Apples are loaded with antioxidants, vitamins, and fiber that are extremely filling and may help stave off certain diseases, such as diabetes and heart disease. China harvests the most apples in the world, producing roughly 26 million tons of apples per year. Unsulphured apples from Argentina are featured in our Spiced Ginger Apple Seed Bars and Seed'nola.

Fun Fact: There are over 7,500 varieties of apples grown throughout the world.

Learn more about apples

Bananas are the most popular fruit in the U.S., consumed more than apples and oranges combined. India is the world’s largest banana producer, but most of the bananas eaten in the U.S. come from Ecuador. They are a good source of potassium, fiber, and vitamin C. Banana paste can be found in our Banana Bread Protein Bar. 

Fun Fact: The banana “fruit” is actually a berry and contains no seeds.

Learn more about bananas

Pepper grows on vines that produce hundreds of flowers. For 8 months after being pollinated, these flowers produce small fruits in the form of green peppercorns. To make black pepper, the green peppercorns are harvested and dried in the sun. Black pepper contains several essential oils and antioxidants that may protect cells from damage and reduce inflammation. It is used in four of our five Dressings to balance the herbs with a subtle spicy kick.

Fun Fact: Pepper is one of the earliest known spices and is native to India.

Blueberries are rich in antioxidants, which can help repair the body’s damaged cells. This nutritious fruit can be found in abundance in the United States — in fact, the U.S. produces more blueberries than any other country in the world. The dried blueberries we use are sweetened with apple juice and are found in our Summer Edition Blueberry Lemon Seed Bars and our Triple Berry Seed Bars and Seed'nola.

Fun Fact: The blueberry is the official state fruit of New Jersey.

A natural sweetener made from brown rice, brown rice syrup is more viscous and less sweet than maple syrup or honey. A common concern with brown rice syrup is that it contains arsenic — a toxic chemical that is found in water, air and soil. It is true that through the growing process, arsenic is found in both rice and rice syrup as well as many other organic vegetables such as kale, but the traces of this element are so minimal that the FDA maintains their recommendation of eating rice as part of a well-balanced diet. Our supplier tests for arsenic levels in every batch. Small amounts of brown rice syrup are baked into our Bars to create the distinctively chewy, moist texture.

Fun Fact: No one has yet to come up with a fun fact about brown rice syrup.

Learn more about brown rice syrup

Instead of using artificial sweeteners, we use only natural sugars in our products. We use organic cane sugar and organic powdered sugar to sweeten most of our Bars and Seed Butters to balance the earthiness and tartness of the other ingredients.

Fun Fact: Sugar is the only flavor or ingredient that humans are born craving.

There are two types of cardamom, green and black, that come from two different plant species, both of which can grow up to 10 feet tall and produce small white flowers. Cardamom has been shown to have antibacterial and antioxidant properties as well as other compounds that may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Cardamom is traditionally brewed with coffee in Israel and other Middle Eastern countries. We use cardamom in our Lemon Poppy Seed and Green Goddess Dressings to enhance the brightness of the herbs and add acidity.

Fun Fact: Cardamom is the world’s third most expensive spice, after saffron and vanilla.

Cayenne peppers are a variety of moderately hot chili peppers that get their spiciness from a compound called capsaicin. This compound has been shown to reduce inflammation and to have anti-obesity properties. We add just a pinch of ground cayenne chili pepper to our Smoky Chipotle Dressing for a robust and complex heat. 

Fun Fact: Capsaicin doesn't dissolve in water, which is why it is recommended to drink milk instead of water to soothe the burning sensation in your mouth.

Chipotle peppers are actually jalapeño peppers that have been left to ripen and turn red in the field before being smoke-dried. They are dried and smoked for several days until their moisture content goes from roughly 90% to less than 10%. Ground chipotle chili pepper is highlighted in our mole-inspired Smoky Chipotle Dressing as well as our Southwest Turmeric Dressing for added smokiness.

Fun Fact: It takes 10 pounds of jalapeños to make 1 pound of chipotle peppers.

Chives are thin, tubular green leaves that can grow more than a foot tall. They have been known to ward off many pests, but they also produce edible purple flowers that attract beneficial pollinators, like bees. Our Garden Ranch Dressing wouldn’t be complete without them.

