GREEN CHAMPION

EACH MONTH WE FEATURE A GREEN CHAMPION WHO IS MAKING STRIDES IN THE GREEN COMMUNITY

TASTY CHIA AUDREY MARTINEZ HELPS OTHERS INCORPORATE CHIA INTO THEIR DIETS, AS WELL AS GIVES BACK TO THE COMMUNITY

BY JAMIE KILLIN

Audrey’s Chia Cookies founder Audrey Martinez first discovered the life-changing benefits of chia while training for her first marathon—a goal she’d set for herself to achieve for her 50th birthday. To fully understand the mighty superfood’s benefits, she’d train one week with chia and one week without, and found that the weeks she incorporated chia into her diet she noticed a variety of benefits, including feeling more energized, better endurance and increased mental clarity. After experiencing these benefits for herself, she wanted everyone to enjoy the same positive results, so she worked with a local chef to incorporate them into her favorite snack—thin, crispy cookies.

Chia has long been hailed as a superfood for its high fiber content, antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids which help provide a variety of health benefits like sustainable energy, improved gut health and balanced blood sugar, to name a few. Now, with Audrey’s Chia Cookies, chia is easily enjoyed by even the pickiest eaters—including kids!

However, Martinez didn’t just want people to eat chia, she wanted them to enjoy a better-for-you snack free of harmful ingredients like dyes, chemical preservatives and corn syrup, so she ensured the cookies were allnatural and non-GMO. Martinez believes health and happiness go hand-in-hand, and that providing a high-quality cookie that includes a nutrient-dense seed that’s satisfying and delicious helps families enjoy the best of both worlds.

As part of Martinez’s commitment to helping others live a healthier and happier life, she also stays active in the community through initiatives with Girls on the Run, a nonprofit organization that aims to empower young women. She has donated product, run with participants at their annual 5K, and served as a sponsor for the annual Limitless Potential Brunch. She and her husband Randy also enjoy connecting with community members and teaching them about all the benefits of chia by having a presence at local farmer’s markets and events, such as the Mesa Marathon and Local First Arizona’s Arizona Fall Fest. Today, the cookies are sold in four flavors—chocolate chip, peanut butter, lemon and almond—nationwide in approximately 400 stores including Whole Foods, Sprouts and Fry’s, as well as online through Amazon. The chocolate chip flavor is the best-seller, but during sampling events cookie enthusiasts usually love the lemon most, with almond as a close second.

Martinez plans to continue to grow Audrey’s Chia Cookies with more cookie flavors and other chia-packed snacks as well as continued expansion in new stores nationwide, especially in the Western part of the United States.

Jamie Killin is a lifestyle publicist for The Knight Agency in Scottsdale as well as a freelance writer. Her work has also appeared in Thrillist, PHOENIX magazine and So Scottsdale! magazine.

Don’t Worry About the Weather—Grow Fresh Food All Year

Pure Greens is a Phoenix-based company that makes it easy for users to grow fresh produce by offering turn-key vertical hydroponic grow systems that provide a sustainable growing environment capable of producing in all climates. The Pure Greens Container Farms are built in 40 ft. insulated shipping containers, can be customized based off of user’s specifications, and are ready to being immediate production.

Pure Greens, which was developed in 2015 by Damon and Taisiya Jacobson, makes farming easy by controlling the climate of your crops via the automated Grow Link system and a vestibule that acts as a climate barrier and pest blocker.

The Pure Greens Container Farms climate is monitored and controlled through an Automated Grow Link System, where the grower can adjust the CO2 levels, air temperature, PH, humidify, fans, lights and thermostat remotely from a phone app or a computer.

The current systems are perfect for a variety of leafy greens, herbs and micro greens, while future growing systems will be able to produce strawberries, tomatoes and other vegetables.

Pure Greens also sells its produce to local restaurants and various other end users.

With this new way of growing produce, novice and professional farmers alike can say hello to fresh greens and herbs all year, and goodbye to pesticides and herbicides and waiting on crops to become in season.