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Puffworks
Sarah Whitman-Salkin, March 30, 2018

Rich Friedman was living in Israel when he discovered Bamba, the peanut butter-flavored puffed corn snack that’s the first sold...

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{"id":1286864914,"title":"Puffworks","created_at":"2018-03-30T11:04:29-04:00","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0100\/5392\/files\/puffworks.png?v=1522422245\" alt=\"Puffworks Logo\"\u003eRich Friedman was living in Israel when he discovered Bamba, the peanut butter-flavored puffed corn snack that’s the first sold food eaten by 9 out of 10 Israeli children. Smitten by the light, crunchy and totally addictive puffs, Rich came back to the US, settled in Portland, Oregon, and set his sights on making a wholesome peanut butter puff for American kids (and adults!). The result? Puffworks.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAll of Puffworks peanut butter puffs are entirely plant-based (they’re made from whole-grain corn) and contain only whole ingredients, like actual peanut butter and real chocolate. Oh, you didn’t know that dark chocolate peanut butter puffs exist? Well, they do…and these crispy, melt-in-your-mouth treats are everything we’d been searching for in our quest for the perfect PB puff. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn order to bring Puffworks wholesome snacks to the largest possible audience (because everyone deserves a giant bag of healthy peanut butter puffs, right?) Rich joined forces with Portland-based entrepreneur Greg Murphy and product developer Guru Hari to spread their peanut butter dream across America.\u003c\/p\u003e","blog_id":1310142,"author":"Sarah Whitman-Salkin","user_id":478380050,"published_at":"2018-03-30T11:04:00-04:00","updated_at":"2018-03-30T11:05:41-04:00","summary_html":"","template_suffix":"","handle":"puffworks","tags":"","image":{"created_at":"2018-03-30T11:04:29-04:00","alt":"","width":141,"height":160,"src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0100\/5392\/articles\/puffworks.png?v=1522422269"}}
Aida
Sarah Whitman-Salkin, March 21, 2018

Aida was born in the kitchen at Lois, a wine bar on New York's Lower East Side where all the...

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{"id":1267236882,"title":"Aida","created_at":"2018-03-21T17:51:10-04:00","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0100\/5392\/files\/Aida.jpg?v=1521668312\" alt=\"Aida Crackers from New York, NY\"\u003eAida was born in the kitchen at Lois, a wine bar on New York's Lower East Side where all the wines are on tap. (Another name for the Lower East Side? Loisaida. Lois-Aida. Get it?)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePhoebe Connell and Nora O’Malley were longtime friends when they started Lois (they originally met in high school in Cleveland, OH). The wine bar was one of the first spots in New York that served “keg wine” (or wine on tap), and their approach to a modern wine bar – that drinking wine should be accessible, and that trying lots of different kinds of wine shouldn’t require too much commitment – was refreshing. That same ethos carried over into Lois’s tiny kitchen, where Phoebe created a handful of easy-to-enjoy snacks, from cheese plates to candied nuts, that customers could enjoy with their drinks.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSoon, people were coming to Lois for the snacks as much as the wines. And Phoebe and Nora heard the clamor of voices requesting snacks to go – and recognized the opportunity to bring their food to a wider audience. They adapted some of Lois’s bestsellers, like their sourdough flatbread, which became a sourdough cracker. Some, like their Currant Turmeric Crisps, were already perfect for packaging.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd that packaging! Graphic, colorful and almost too pretty to ruin by opening the box…but we know that it’s what’s inside that really counts (and tastes so good). \u003c\/p\u003e","blog_id":1310142,"author":"Sarah Whitman-Salkin","user_id":478380050,"published_at":"2018-03-21T17:51:00-04:00","updated_at":"2018-03-30T12:14:15-04:00","summary_html":"","template_suffix":"","handle":"aida","tags":"","image":{"created_at":"2018-03-21T17:51:10-04:00","alt":"","width":240,"height":160,"src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0100\/5392\/articles\/Aida.jpg?v=1521669070"}}
BeHome
Sarah Whitman-Salkin, March 15, 2018

Based in Northern California, Be Home searches the globe for the most beautiful sustainably produced homewares and kitchen tools. They...

