Trade Show Coverage: NACS Show 2026 Preview

The 2026 NACS Show is set to showcase the future of convenience retail, bringing together industry leaders, innovative products, and the latest trends—all in one place. 

Drawing 24,000 industry stakeholders from more than 60 countries, the event rallies the worldwide convenience and fuel retailing industry for learning, discovering new ideas, fostering industry partnerships, networking with peers and having fun. 

Emerging category leaders exhibiting at the NACS Show are well-positioned to showcase their latest initiatives, products and programs to their peers.

“Smokey Mountain Brands has been innovating in the smokeless category since 1985, and this year at NACS we’re especially excited to show how we’re building on that 40+ year heritage while continuing to evolve with today’s consumer,” commented Jeff Gabler, Chief Operations Officer at Smokey Mountain Brands. “Our theme, ‘Where Tradition Meets Innovation,’ really captures who we are today. We have decades of experience as a trusted partner to wholesalers, distributors and convenience retailers across the US, but we’re also investing heavily in the future of the pouch category. At NACS, attendees will see our expanding portfolio of nicotine-free products designed around energy, focus and modern consumer lifestyles.”

Gabler continued, “We’re equally proud of what happens behind the products. Our products are manufactured in our FDA-inspected facility in Coppell, Texas, by a highly trained and experienced team utilizing state-of-the-art GD pouch manufacturing technology. We believe the combination of our heritage, manufacturing capabilities and continued product innovation gives our retail partners something truly differentiated to offer their consumers.”

“We are excited to show how DeIorio’s can help convenience retailers elevate their foodservice programs with craveable products that are easy to execute,” commented Jim Viti, VP of Sales and Marketing for DeIorio’s Foods. “We will highlight versatile pizza dough and crust solutions, breadsticks, and other portable formats designed for today. We also look forward to discussing customized and private-label programs that enable retailers to differentiate their menus and build a stronger foodservice identity.”

“This year at the show we’re excited to showcase how far pork rinds have come as a snack,” revealed Mark Singleton, VP of Sales & Marketing at Rudolph Foods. “Our new Southern Recipe Small Batch Air-Fried Buffalo Wing and Air-Fried Pizza flavors contain 30% less fat than traditional fried pork rinds, without sacrificing the crunch and flavor consumers expect from Southern Recipe Small Batch. They are a fantastic entry point for shoppers who want a better-for-you snack that doesn’t feel like a compromise. We’re also proud to bring our new Pimento Cheese flavor to the show, cooked with lard, as we continue to move away from seed oils. And with Valentina Hot Sauce pork rinds rolling out nationally, we’re demonstrating how pork rinds can tap into bold, culturally relevant flavors that today’s convenience shoppers are actively seeking out. More than any single product, though, we’re excited to talk with retailers about the bigger opportunity, positioning pork rinds as a mainstream protein snack, not just another item in the salty snack set. That shift in perception is where the real growth is as we meet the consumer demand for protein-forward snacks.”

This year’s NACS Show exhibitors bring unmatched value to convenience retailers, and they are eager to demonstrate these capabilities during meetings taking place at the show.

“Trust and experience are two of our greatest advantages,” Gabler noted. “Smokey Mountain Brands has been serving this industry since 1985, and during that time we’ve built long-standing relationships with wholesalers, distributors and convenience retailers throughout the United States. We understand that a successful supplier relationship goes far beyond simply putting a product on the shelf. Retailers need reliable supply, consistent quality, responsive service, competitive margins and products that give consumers a reason to come back. As an established US manufacturer with our own FDA-inspected facility in Coppell, TX, we can combine the reliability and experience of a company that has been in the category for more than four decades with the speed and innovation of an emerging brand. That allows us to work closely with our retail partners, respond to changing consumer preferences and bring relevant new pouch products to market. We don’t want to simply be another vendor—we want to be a trusted, long-term partner in growing the category.”

