GMO Month. Honorable mention is awarded to OmniActive Health Technologies for elevating awareness of vision health.

Metabrand Capital receives The Investment in the Future award for creating a new investment pillar that aims to be the financing opportunity for mission-oriented, natural product brands and retailers by aligning strategic partnerships that embody and embrace socially conscious business approaches. Honorable mention goes to BI Nutraceuticals for ongoing investment in its Identilok botanical identification-testing program, Protexx HP Green Steam species-specific organic steam sterilization method and worldwide vendor surveillance program.

Hampton Creek receives the Innovation award for challenging the food industry with its Silicon Valley-thinking and financing push for plant-based alternatives to eggs, which has gained attraction for its Just Mayo product in more than 15,000 stores worldwide. Define Bottle receives an honorable mention for its $15 million unique bottle concept that allows consumers to infuse water with whole foods on-the-go as a means to wean people off sugary drinks.

Whole Foods Market is honored with the Philanthropy award for demonstrating how to scale mission alongside business by allowing individual stores the ability to give back to their own local communities. NOW Foods receives an honorable mention for contributions in excess of $1 million to charities that support local and worldwide needs, disaster relief and environmental conservation.

Honored with Growth awards are six companies that have had increasing momentum within the industry including large companies The Honest Co. and Ortho Molecular (honorable mention), mid-size companies ChromaDex and Enjoy Life (honorable mention) and small companies Dang Foods and Cooksimple (honorable mention).

Teatulia receives the Triple Bottom Line award for earning shelf space in more than 1,400 Target stores and continued expansion in foreign markets including educational and health programs in Bangladesh and sustainable green packaging efforts, as well as the company's commitment to philanthropic causes. Receiving an honorable mention is Kuli Kuli for its innovative startup financing and focus on lifting women in East Africa out of poverty.

NBJ Business Achievement Awards recipients will be honored at the NBJ Summit, where the recipient of the 2014 Lifetime Achievement award will also be revealed. Advance registration is critical as NBJ Summit sells out each year (www.nbjsummit.com). View winners at: www.newhope360.com/nbj.

About Nutrition Business Journal

Through a portfolio of media products, including a monthly executive journal and in-depth research reports, Nutrition Business Journal, produced by New Hope Natural Media (a division of Penton Media), supplies authoritative data and analysis to leaders and decision makers in the nutrition business. NBJ also provides strategic consulting services to many of the top companies in the industry. To request a free issue or subscribe visit www.newhope360.com/nbj.

About Penton

Penton drives performance for more than 16 million professionals each and every day for insights, information and workflow tools to inform critical business decisions; networking and community to engage them with industry peers and partners; and data and marketing services to advance their business performance and deliver ROI. Penton is a growth company with a track record of strong performance and success and is backed by its co-owners, MidOcean Partners and U.S. Equity Partners II, an investment fund sponsored by Wasserstein & Co., LP. For additional information on the company and its businesses visit www.penton.com.