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{"id":1252556818,"title":"BeHome","created_at":"2018-03-15T12:43:46-04:00","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0100\/5392\/files\/be-home-logo-black-retina-large_medium.png?v=1521132132\" alt=\"BeHome homewares designers based in San Pablo, CA\"\u003eBased in Northern California, Be Home searches the globe for the most beautiful sustainably produced homewares and kitchen tools. They partner with fair trade cooperatives, family-run businesses and manufacturers committed to equal opportunity and supporting skilled artisans, and we get minimal, modern goods that we use time and time again. Win-win.\u003c\/p\u003e","blog_id":1310142,"author":"Sarah Whitman-Salkin","user_id":478380050,"published_at":"2018-03-15T12:43:00-04:00","updated_at":"2018-03-15T12:43:46-04:00","summary_html":"","template_suffix":"","handle":"behome","tags":"","image":{"created_at":"2018-03-15T12:43:46-04:00","alt":"","width":300,"height":300,"src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0100\/5392\/articles\/be-home-logo-black-retina-large.png?v=1521132226"}}
GoVino
Sarah Whitman-Salkin, March 15, 2018

In 1998, Joseph Perrulli was a wine sales rep, traveling around the country and tasting a lot of wine with...

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{"id":1252360210,"title":"GoVino","created_at":"2018-03-15T10:00:35-04:00","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0100\/5392\/files\/Joseph_Perrulli_medium.jpg?v=1521122152\" alt=\"Joseph Perrulli of GoVino\"\u003eIn 1998, Joseph Perrulli was a wine sales rep, traveling around the country and tasting a lot of wine with a lot of potential buyers. The wines he was pouring were top of the line, but the cups he was pouring into were not – they were “lousy plastic gargling cups,” as he’s called them. Wine glasses are specifically designed to enhance the aroma and flavor of wine, and these little disposables weren’t doing his wines (or the wines’ drinkers) any favors. So Perrulli set out to find a solution, and founded GoVino. \u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eBecause he was traveling so much, Perrulli needed glasses that were reusable and recyclable; flexible, durable and shatterproof; that wouldn’t have any coatings that would interfere with the aroma or flavor of the wine \u003cem\u003eand\u003c\/em\u003e were elegant. He found his material in 100% BPA- and BPS-free polymer, and designed each stemless glass with a handy indent in the side for a drinker’s thumb, so they’re easy to grip. His wine customers loved them so much that word began to spread; soon chefs and winemakers were using his glasses, and Perrulli expanded his line to include flutes and beer glasses. The design community took notice, too; GoVino has won two International Design Excellence Awards and the Good Design award by The Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design.\u003c\/p\u003e","blog_id":1310142,"author":"Sarah Whitman-Salkin","user_id":478380050,"published_at":"2018-03-15T10:00:00-04:00","updated_at":"2018-03-15T10:00:35-04:00","summary_html":"","template_suffix":"","handle":"govino","tags":"","image":{"created_at":"2018-03-15T10:00:35-04:00","alt":"","width":320,"height":260,"src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0100\/5392\/articles\/Joseph_Perrulli.jpg?v=1521122435"}}
Kansas City Canning Co.
Sarah Whitman-Salkin, February 28, 2018

Old traditions meet new flavors in Kansas City Canning Co.’s jars. Partners Tim and Laura Tuohy seek out the most...