“Our product portfolio includes dough balls, pre-sheeted dough, par-baked and self-rising crusts, flatbreads, and breadsticks in a variety of sizes and formats,” Viti shared. “We collaborate with our customers to develop solutions around their equipment, handling requirements, menu objectives, and desired consumer experience—from branded products to fully customized private-label programs.”

To put it simply, Singleton said, “Convenience is in our DNA.”

“Pork rinds are a natural fit for grab-and-go snacking, and as the world’s largest producer of pork rinds, with 71 years of handcrafted, small-batch expertise behind us, we understand how to deliver consistent quality and flavor at the scale c-store partners need,” he explained. “We also bring category insight, not just product. We are helping retailers merchandise pork rinds as a protein- forward snack rather than lumping them in with traditional salty snacks. This is a shift in positioning that introduces the category to new consumers and drives incremental purchases. Also, we’re always working on flavor innovations. From air-fried, better-for-you options to bold collaborations like Valentina, we’re giving our c-store partners a steady stream of on-trend flavors to keep the set fresh and exciting for consumers. It all comes back to our mission of getting more people, eating more pork rinds, in more places. Convenience stores are a critical part of making that happen.”

NACS Show vendors also highlighted the top trends shaping the future of convenience store categories.

“We believe the biggest trend heading into 2027 will be the continued expansion of pouches beyond their traditional role,” Gabler commented. “Consumers have embraced the pouch format because it’s discreet, convenient, portable and easy to incorporate into their daily routines. Now we’re seeing those same attributes create opportunities well beyond traditional nicotine products. Energy, focus and functional ingredients are particularly exciting areas. Consumers increasingly want products that fit their lifestyles and allow them to control when and how they consume functional ingredients. Pouches offer a unique platform for delivering that experience without requiring a beverage, a large serving size or a complicated routine.”

He continued, “We expect innovation around ingredients, flavors, functionality and occasions of use to bring entirely new consumers into the category. For convenience retailers, that means the pouch set has the potential to evolve from primarily a tobacco/nicotine destination into a much broader functional-products destination. Smokey Mountain Brands intends to be at the forefront of that evolution—combining more than 40 years of category experience with new products designed around the needs of tomorrow’s convenience consumer. But even as we innovate and expand into new categories, we remain committed to the product and purpose that started it all. Smokey Mountain is America’s Original tobacco- and nicotine-free Long Cut, created to give adult dippers an alternative as they work toward taking back their tobacco-free lives. After more than 40 years, that mission remains at the core of who we are and what we do.”

“We expect continued growth in fresh foodservice as retailers compete for more meal and snacking occasions,” Viti of DeIorio’s predicted. “Consumers increasingly expect restaurant-quality food combined with the speed, accessibility, and value of the convenience channel. Portable and snackable items, premium pizza offerings, bold flavors, and products that perform across multiple dayparts will continue to gain attention. At the same time, retailers will seek labor-saving formats that simplify store-level preparation and improve consistency. Better-for-you choices and products accommodating dietary preferences will also create opportunities, but taste, value, convenience, and craveability will remain the strongest drivers of repeat purchases. Product examples include sweet dough, Grandma-style pizza, and jalapeño breadsticks, to name a few.”

“Protein continues to be the single biggest driver in snacking, across the board, and that’s not slowing down any time soon,” Singleton observed. “Consumers aren’t just reaching for protein after a workout anymore; they want protein snacking throughout the day. Pork rinds are perfectly positioned to deliver. Ingredient transparency is right behind it. Consumers are reading labels more closely, looking for fewer artificial ingredients and less reliance on seed oils, which is exactly why we’ve moved Southern Recipe Small Batch back to cooking in lard and introduced our air-fried product lineup. Looking ahead to 2027, I expect we’ll see even more demand for snacks that align with personal wellness goals without giving up flavor. Also, we expect continued growth in bold, globally inspired taste profiles. The brands that can combine protein, clean ingredients, and genuinely craveable flavor are the ones that will win with both retailers and consumers.”