Behind the Seeds
We named our blog Behind the Seeds as it conveys a lot about 88 Acres, both literally and figuratively. 88 Acres foods all include craft seeds as their key ingredients. There is purpose behind every aspect of how we took 88 Acres from our humble beginnings baking at home to launching a mission-based food startup. Transparency is a common thread. The goal of this blog is to give you a peek “behind the seeds” at 88 Acres, from how we source our ingredients to entrepreneurship stories on growing our food startup, profiles on our team members and partners, health and wellness tips, recipes for busy lifestyles, and community event and causes we care about.
Why Seeds?
Seeds don’t get the credit they deserve. They fly under the radar while nuts on the other hand get lots of publicity - both good and bad. Seeds are a natural plant-based nutrition powerhouse, providing protein and important nutrients like iron, zinc, manganese, magnesium, omega fatty acids and more.
Nuts are a minefield for many living with food allergies, including my husband Rob. When I first started tinkering in my home kitchen making 88 Acres bars, it was to make on-the-go foods that Rob and I could enjoy together and were safe for his nut allergy.
The 88 Acres Craft Seed Blend
We pride ourselves on the simplicity and wholesomeness of our ingredients. The 88 Acres craft seed blend is a healthy mix of pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and flax seeds. When you eat an 88 Acres bar, you can see the seeds. Each batch is hand mixed and baked to perfection. It’s real food that’s good for everybody, not cold pressed into a texture that little resembles the raw ingredients from which it was made. It’s a labor of love but we think it creates a wonderful texture and taste resembling the first batch of homemade goodness we made in our apartment kitchen. That quality is at the heart of why we opened our own dedicated bakery. But more on that later in an upcoming post.
Our Mission
Our mission is to to make healthy snacks with simple ingredients from sustainable, transparent sources and free of the most common food allergens. Four core values drive what we do and are the seeds we are sowing as we grow this company beyond New England:
Economic & Social Responsibility
- Hire and support development of team members from within our inner-city community
- Create partnerships with stakeholders who drive positive impacts to areas of need
Supply Chain
- Provide traceability of ingredients all the way back to the field, ensuring safety for food allergy sufferers
- Establish transparency throughout our supply chain and be a steward of positive change within the food ecosystem
Sustainable Sourcing
- Work with partners whose environmental and business values align with our own
- Practice upcycling everyday with the aim of a zero-waste bakery operation
Education
- Drive education and positive change in the areas of health and wellness, community development, and sustainability
Read more about our journey to opening our own bakery in Edible Boston.
Have a question for us or a topic you would like to see covered on the blog? We would love to hear from you. I’m always available at nicole@88acres.com.
Sincerely,
Nicole