Connecting the celiac disease and food allergy/intolerance community together by sharing our stories to food freedom. From our beginning struggles to striving after a diagnosis, we can all relate and help each other out by sharing what we’ve learned and our unique personal journeys.
Finally! Another Freedom Feature! It’s been a while on out long summer hiatus, but I have a backlog of wonderful bloggers and brands to share with you! Today I am more than honored and excited to share the company of 88 Acres with you. I was first introduced to them at the Fancy Food Show in NYC this past summer. I was lucky enough to try their delicious allergy-friendly wholesome snack bars and immediately fell in love. Once I got to know more about Nicole and Rob’s new brand and buisness, along with the values and mission they have, I knew they would be a perfect fit for a Freedom Feature. You are going to be blown away not only from their delicious bars and snacks but also the high standards and community help they provide! (There’s a giveaway at the end too!)
MY LATEST VIDEOSbackground: who are you?
Nicole: I grew up on an 88 acre organic farm in North Brookfield, Massachusetts. My experiences on the farm gave me a strong connection to food, from tinkering in the kitchen with my mom as a child to running the family farm stand.
A few years ago I met the love of my life, Rob, and on our fourth date he almost died at dinner when his restaurant meal was cross-contaminated with nuts. The next day, I got rid of all the peanuts and tree nuts from my kitchen to help make Rob safe. I have no food allergies, but because of his, how I thought about food began to change.
what led you to start 88 Acres?
what are the foundations, values, and mission of your company?
88 Acres is a healthy food company. We handcraft our vegan, Non-GMO snacks with simple, wholesome ingredients sourced from the best farms around. All our foods are made free of peanuts, tree nuts, gluten, dairy, soy, eggs, and sesame.
There is purpose behind every aspect of how we took 88 Acres from our beginnings of baking at home to launching a mission-based food startup. Four core values drive what we do.The first is Economic Development. We hire from our inner-city community where our bakery is located and support team member growth. Second, we are focused on sustainably minded sourcing, which means we only work with partners who share our values. Stemming from that, we also look to provide ingredient and supply chain transparency to our consumers. Lastly, education is important to us. We partner with like-minded organizations to foster wellness and sustainability in our community, whether it’s a group advocating for Non-GMO’s or supporting women’s empowerment.
tell us about your products and what makes them unique?
We opened our own dedicated bakery to ensure the highest product quality for all and safety for those with food allergies. Our bars are handcrafted in small batches by our amazing baking team, many of whom have been with us since the beginning. But the resulting chewy, made-at-home taste is why we started the company and we would not be satisfied with anything different for all our consumers.
what’s your favorite or most popular item(s)?
Our most popular flavor is chocolate sea salt. We love it because it’s healthy but also satisfies the sweet tooth. But I am most fond of Triple Berry, our original flavor. It’s inspired by my mom and grandma’s summer pies with New England flavors of blueberry, cranberry, and currants. Our third flavor is also inspired by New England fall, with pumpkin pie spice, dried apple, crystallized ginger, and golden raisins. (<— Triple Berry is my personal favorite!)
what do you hope to see in the future; for yourself, the bakery, and the gluten-free/food allergy community?
To enter, just leave a comment below (mandatory entry) on what flavor bar you’re most excited to try! For 2 additional entries, follow me on Instagram and leave your handle below in a separate comment, and like Strength and Sunshine on Facebook for a third entry (leave a separate comment for each entry please!) US addresses only, and I will notify the winner 1 week from today (October 13th)!
Make sure to follow along with Nicole and Rob at 88 Acres on their website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram! Thank you, Nicole and Rob! You have a beautiful brand and such an amazing future ahead!
So tell me:
+ What flavor seed bar are you most excited to try? The Triple Berry really is my favorite! So sweet, salty, and delicious!
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Stay connected: Facebook: Strength and Sunshine Twitter: @RebeccaGF666 Instagram: rebeccagf666 Pinterest: RebeccaGF666 Bloglovin’: Strength and Sunshine Google+: Rebecca Pytell
How inspiring. I definitely want to try the chocolate sea salt!
It’s great!
I follow on FB Julie Waldron
I follow on Instagram @jwal902
The Chocolate Sea Salt sounds good.