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{"id":1220870162,"title":"Kansas City Canning Co.","created_at":"2018-02-28T12:11:09-05:00","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0100\/5392\/files\/KansasCityCanning_mikc.jpg?v=1519837848\" alt=\"\"\u003eOld traditions meet new flavors in Kansas City Canning Co.’s jars. Partners Tim and Laura Tuohy seek out the most local, seasonal and unique ingredients they can find for their pickles, preserves and shrubs, then can them for year round enjoyment - just like in the olden days.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eBoth Tim and Laura were raised canning with their grandmothers: Tim in New Jersey (where they canned tomatoes for Sunday sauce) and Laura on her grandmother’s farm in Kansas (where they canned everything). The two met in New York City, while Tim was getting his degree at the Institute of Culinary Education. When they moved into an apartment in Queens that had a cherry tree in the backyard, they started harvesting the fruit, making shrubs and pies, and having a lot of fun doing it.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eWhen they moved to Kansas City in 2012, they continued canning fruit together. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eFor their wedding they made clementine-thyme marmalade, which they mixed into bourbon cocktails and gave out as favors. Everyone loved the stuff, from the caterer to the guests, and it got Tim and Laura thinking: what if they did this for real? What if they turned their hobby into a full-fledged company? Seven months later, Kansas City Canning Co. was born.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eEvery jar Tim and Laura make is hand-packed and hand-labeled, for truly handcrafted products and pickles that are 100% dill-ish, and truly a labor of their love.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","blog_id":1310142,"author":"Sarah Whitman-Salkin","user_id":478380050,"published_at":"2018-02-28T12:11:00-05:00","updated_at":"2018-02-28T12:11:09-05:00","summary_html":"","template_suffix":"","handle":"kansas-city-canning-co","tags":"","image":{"created_at":"2018-02-28T12:11:09-05:00","alt":"","width":240,"height":160,"src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0100\/5392\/articles\/KansasCityCanning_mikc.jpg?v=1519837869"}}
Little Red Dot Kitchen
Sarah Whitman-Salkin, February 26, 2018

If you ask Ching Lee, the self-proclaimed "little ninja" behind Little Red Dot Kitchen, she'll tell you she created her...

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{"id":215434386,"title":"Little Red Dot Kitchen","created_at":"2017-07-31T16:26:25-04:00","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0100\/5392\/files\/Little_Red_Dot_Kitchen.jpg?v=1519668787\" alt=\"\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIf you ask Ching Lee, the self-proclaimed \"little ninja\" behind Little Red Dot Kitchen, she'll tell you she created her company out of necessity. She was craving \u003cem\u003ebak kwa\u003c\/em\u003e, her favorite marinated-and-grilled meat snack from her homeland Malaysia, but couldn't find it anywhere in California... so she banded together with a few Malaysian and Singaporean friends and they started making their own. They called the company Little Red Dot - the nickname for Singapore, \"a teeny-tiny but proud island that is denoted on a map as a little red dot.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWhat’s that, you don’t know bak kwa? Also known as \"rougan\", bak kwa is a Chinese-influenced, salty-sweet dried meat similar to jerky. To make it like the street vendors in Asia do, Red Dot first marinates their meat in an umami-packed mixture of old world fish sauce and soy sauce, plus a blend of Southeast Asian spices. Then, the bak kwa is roasted to give it an authentic, smoky char. It's packed with protein, relatively low in sodium and some of the best darn dried meaty treats we've ever had.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWe also love how Ching only sources meat from domestic, sustainable and environmentally responsible farmers in Northern California. While her main goal is to preserve the true taste of her home, she also recognizes that \"our bodies reflect what we put inside it.\" Hear, hear!\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","blog_id":1310142,"author":"Sarah Whitman-Salkin","user_id":478380050,"published_at":"2018-02-26T13:14:00-05:00","updated_at":"2018-02-26T13:14:23-05:00","summary_html":"","template_suffix":"","handle":"little-red-dot-kitchen","tags":"","image":{"created_at":"2018-02-26T13:14:23-05:00","alt":"","width":240,"height":160,"src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0100\/5392\/articles\/Little_Red_Dot_Kitchen.jpg?v=1519668863"}}
Watermelon Road Snack Co.
Sarah Whitman-Salkin, February 26, 2018

When Jamie Melzer noticed that her friends and family (including her husband) were developing allergies and autoimmune diseases in their...

