When Samantha Abrams and Ian Gaffney met in 2008 at a music festival in Ithaca, NY, little did they know their lives would change forever and their future would revolve around macaroons and “Super Cereals.” Since that fateful festival, the couple launched their successful business, Emmy’s Organics, a 100% vegan and gluten-free food company. The company was recently selected and awarded a prestigious Local Producer Loan from Whole Foods Market. This loan is given to independent local farmers and food artisans to help launch their newest products in the marketplace. To date, Whole Foods has provided up to $25 million in support of the mission.
Ian and Samantha, whose products have a hashgacha from Teaneck-based Earth Kosher, found so much fun and joy (and of course, a little love) learning and experimenting with food. They started making everything in Ian’s mother, Emmy’s, kitchen. Beginning with four flavors of macaroons, Ian and Samantha applied to vend at Ithaca’s farmer’s market and started to pursue stores in New York City by taking a trip and pitching their stuff to store buyers. Slowly, but surely, they continued to get more orders. Emmy’s has moved four times in five years to keep up with the demand! This is truly an exciting time for the young, growing company.
Their newest product, Super Cereals, is a line of gluten-free, non-GMO, and vegan buckwheat cereal. The Super Cereals are all based in “activated” and caramelized buckwheat. The process to create this healthful and delicious cereal starts with soaking buckwheat groats for a minimum of four hours. This gently “sprouts” the groats, enriching their protein and enzyme content. The buckwheat is then rinsed and sweetened with low-glycemic coconut sugar. This is the base of the cereals, but each flavor has it’s own unique blend of nuts and dried fruits.
“The Local Producer Loan has given us the support we needed to launch our new cereal line. Excited doesn’t even begin to describe how we are feeling,” said Abrams. “The flavors are the best! My favorite is the Apricot Vanilla, which features a custom-cut dried apricot that is coated in coconut. There is fresh vanilla bean in there too! The cereals are hearty and keep you sustained and energized for a long time. This is a very unique new product that we can’t wait to share!”
“We are thrilled to partner with Whole Foods on this,” continued Abrams. “We have been working with Whole Foods for almost five years now. We have always felt right in line with Whole Foods’s mission with our commitment to our community, our B Corp status, and in the quality, non-GMO products we produce.”
Gaffney couldn’t agree more. “We have received so much support and encouragement from our Whole Foods Market region and this loan is just taking it to the next level. Our loan is to support our new Super Cereal line with a piece of manufacturing machinery and for in-store demo support. The machinery is going to help us with efficiency and the demo support is helping us launch the line powerfully. We wouldn’t be able to launch a product like this if it wasn’t for Whole Foods.”
Emmy’s Organics is a 100% vegan and gluten-free food company that prides itself on the quality, creativity, & sustainability of the products it offers. The company uses only the finest non-GMO ingredients in everything produced. All packaging is made from biodegradable and earth-friendly materials. All goods produced are made in a vegan & gluten-free kitchen. For more information visit emmysorganics.com.