Fun Fact: Bunches of chives used to be hung around the home to ward off evil.

Bursting with flavor, cinnamon is packed with antioxidants and has anti-inflammatory properties. Cinnamon comes from the bark of the Cinnamomum tree and is almost entirely grown in Asia. Cinnamon spices up our Cinnamon & Oats and Triple Berry Seed Bars and Seed'nola, as well as our Vanilla Spiced Sunflower Seed Butter.

Fun Fact: The Romans deemed cinnamon to be more valuable than silver.

We use hand-picked cloves from Sulawesi, Indonesia to create the pumpkin pie spice in our Spiced Ginger Apple Seed Bar. Cloves are the unopened pink flower buds of a tropical evergreen tree. They are dried in the sun for 3 to 4 days before being sorted and ground into a spice. There are high amounts of fiber and manganese found in cloves, which may support digestive and bone health.

Fun Fact: Cloves are the most pungent aromatic spice in the world.

Cocoa Butter is the vegetable fat that stems from cocoa beans. Filled with antioxidants and nutrients that support the immune system, cocoa butter is baked into our Dark Chocolate Sea Salt and Double Chocolate Mocha Seed Bars and Seed'nola as well as our Dark Chocolate Sunflower Seed Butter.

Fun Fact: Cocoa Butter is not really a butter.

Learn more about cocoa butter

Cocoa is packed with antioxidants, particularly flavonoids, that can help to improve cardiovascular health and cognitive function. We layer natural cocoa powder into our Double Chocolate Mocha Seed Bars and Seed'nola for an extra rich chocolate flavor. We also use cocoa along with cocoa butter to create our Dark Chocolate Sunflower Seed Butter

Fun Fact: The tree that produces cocoa, called Theobroma Cacao, means “food of the gods.”

Learn more about cocoa powder

Coffee contains B-vitamins and antioxidants that promote health and protect cells from damage. Our coffee extract is a blend of Italian and Brazilian beans. It is highlighted in our Double Chocolate Mocha Seed Bar, which contains only 1.5mg of caffeine per bar.

Fun Fact: It is estimated that 2.25 billion cups of coffee are consumed every day worldwide.

Typically grown in the northern region of the United States and Canada, cranberries are packed with vitamins and antioxidants. We source our apple juice-infused dried cranberries locally from Carver, Massachusetts and bake them into our Triple Berry Seed Bars and Seed'nola.

Fun Fact: Native Americans used cranberries as a dye for clothes and blankets as well as for food and medicine.

Learn more about cranberries

Dark Chocolate is packed with antioxidants and studies have shown that this decadent ingredient can help to lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart disease. Sourced from Fair Trade and organic growers in Peru, our dark chocolate is dairy and soy free and adds a rich flavor to our Double Chocolate Mocha and Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Seed Bars and Seed'nola.

Fun Fact: Some American soldiers were paid in chocolate during the Revolutionary War.

Learn more about chocolate

The herbaceous, lemony flavor of dill adds brightness to our Garden Ranch Dressing. We use the leaves of the plant in our Dressing, but the seeds can also be used as a spice. There are relatively high amounts of vitamin C and beneficial antioxidants in dill that support our immune systems and protect cells from damage.

Fun Fact: The word “dill” comes from the old Norse word dylla, meaning to soothe or lull, which was the herb’s primary medicinal use at the time.

Filled with fiber and heart healthy omega-3 fats, flax seeds have been shown to reduce inflammation and the risk of many diseases. In order for the nutrients in the seeds to be fully absorbed by our bodies, our flax seeds are ground and blended into all flavors of our Seed Bars and Seed'nola.

Fun Fact: In the 8th century, King Charlemagne passed a law ordering his subjects to eat flax seeds.

Learn more about flax seeds

Garlic is one of the most common cooking ingredients, used as a flavoring agent for a variety of dishes. We use garlic powder in four of our Dressings for that very reason. Garlic is planted as a single clove in the fall because the cold winter months signal it to form a bulb that eventually becomes the head of garlic.

Fun Fact: Garlic breath can be remedied by drinking lemon juice or eating lemons.