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{"id":1215463442,"title":"Watermelon Road Snack Co.","created_at":"2018-02-26T13:02:02-05:00","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0100\/5392\/files\/Watermelon_Road.jpg?v=1519668220\" alt=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWhen Jamie Melzer noticed that her friends and family (including her husband) were developing allergies and autoimmune diseases in their 20’s, she began to investigate – and found overly processed foods to be the culprit. Her response? She began making all-natural fruit snacks that were as delicious as they were wholesome and nutritious.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHer fruit leather is a far cry from the fruit roll-ups of childhood lunches. Jamie uses organic and all-natural fruits and no refined sugars. To make the flavors shine, she simply pairs pineapple and watermelon with ingredients that bring out their natural sweetness and complexity – like lime juice and organic mint her in Pineapple Mojito and a touch of lemon juice in her Watermelon Lemonade. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe result is dried fruit that’s unlike anything we’ve tasted before. And we’re not alone – demand for her dried fruit jerky grew so fast that last year Jamie left her job as a Wall Street executive to focus on Watermelon Road full time. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eWatermelon Road, take me home.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","blog_id":1310142,"author":"Sarah Whitman-Salkin","user_id":478380050,"published_at":"2018-02-26T13:02:00-05:00","updated_at":"2018-02-27T13:46:44-05:00","summary_html":"","template_suffix":"","handle":"watermelon-road-snack-co","tags":"","image":{"created_at":"2018-02-26T13:03:51-05:00","alt":"","width":240,"height":160,"src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0100\/5392\/articles\/Watermelon_Road.jpg?v=1519668231"}}
Runamok Maple
Sarah Whitman-Salkin, February 26, 2018

Eric and Laura Sorkin are maple people – and we get to reap the sweet benefits of their labor. The...

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{"id":1215430674,"title":"Runamok Maple","created_at":"2018-02-26T12:55:13-05:00","body_html":"\u003cimg src=\"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0100\/5392\/files\/Runamok_Maple.jpg?v=1519667556\" alt=\"\"\u003eEric and Laura Sorkin are maple people – and we get to reap the sweet benefits of their labor. The maple syrup that they tap from their 81,000 Vermont trees (they’ve got 1100 acres in Cambridge, VT, and 250 acres in Fairfield) is some of the finest, richest and most pure maple gold we’ve ever tasted. But they didn’t set out to make syrup: in addition to both holding degrees in Environmental Management, Eric has a law degree from Columbia University and Laura has a culinary degree from the French Culinary Institute. The couple moved up to Vermont from Washington, D.C., in 2001 to start an organic farm, but ultimately found “sugaring” to be their true calling.\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThey’ve put their degrees good use in setting up Runamok’s modern tree-tapping operation, which uses vacuum technology to collect the sap they harvest during sugaring season and reverse osmosis to filter out the water from the sap so that what’s left is pure, clean, light sap. The water they remove – about 97% of the sap – is returned to the land to replenish the watershed, and the remaining sap they cook down into maple syrup. And, oh, that syrup!\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWith Laura’s culinary training, the couple has developed far more than an incredible bottle of maple syrup (though they’ve done that, too). In addition to their pure Grade A maple “Sugarmaker’s Cut,” they also have created smoked, barrel-aged and infused maple syrups in flavors like cinnamon and vanilla, ginger, cardamom and elderberry. Each flavored syrup is perfectly balanced – whether smokey, boozy or infused. Rather than being overwhelmed by these flavorings, the pure maple flavor is heightened and its subtleties are revealed, for a very different (and very delicious) maple experience. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWhile we love these syrups on pancakes and waffles of course, the range of flavors makes them equally excellent drizzled on roasted vegetables, stirred into cocktails and mixed into marinades.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\nBecause is there anything a few drops of maple syrup can’t improve? Clearly, we’re maple people, too.","blog_id":1310142,"author":"Sarah Whitman-Salkin","user_id":478380050,"published_at":"2018-02-26T12:55:00-05:00","updated_at":"2018-02-27T13:46:18-05:00","summary_html":"","template_suffix":"","handle":"runamok-maple","tags":"","image":{"created_at":"2018-02-26T12:55:13-05:00","alt":"","width":240,"height":160,"src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0100\/5392\/articles\/Runamok_Maple.jpg?v=1519667713"}}
Zoe's Chocolate Co.
Sarah Whitman-Salkin, February 26, 2018

There are family businesses where a trade is passed down from generation to generation, and there are family businesses where...

