11 minute read
Producer Profiles
MinnTofu
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Spring Lake Park, Minnesota
MinnTofu was started by Yan Small, a licensed food safety instructor from St. Paul who has taught classes to food handlers and managers since 2011. The absence of a Minnesota option for freshly made tofu inspired Yan to fill the void for local consumers who want fresh tofu in their diet. MinnTofu sources their certified nonGMO soybeans from a farmer in St. Peter, MN, and produces tofu and bean sprouts at their facility in Spring Lake Park.
Yan, as an Asian American woman, is passionate about the health benefits of plantbased foods. Her previous work as a sales manager representing Asian foods to retail and restaurant customers strengthened her conviction that there was a strong market locally for plant-based foods. In 2018, Yan teamed up with Rafik Moore to create MinnTofu, providing local consumers who are passionate about a healthy diet and lifestyle the finest, freshest soy foods. FIND ME ON PAGE 48!
Stemilt Growers
Wenatchee, Washington
FIND ME IN THE PRODUCE SECTION!
The Mathison family homesteaded 160 acres in 1893 on Stemilt Hill near the town of Wenatchee, Washington. Initially a subsistence farm that produced staples for the family, the introduction of irrigation in the area set the stage for the family’s first orchards. Mild desert climate, snowy winters, and plentiful water supply would make the farm the ideal place to grow fruit, so Thomas Mathison planted the family’s first 10 acres of apples, pears and cherries in 1914.
Tom constructed a small-scale packing facility in order to ready his cherries for sale on the East Coast. Soon, neighbors were asking him to pack their farm’s cherries and in 1964, Tom founded a fruit-packing business called Stemilt Growers. It has been owned and operated by members of the Mathison family ever since, now led by the 4th and 5th generations.
The farm transitioned part of their apple acreage to organic production in 1989, which set Stemilt on the path to expanding its organic categories. As an early adopter of sustainability practices, the Mathisons introduced Integrated Pest Management to reduce pesticide use, and subsequently converted some of their original orchards to organic. The Stemilt logo includes a ladybug, well-known as a beneficial insect to orchardists.
Currently offering certified organic apples, pears and cherries from their own orchards, Stemilt contracts with the Douglas family for peaches, nectarines and apricots. The Douglas organic stone fruit comes from eastern Washington in the Columbia Basin, where the volcanic soils provide natural nutrients for the trees.
Tom Mathison is credited with several innovations in the fruit business, including being the first to use stickers on apples to identify the grower (1982), and selling cherries in bags rather than loose in boxes as they were commonly sold (1989). Tom believed the ease of buying pre-measured bags would greatly increase cherry sales and popularity—and he was right!
Stemilt is the first tree-fruit grower, packer, shipper that has all its company orchards and facilities fully certified by the Equitable Food Initiative. Being EFI certified means stakeholders are working together to increase transparency and assurance around farming conditions and continuously improving Stemilt’s systems.
Quebracho Empanadas
St. Paul, Minnesota
Quebracho specializes in authentic Argentinian recipes, ready for people to enjoy at home. They do so today by means of their empanadas, which their Founder Belén Rodríguez learned how to make with her grandmother Iaia (YAH-yah) back home in Argentina.
Belén moved to the US in 2012 and started cooking for friends and her American family as a way of coping with homesickness. This hobby quickly turned into a desire to start her own food business. Quebracho initially grew as a catering company, but when the COVID-19 pandemic forced her to shut down she quickly took on the opportunity to rebrand and launch a line of frozen take-and-bake empanadas based on her grandmother’s recipes.
Belén explains, “So many of us need the practicality of a frozen item but don’t want to rely on highly processed foods. Our empanadas are a wonderful item that you can keep in your freezer and heat up in just minutes for a wholesome meal.”
CPW distributes Quebracho Empanadas in retail packs and bulk food service cases.
FIND ME ON PAGE 78 & 85!
Ten Finns Creamery
Menahga, Minnesota
Most dairy cows produce milk containing both A1 and A2 proteins. The A1 protein is often the cause of digestive discomfort in many milk drinkers. Our cows produce milk with only the A2 protein. It’s that simple.
Historically, cows produced only A2 protein; however, natural mutations occurred due to breeding practices that caused cows to produce A1 protein in addition to A2 protein. Thankfully, there is a safe way to test cows to see which protein their milk contains! By breeding cows that produce A2 milk, Ten Finns™ creamery is Minnesota’s first exclusively A2 herd and creamery.
Now, more people with milk sensitivities can comfortably enjoy creamy, real milk.
We’re Joel and Amanda Hendrickson, fifth-generation Finnish dairy farmers in Northern Minnesota.
Our kids — Zach, Maddie, Julia, Lucy, Lily, Maria, Lane, Nora, Finn, Bree and Emma — are the inspiration behind Ten Finns Creamery. We know the great nutritional value of dairy for our kids, your kids, and adults everywhere. We also know that regular milk doesn’t work for everyone, so we made the switch to A2 cows.
This is a family affair — including our cows. That’s why instead of getting tagged with a number, each cow is tagged with their own name picked out by our kids. The kids play a big role in the daily love and care of the herd. FIND ME ON PAGE 43!