Harvested primarily in Asia, ginger can help reduce muscle pain and soreness and has been shown to reduce inflammation and cholesterol levels. Crystalized ginger from Fiji is featured in our Spiced Ginger Apple Seed Bars and Seed'nola.

Fun Fact: The ancient Greeks baked the first gingerbread by — you guessed it — cooking ginger into their bread.

Raisins are loaded with fiber, iron, and other beneficial vitamins and minerals. Golden raisins are simply a variety of dried grapes and are featured in our Spiced Ginger Apple Seed Bar.

Fun Fact: Most raisins come from the Thompson Seedless Grapes variety.

We love lemon so much that we named two products after it. Our Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing and Summer Edition Blueberry Lemon Seed Bars contain a high-quality organic lemon oil for brightness and acidity. Lemon trees can produce fruits for over 30 years. Most lemons are carefully picked by hand because their fragile skins make mechanical picking nearly impossible. Lemons are extremely high in vitamin C, which helps our immune systems and may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. 

Fun Fact: One lemon tree can produce up to 600 pounds of lemons every year.

Maple syrup is one of the more nutrient-rich natural sugars that carries a variety of vitamins and minerals like manganese and zinc. We source our maple syrup from a local farm in Vermont. Maple syrup adds sweetness to all of our Seed Bars and Seed'nola.

Fun Fact: The Canadian flag features a red maple leaf that symbolizes pride and strength.

The oats we use are Purity Protocol Gluten-Free. Loaded with fiber, oats support heart and digestive health. Oats are grown across the world and are naturally gluten-free. Once eaten, oats expand in our stomach, which fills us up faster and keeps us full for longer than most foods. Along with seeds, whole oats comprise the base of all of our Seed Bars and Seed'nola.

Fun Fact: Only 5% of oats grown worldwide are eaten by humans.

Learn more about oats

Onion powder adds a sharp pungency to our Smoky Chipotle, Southwest Turmeric, and Garden Ranch Dressings. Onions contain high amounts of vitamin C, which promotes healthy immune system function, as well as antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds.

Fun Fact: Onions can be made milder by soaking in milk or boiling water.

Parsley lends herbaceousness, natural salinity, and a bright green color to our Green Goddess and Garden Ranch Dressings. Two varieties of parsley––curly and flat––are native to the Mediterranean region and are used in cuisines around the world. Parsley is particularly high in flavonoids, which may have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory health benefits. 

Fun Fact: The word “parsley” comes from a combination of two Greek words meaning “rock celery”.

Most of the world’s poppy seeds are grown in Turkey, Czechia, and Spain. Poppy seeds are harvested from the red poppy flower after all the petals have died and fallen off. The remaining bluish-green pod is then dried for several days and cut open to reveal the tiny bluish-black poppy seeds we use in our Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing. 

Fun Fact: A field of poppies can produce close to 2,500 poppy seeds per square foot.

Learn more about poppy seeds

Pumpkin seeds are full of complete (containing all 20 amino acids) plant-based protein, antioxidants, and nutrients that research suggests can help improve heart health and ward off chronic disease. Pumpkin seeds are included in the base of all of our Bars and Seed'nola and are featured in our Pumpkin Seed Butter.

Fun Fact: Each pumpkin contains about 500 seeds.

Learn more about pumpkin seeds

Unlike refined table salt, sea salt contains trace amounts of beneficial minerals like potassium, calcium, and zinc. Sea salt is harvested by flooding man-made pools with salt water and waiting for the water to evaporate under the sun, which leaves behind various sizes of sea salt crystals. We use sea salt from Australia in all of our products. 

Fun Fact: The word “salary” derives from the Latin word for salt because salt was so valuable that it was used to pay soldiers in ancient Rome.

Shallots, which are part of the onion family, grow in heads with several large cloves, similar to garlic. Shallots taste much less intense than onions, but they also have notes of garlic flavor. They are one of our favorite ingredients to cook with, so we added some to our Green Goddess Dressing for a subtly sweet tang. Compared to their onion cousins, shallots are a more concentrated source of protein, fiber, and micronutrients, like iron, potassium, and folate.

