The Glutenfreeda Foods Story
Like many companies, Glutenfreeda Foods, Inc. began with a great idea that has grown as the wheat/gluten-free market has matured. From kitchen to 'garage kitchen' to our current 20,000 sq. ft. facility, our focus remains unchanged, the desire to offer authentic tasting products in a category that is often sub-par in taste. How do we do this, when so many others fall short on authenticity? We cook and bake the old fashioned way: with natural and whole ingredients.
Glutenfreeda Foods, Inc., was founded ten years ago following co-founder Yvonne Gifford’s diagnosis with Celiac disease. Individuals with Celiac disease cannot tolerate gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley, rye and oats, and can no longer consume foods which contain this protein. Gluten lurks in nearly every kind of processed food: bread, pasta, some cheeses, almost all brand name snacks, cereals, salad dressings, soups, hamburgers, pizza, cakes, and cookies….. In other words, gluten is found in nearly everything “normal” people eat everyday.
Thus began a new journey for Gifford – the search for gluten-free products to replace foods she had been eating everyday. She became much better acquainted with health food stores, increased her food bill as she found more expensive gluten-free alternatives, and quickly realized that her life and, consequently, those of her family had changed dramatically. Those with Celiac disease are no longer able to eat the foods to which they are accustomed, and friends and family must become aware of their condition, cross contamination challenges and which foods are simply not gluten-free.
Gifford did not want her diagnosis to stop her from enjoying food and life, so she teamed up with her daughter, Jessica Hale, to create the first gluten-free culinary magazine. With Hale, a graduate of Seattle University and a self taught chef, Gifford developed Glutenfreeda.com. Glutenfreeda.com’s mission is to help people with gluten intolerance live a better, gluten-free life of cooking and eating and entertaining. The e-publication was (and remains) published on a monthly basis. Gifford and Hale speak at numerous national, regional and local conferences throughout the United States on the topic of cooking gluten-free, even teaching cooking classes to small and large groups across the country. Today, Glutenfreeda.com is one of few gluten-free only culinary magazines and enjoys a viewership that grows in number everyday. The site includes over 5,000 gluten-free recipes, hundreds of culinary articles relating to gluten-intolerance, thousands of menus, hundreds of product test reviews, on-line cooking classes and more.
After several years of operating Glutenfreeda.com, the mother-daughter team recognized that, while they had provided a great resource for those who liked to spend time in the kitchen, there was an even larger segment of people who simply did not have the time or desire to cook. After considerable research and development, an initial capital raise (and a big “gulp”), Gifford and Hale consolidated Glutenfreeda.com into Glutenfreeda Foods, Inc. The team expanded to include Greg Gifford, Yvonne’s husband who is now COO and oversees all plant operations. 2006 celebrated the launch of their first food product line, Glutenfreeda’s Real Cookies. The company started with four flavors of pre-formed, frozen cookie dough and today has extended the line to six flavors. In 2008, Glutenfreeda Foods, Inc. launched their second and third lines: Glutenfreeda’s Burritos: the first gluten-free, wheat-free, frozen burrito; and Glutenfreeda’s Instant Oatmeal: the first flavored instant oatmeal made from certified gluten-free oats. As the company continued on its growth pattern, Jeff Hale, Jessica’s husband joined the team as acting CFO and financial consultant. 2009 witnessed the addition of Natural Instant Oatmeal and Glutenfreeda’s Granola (in three flavors) complete with innovative “grab ‘n go” travel packaging. These new product lines are manifestations of the company’s goal of providing wheat-free, gluten-free consumers with authentic tasting and convenient food products.
However, being just a gluten-free company is not enough for the mother-daughter duo: Gifford and Hale are adamant that taste should never be compromised and quality standards remain high. The requirement for all products is that they must taste delicious and authentic: non-gluten-free consumers should eat their products and not be able to identify them as gluten-free. Finally, ingredients are all natural and organic whenever possible, and all products are free of hydrogenated oils, trans fats and GMOs, manufactured in the 20,000 sq. ft. dedicated gluten-free facility in Burlington, Washington.
Glutenfreeda Foods, Inc. began with a great idea and has grown exponentially as the wheat/gluten-free market has rapidly expanded. Now in their third year of operation as a food products manufacturer, the company distributes products throughout the US and Canada. “We are as committed today as we were 10 years ago to providing the highest quality and most authentic tasting wheat/gluten-free food on the planet and in doing this, we demonstrate that eating wheat/gluten-free is a delicious and natural way to live.”
Yvonne Gifford and Jessica Hale.