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{"id":1215397906,"title":"Zoe's Chocolate Co.","created_at":"2018-02-26T12:50:09-05:00","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cimg src=\"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0100\/5392\/files\/Zoe_s_Chocolate_Co.jpg?v=1519667255\" alt=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThere are family businesses where a trade is passed down from generation to generation, and there are family businesses where parents and children work together – and then there are those rare family businesses, like Zoë’s Chocolate Company, where both are happening\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePantelis, Zoë and Petros Tsoukatos were raised in chocolate: George, their father, learned the art of chocolate-making from his Greek-born uncle, who sold hand-rolled chocolates from a pushcart in Baltimore, MD – a business that eventually moved to Waynesboro, PA, and where George continued to make chocolate even after his uncle’s business closed. In 2005, George was laid off. Pantelis, Zoë and Petros had been pursuing other careers – Zoë has a master’s degree in public policy and international development – but when their father found himself out of work, the three kids moved back to their Pennsylvania hometown and put all their weight behind helping their father create his dream: an artisan chocolate shop that would bring a modern sensibility to his traditional methods of confectionary.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eToday, they craft their Mediterranean-inspired chocolates and seasonal treats together: Zoë runs operations while her brothers and father cook up the candies. And the business, which could have been merely a local kids-and-pop operation, has grown into a nationally recognized brand: Zoë’s has created chocolates for the Oscars and the Emmys, custom bonbons for actor Zach Galifianakis’s wedding and is beloved by Oprah.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eZoë’s Chocolate Co. is truly a family affair, and it’s truly delicious.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","blog_id":1310142,"author":"Sarah Whitman-Salkin","user_id":478380050,"published_at":"2018-02-26T12:49:00-05:00","updated_at":"2018-02-27T14:22:05-05:00","summary_html":"","template_suffix":"","handle":"zoes-chocolate-co","tags":"","image":{"created_at":"2018-02-26T12:50:09-05:00","alt":"","width":240,"height":160,"src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0100\/5392\/articles\/Zoe_s_Chocolate_Co.jpg?v=1519667409"}}
Black Dinah Chocolatiers
Sarah Whitman-Salkin, February 26, 2018

For years, Kate Shaffer made chocolate confections in her home kitchen on the tiny coastal Maine island of Isle au...

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{"id":1215365138,"title":"Black Dinah Chocolatiers","created_at":"2018-02-26T12:38:08-05:00","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0100\/5392\/files\/Black_Dinah_Chocolatiers.jpg?v=1519666584\" alt=\"\"\u003eFor years, Kate Shaffer made chocolate confections in her home kitchen on the tiny coastal Maine island of Isle au Haut (population: 73). Kate sold her chocolates - made with local Maine cream and butter, and fruits, herbs and edible flowers from Maine farmers - to her neighbors and visitors to the island. As her reputation spread so did demand, leading to the birth of Black Dinah Chocolatiers: a full-scale candy company named for a local Isle au Haut mountain peak. With a tasting room in coastal Blue Hill and a factory and store in Westbrook (just east of Portland), Black Dinah is a very Maine chocolate company. Once you try Kate’s treats, it’ll be your main chocolate company, too.\u003c\/p\u003e","blog_id":1310142,"author":"Sarah Whitman-Salkin","user_id":478380050,"published_at":"2018-02-26T12:38:00-05:00","updated_at":"2018-02-27T13:43:55-05:00","summary_html":"","template_suffix":"","handle":"black-dinah-chocolatiers","tags":"","image":{"created_at":"2018-02-26T12:38:08-05:00","alt":"","width":240,"height":160,"src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0100\/5392\/articles\/Black_Dinah_Chocolatiers.jpg?v=1519666688"}}
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