Fun Fact: Shallots, along with other onions that make you cry, are called lacrimators.

Paprika is a ground spice made from dried, sweet red peppers that are native to Mexico and were brought over to Spain and Portugal in the 16th century. Unlike sweet or hot paprika, smoked paprika is typically dried and smoked over oak wood fires for several days, which gives it a robust, smoky kick. Paprika is rich in vitamin A, vitamin B6, and vitamin E which promote healthy eyesight, metabolism, and cell protection. Smoked paprika is added to our Southwest Turmeric Dressing.

Fun Fact: Paprika is the national spice of Hungary, which hosts an annual paprika festival and even has a Paprika Museum.

Spinach is one of the most popular leafy greens for salads and can be eaten raw or cooked. Our Green Goddess Dressing contains a healthy amount of spinach to give it a rich green color and all the health benefits that come from this leafy green. Spinach is an excellent source of iron, folate, fiber, and several other essential vitamins. 

Fun Fact: Spinach originated from ancient Persia, what is now modern day Iran and the surrounding region.

Sunflower lecithin is a natural fatty emulsifier that is extracted from sunflower seeds. Unlike the popular soy lecithin, sunflower lecithin is gently extracted from sunflower seeds by cold pressing rather than with chemical solvents. It has also been found to help reduce cholesterol, ease digestion, and aid breastfeeding. We use sunflower lecithin in our Dark Chocolate Brownie Protein Bar.

Fun Fact: Sunflower lecithin may decrease the viscosity of breast milk, making it less likely to clog milk ducts.

Brimming with vitamins and minerals, sunflower seeds offer a great blend of healthy fats and protein that can help support muscles and body tissue. The healthy unsaturated fats in sunflower seeds help regulate good cholesterol in the body. Sunflower seeds are baked into all of our Seed Bars and Seed'nola and many of our Seed Butters.

Fun Fact: An astronaut brought sunflower seeds to the International Space Station.

Learn more about sunflower seeds

There are more than 15,000 varieties of tomatoes worldwide and all vary in shape, size, color, and flavor. Growing tomatoes requires relatively warm temperatures, which is why most tomatoes grown in cooler regions must be grown in greenhouses. The plant does not naturally grow upright, so the plants must be staked or caged to keep their vines off the ground. They are high in vitamin C and an antioxidant called lycopene, which also gives tomatoes their red color. Our Smoky Chipotle Dressing has a good amount of tomato flakes to give it that familiar barbeque sauce flavor. 

Fun Fact: Tomatoes used to be nicknamed “poison apple” because it was mistakenly thought to be poisoning wealthy Europeans in the 1700s.

Turmeric is touted as having significant antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties due to a compound called curcumin. While the concentration of curcumin is relatively small and is poorly absorbed in the body on it’s own, consuming it with black pepper, like in our Southwest Turmeric Dressing, actually enhances the absorption of curcumin by 2,000%. Turmeric has also been found to enhance brain function and reduce the risk of developing several diseases. 

Fun Fact: Turmeric is used in some cultures to tint the entrance of new homes to welcome prosperity.

Vanilla extract contains beneficial antioxidant and antidepressant properties, which are just two reasons we love it so much. Our Fair Trade Organic Pure Vanilla Extract comes from Madagascar where farmers pollinate each flower by hand. It is the leading flavor in our Vanilla Spiced Sunflower Seed Butter.

Fun Fact: Vanilla is the second most expensive spice in the world, after saffron.

Learn more about vanilla

Watermelon seeds are high in protein, B-vitamins, and iron to help promote strength and support the digestive system. They have a low water requirement compared to nuts, using 94x less water to grow than pistachios. Watermelon seeds are used in our Watermelon Seed Butter.

Fun Fact: Eating watermelon seeds will not grow a watermelon in your stomach.

Learn more about watermelon seeds

Despite the fancy name, zante currants are considered raisins that come from zante grapes. A cup of zante currants offers a good source of iron. One of the three berries in our Triple Berry Seed Bars and Seed'nola, zante currants add a delicious bite of sweetness.

Fun Fact: Currants got their name from the ancient Greek city Corinth, which produced zante currants.