Reasons to Be Thankful
This Thanksgiving marks my 23rd year in the natural food business and I have to say that I am thankful for the state of the food industry, my fantastic employees, and ever loyal customers.
23 years ago I couldn’t say the word “healthy” when sampling my Breakfast Cookies because of the reaction I received – “Healthy stuff doesn’t taste good!” Most, if not all packaged foods, when I got started were full of high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, sodium, and artificial flavorings and colorings. All of these ingredients play tricks on customer’s taste buds that can’t be replicated naturally. I was really forging new territory with a natural packaged food product that was (and still is) baked fresh with simple, whole food ingredients. I’ve always said being in the natural food business is like pushing a boulder up hill, a golden boulder… but still a boulder.
Now here in 2017 healthy food is making a massive comeback, people want to know what’s in their food and who’s making it. Transparency is the new black, natural is in, and genetically modified ingredients need not apply! People want food to fuel their bodies and are tired of the gimmicks of artificial ingredients. Do you know how long I’ve been waiting for this to happen?! I am so excited and grateful that people are saying NO to ingredients and companies they no longer trust! I am hugely proud and thankful to be a pioneer in this business; making healthy, clean food from the start because it was the right thing to do.
We obviously wouldn’t be here without my customers – people who love the convenience of packaged food but still want clean ingredients. The customers we’ve gotten to know over the years are quite special, and some have been with me since the very beginning! Believe it or not, I can name some that have been eating my Breakfast Cookies for 23 years and have supported this business through it all. For this I give an enormous shout out of gratitude!
My declaration of thanks would not be complete without telling you about all the passionate, creative, agile, and devoted folks that have contributed to this dream of mine in ways that are profound and loving. Everyone that steps through my bakery door knows why we exist - we bake with simple, whole food ingredients for life on-the-go. At the bakery we’re all about inspiring each other to eat better… but I must admit there’s always room for a few cheats – moderation is key!
Being a successful small food company in a world of giants is no small feat, with the support of my bakery team and our devoted customers we compete with global companies and continue to change the way people eat and think about the food industry. Thank you for making me the luckiest cookie maker in the world.
What are you thankful for this year?
Leave a comment or tag us on our social sites using #erinbakers - we love it when we've inspired you!
Find me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or leave a Comment
