Smart Local Snackin’
Finding a balance between healthy and delicious is not always the easiest thing to find when we think of our conventional snack foods. The average consumer is caught in a sea of highly processed and unhealthy snack foods that are engineered to be delicious and then you have the inverse, the healthy and natural snack foods that might be rather bland, boring and doesn’t quite satisfy that craving. This month’s blog is showcasing local Michigan purveyors that have created various different snack foods that demonstrate harmony between being healthy and also satisfyingly delicious.
Jessica’s Natural Foods
Our first brand that you could find on our shelves at any given day of the week is Jessica’s Natural foods. Launched in 2009, Jessica, a former engineer and avid baker started baking gluten-free granola for her husband. After much experimentation, recipe tweaking, and developing a passion for it, Jessica took the leap and launched her own brand and is sharing her homemade recipe that is now being enjoyed nationwide. Jessica’s granola starts with pure and wholesome ingredients and then is baked at low temperatures always in small batches. Jessica’s granola is gluten free certified (GFCO), non-GMO project verified, and kosher (OU D), and always free from unnecessary additives, flavors, food dyes, and preservatives. With an array of granola flavors and combinations, Jessica’s love for chocolate has led to many innovations with their gluten-free oat based granola to store shelves. As the business expanded and the market for gluten free goods grew as well, Jessica developed a gluten-free flour blend and baking mixes, bringing a healthier option rather than the conventional starch heavy options in the market. Jessica is still the same home baker as before operating a business that creates food with love and simplicity and hopes to bring joy to your table.
Nakee Butter
Our next brand that we’re showcasing is Nakee Butter, a local purveyor of various on-the-go nutrition convenient snack solutions. Nakee Butter specializes in creating fuel for high-performing humans who are health conscious and have specific nutritional goals and anyone that is looking for a nutrient dense portable snack solution that guarantees deliciousness. Nakee Butter offers various nutrient dense nut butters blended with many different nootropics, adaptogenic mushrooms and other beneficial supplements without sacrificing flavor. Their products range from sunflower and peanut butters sweetened with maple or fortified with cacao with added adaptogenic mushrooms and MCT Oil, giving you a little more than what your average snack can typically offer. Nakee offers their products in portable mini pouches, perfect to carry in your bag or pocket, or a more bulk option available like in a jar. Alongside their nut butters, they also offer their MCT Oil separate from the nut products that anyone can add into their typical diet. Nakee offers full transparency of their product, simple, wholesome ingredients, and a laid-back honest attitude to their marketing. Keep an eye out for their products next time you’re shopping for a new snack alternative!
Germack
The next brand we’re featuring is known quite well around the metro Detroit area, Germack has really made a household name for themselves. Known as a Detroit classic, Germack started as a small family owned business in 1924, the original founders, John and Frank Germack came to America through Ellis Island in 1912 at the ages of 12 and 7, as they got older and were longing for their taste of their homeland, older brother John started a business in Brooklyn, importing food for the Turkish, Greek and Eastern Europe immigrants, the immigration boom in Detroit shifted their business and they set up shop there and became the first company in the US to import and roast pistachios. As the years have gone by and popularity grew, Germack is in its 4th generation of family ownership; they continue to roast a full line of nuts, seeds, and coffees in Detroit’s Eastern Market District. Germack is known for having high quality nuts, perfect for everyday snacking and cooking, and is credited for inventing the popular red-colored pistachio. With impeccable sourcing and quality control, their nuts are roasted in small batches with premium oil for optimal roast level and taste. Not only do their nuts create the perfect snack, but Germack is perfect for gift giving as well and offers many bundles during the holiday season.
Free and Simple Foods
Last but not least, we’re wrapping up this month’s blog with Free and Simple Foods, a woman-owned business that creates snacks for people and families with food allergies. After Renee Sorgi spent years learning about her autoimmune issues, her frustration with the limited amount of snacks she could purchase on the store shelves. Renee realized she wasn’t alone and many others also shared her frustration, especially children with food allergies, that frustration and passion for innovation led to her creation of her granola and crackers. Free and Simple products live up to their name and are free from all nine main food allergens including; egg, dairy, peanut, sesame, tree nuts, wheat, soy, fish, and shellfish. Renee created the granola using Tigernuts, an allergy safe tuber vegetable. Renee and her businesses goal is to reach as many families with food allergies and provide them with a delicious and healthy snack they can actually enjoy.
Rivertown’s dedication to sourcing high quality snack foods not typically found at most grocery stores from local purveyors is just a small facet of our business, with our overarching mission to be as local as possible and to have something for just about everybody while also supporting our local economy. If any of these products mentioned above peak your interest, keep your eye out for one of these brands on our store shelves!