The answer is yes, but it didn’t start out that way. Vivian’s product line began with a personal desire to have everyone eat together. My solution was to make gluten and dairy free cream soups which fit seamlessly into casserole recipes and holiday favorites. As I spent more time in the gluten free community, I realized how pathetic the nutrition in gluten-free food is. It bothered me that celiacs were cheated out of nourishing food.
About that time, I became friends with another local businessman, Dave Cobia, who owned Tree Street Grains. His mission was to increase nutrition by using whole grains and milling them fresh. He created a 9-grain 100% whole grain flour that was gluten free and worked well! I wanted his secret. I started buying his flour and making ancient grain muffin mixes and later offered to buy his company. It took him several years and turning 83 before I finally convinced him that he should sell to me. Sadly, Dave passed away in December of 2023, but his legacy of whole grains lives on in our products.
The original Tree Street Grains products included a tapioca free gluten-free 9-grain flour blend, gluten-free 9-grain pancake mix, and 16 grain pancake mix. It should be noted that the 16-grain pancake mix is not gluten free and is made in a different grain mill and in a different facility than our gluten free facility. All our gluten free products are produced and packaged in a dedicated gluten-free facility. Since the purchase of Tree Street, we have added a gluten-free whole grain brownie mix to the line that uses a blend of whole grains which adds substantial flavor rarely found in gluten-free flours.
We also took all that we learned about grains and milling through the original Tree Street products and applied them to several products we added to the Vivian’s product line including whole grain bread and roll mix, ancient grain and purple corn muffins. Whole grains include fiber and B vitamins that tend to be low in gluten free diets. A study at University of California at Riverside showed that dietary deficiencies can produce an increase desire for foods that contain what we are missing. I am convinced this is part of the reason customers love our whole grain products so much. We also use blends of grains specifically chosen to maximize the flavor of the food we are putting it into. Vitamin deficiencies can also alter our physical ability to taste as explained in this Chicago Tribune article.
Try out all our great whole grain products today with the 15% discount code NaturesGrains.