Are you an omnivore who strolls by vegan and gluten-free goods without a second glance? â€œNot for meâ€, you say? Well, stop in your tracks. Youâ€™ve got some darn good granola to try. Indeed Maple Nut Kitchenâ€™s products are gluten-free and vegan friendly, but as their website attests â€œyou won’t miss anything.â€ This is granola for everybody.
Maple Nut Kitchen of Keene, NH was formerly known as Courser Farm Kitchen. Courser made an exceptional product – they won a â€˜best ofâ€™ award from New Hampshire Magazine in 2013 – but the business went up for sale. Enter Vivian Cubilla-Lindblom, â€œI had always known that one day Iâ€™d start a specialty food business that Iâ€™d be passionate aboutâ€¦so when I found out about this granola business was for sale I couldn’t pass up the opportunity.â€ When Vivian bought the business in April of 2014, her granola was beloved locally but only available in 15 locations. Over the last 14 months, Maple Nut Kitchen has expanded their distribution by 300%, now sold by 45 retailers across the northeast.
It was due to this expansion that I was introduced to Maple Nut Kitchen. I stumbled upon the â€˜Sweet & Saltyâ€™ variety at Cambridge Naturals in Cambridgeâ€™s Porter Square. The itsy bitsy chocolate chips lured me in. I now count myself among Maple Nut Kitchenâ€™s fast-growing fan base. The full granola line-up includes thirteen handmade varieties. All are gluten-free, non-GMO, vegan and sweetened exclusively with pure New Hampshire maple syrup. In February Vivian introduced a paleo line of offerings (grain-free) that have been enthusiastically received. Flavors on my personal bucket list include Lavender Blueberry, Eastern Apple Pecan, and Cashew Chai.
Coming up next for Maple Nut Kitchen? Besides continuing to grow, Vivian aims to secure gluten-free certification for her products. Although Maple Nut Kitchen uses certified gluten free oats and no gluten ingredients (all granola is tested to make sure itâ€™s under 10 ppm gluten), products are made in a shared commercial kitchen, which limits their ability to make it official. â€œCertification is definitely something we strive for in the future,â€ says Vivian.
One area where no rules apply is, of course, how you enjoy your granola. I am a big fan of the yogurt and milk combo (pictured). Iâ€™ve also been known to re-purpose my breakfast granola as an ice cream topper. Whatever you fancy, and whatever your tribe (gluten-free, vegan, paleo, all, or none of the above) make your next granola Maple Nut Kitchen granola.
Visit www.MapleNutKitchen.com for locations and more.