It is!
These sound like really great products. I’ll have to check them out.
You should!
I need to try these because I really never heard of them.
Really never? Wow!
I follow you on facebook, too!
I follow you on instagram @j_mosh
I tried 88 Acres products at the GFAF Expo this summer and LOVED them. Chocolate sea salt is the BEST!
So glad to hear that!
Probably the salty one. Usually I’d go for sweet, but I’m in a salty mood. Nom Nom
Haha, well it’s sweet and salty 😉
i would love to try the chocolate sea salt! the seednola looks awesome too – so different than regular granola 🙂
Nice and oat-free 😉
What a scary experience but what a wonderful way to turn it into something that will help so many people! I hope your venture is a huge success and I’ve got to admit that chocolate sea salt sounds divine.
Haha, their business is no longer a venture. They are thriving!
Great story! I am going to check these out, thanks for sharing!!
Fantastic!
the chocolate seed bar!
🙂
The Apple Ginger sounds delicious and different than the usual flavors!
Yea! It’s pretty unique for a snack bar!
Great feature! I love the story and I always appreciate people making allergy-friendly food, even if it’s not specific to my food-allergy (though it looks like these bad boys are vegan – yay!). I’ll have to check them out =)
Yes, they’re free from all allergens, thus, vegan.
Great initiative to share information about free from food you love.
Sure!
follow you on facebook!
Chocolate sea salt! Sounds amazing
It is 😉
I also just liked your Facebook page!! 🙂
I would LOVE to try the Apple and Ginger flavor right now because of the Fall weather! 🙂 Thanks so much for the giveaway Rebecca!
Great pick, Marina!
What a great story! Love this series and thanks for the giveaway.
Haha, okay, you should enter then 😛
They all sound awesome, so good to see healthy snacks on the market.
Kathleen
The types of small business we should support!
They all sound wonderfully delicious, but I can never say no to chocolate sea salt 🙂
Chocolate is always a winner, I agree!
Also already following you on fb! 😛
Already following you on instagram with @fairyburger! 😛
Those snack bars sound so, so good! 😀 I love that they foster sustainability and use awesome ingredients! :] I’m not sure which flavor would be my favorite! Perhaps the apple + ginger–it sounds perfect for fall!
You’ll love them all! (p.s. they’ll be at the expo!)
i am entering as I am so excited that your products are free of the very things my 2 grandsons are allergic to: nuts, sesame, eggs, tree nuts. The little guys are 6 and 4 and have a difficult road ahead of them. It’s so nice that you make these bars that they can have. What a treat for them!
These would be perfect to have on hand for them when hunger stricks!
These bars sound amazing! And free from EVERYTHING! It’s nice to know there is a bar that caters for all the different common allergies 🙂
I know! I love how “friendly” they are for just about every single one of us!
Liked you on Facebook!
I’m following you on Instagram 🙂
The triple berry bar sounds amazing, but that seednola is calling my name!
Well it’s all good 😉
Chocolate Sea Salt!
🙂
I love them all. But Chocolate Sea Salt is my Favorite. Rob is my nephew and my God Son.
🙂
Chocolate Sea salt.
Good choice!
What an incredible journey for Rob & Nicole! They have definitely created a product that is not only good for you but tastes fantastic! I can’t wait to try the apple & ginger bar with the flavors of fall! Great article!
Apple Ginger is the perfect bar for Fall too!
Great interview, it’s always nice to read more about different companies. The chocolate sea salt sounds fantastic!
Yes! Thanks Sharon!
I need to try these!
So good!
Chocolate sea salt sounds best to me
Sure it does Paige.
Thank you for supporting 88-Acres!! My favorite is the Triple Berry!! I am one of the lucky ones who has had the privilege of “taste testing” these delicious bars since Nicole and Rob first came up with the idea in their kitchen!!!
Love, Nicole’s mom
O, haha! Nice to “meet” you Donna! You have a bright bunch to be proud of!
follow you on IG @creatingbetter
Love this story and I am so grateful that they found each other in that weird sort of the way! Flavor excited to try?!?! Hands down Chocolate Sea Salt!!
Yea, thanks, Sarah!