Northstar Kombucha
Minneapolis, Minnesota
With our passion for fermentation and design we wanted to create a unique kombucha that looks as good as it tastes. The roots of our business are right here in Minneapolis – we started out with a tent at the Northeast Farmers Market and have grown organically from there. Made using only tea, fruits, herbs, and spices, our complex botanical flavors create a drinking experience unlike any other.
Minneapolis is home to an incredibly diverse and supportive food entrepreneur community, and many of our flavors have been made in collaboration with other local businesses. Our ingredients can be traced back to Minnesota as well – from basil to hops, many of our ingredients are grown on local farms. FIND ME ON PAGE 33!
Bridges Produce
Mexico, Washington, Oregon
Bridges Produce represents small and medium farms. They take care of the sales, marketing, logistics, and compliance to allow their partner growers to focus on what they do best: growing high quality, organic produce. Most of the produce from Bridges comes from family farms, many of which are multi-generational. Bridges Produce represents small and medium sized farms taking care of the sales, marketing, logistics, and compliance, allowing their partner growers to focus on Bridges has always focused on highlighting and promoting the growers’ brands, but when a grower does not what they do best, growing high quality organic produce. Most of the produce have a consumer-facing brand, the Bridges or Aztlan label is used. For example, look for the Bridges label on from Bridges comes from family farms many of which are multi-generational. Washington-grown organic blueberries and beautiful Hood River Pears. In Hood River, Oregon, Bridges brings “Bridges' mission is to enable every stakeholder in the system to thrive: growers, organic pears from seven small growers together at a central packinghouse under the same label. By doing farmworkers, retailers, distributors, consumers, and the environment. ” this, they create more market opportunities and increase the returns for these small growers. It all comes back to Bridges’ mission of ensuring that all stakeholders—large and small—are able to thrive. Learn more about a Bridges has always focused on highlighting and promotinfew of our partner brands below: g the grower’s brands instead of their own and because of this the majority of what you will see from Bridges carries the farm’s name. That being said, some of the growers they work with do not have a consumer facing brand. In these situations, you can see the Bridges or Aztlan label used. Look for the Bridges label on Washington grown organic blueberries and beautiful Hood River Pears. In Hood River, OR Bridges brings organic pears from 7 small grower together at a central packinghouse under the Bridges label. By doing this Bridges creates more market opportunities and increases the returns for these small growers. It all comes back to our mission of ensuring all stakeholders, large and small are able to thrive. Learn about a couple of ouOrganic Squash, Cucumbers, r partner brands below:
Organic SquashPeppers, Eggplant, Green Beans & Melons , Cucumbers, Peppers, Eggplant, Green Beans & Melons
Organic Cucumbers, Peppers, Eggplant & Winter Squash Organic Apples, Pears, Cherries and Peaches
The Tapia family has been farming in Hermosillo, Mexico for over 30 years and now have a second locatioThe Tapia family has been farming n in Guaymas. They view their farms as a way to better the lives of their workers. in Hermosillo, Mexico for over Not only are both locations Certified Fair Trade but they also run schooling and educational 30 years and now have a second programs on site. They are also dedicated to land stewardships with their own 'biofactory' location in Guaymas. They view where they create the organic inputs used on the farm. Organic Cucumberstheir farms as a way to better the lives of their workers. Not only , Peppers, Eggplant & Winter Squash Aztlan Organic are both locations certified fair is Bridges Mexican private label that is at 3 different farm locations. Longtime trade but they also run schooling partner Floriza en los Parajes, located in Sinaloa Mexico, is owned by the Floriza family and educational programs on who have been farming since the 1940’s. They are dedicated to a compassionate business site. They are also dedicated to model and are also a Fair Trade Certified farm. Organic Apples, Pears, land stewardship with their own Cherries and Peaches ‘biofactory’, creating the organic The Stewart Family inputs used on the farm. began farming in Hood River, Oregon in 1975. When they transitioned to organic in 1989 they founded Columbia Gorge Organic and began packing into their own label. They were pioneers in the organic movement, helping to develop some of the techniques that are now used in organic orchards throughout the world. They are well known for their specialty apple and pear varieties growing more than 60 varieties of fruit and making fresh organic juices on site.
Aztlan Organic is Bridges’ Mexican private label that encompasses three different farm locations. Longtime partner Floriza en los Parajes, located in Sinaloa, Mexico, is owned by the Floriza family who have been farming since the 1940s. They are dedicated to a compassionate business model and are a certified fair trade farm. The Stewart Family began farming in Hood River, Oregon in 1975. They transitioned to organic in 1989, founded Columbia Gorge Organic and began packing in their own label. They are pioneers in the organic movement, helping to develop some of the techniques that are now used in organic orchards throughout the world. They are well known for their specialty apple and pear varieties, growing more than 60 varieties of fruit and making fresh organic juices on site.
Equal Exchange
Equal Exchange’s mission is to build long-term trade partnerships that are economically just and environmentally sound, to foster mutually beneficial relationships between farmers and consumers and to demonstrate, through our success, the contribution of worker cooperatives and Fair Trade to a more equitable, democratic and sustainable world.
Alvaro
Producer Partner PROFOSMI Co-op Mexico
Fairtrade. Organic. Small Farmer Grown.
GROWN
by a co-op
PURCHASED
by a co-op
SOLD
by co-ops
