This past Earth Day, our team volunteered at Gardeneers, a Chicago community garden located in the Englewood neighborhood that teaches kids the importance of gardening and healthy eating. We spent the day prepping the gardens for the upcoming spring harvest because we know the importance of handpicked ingredients. Here are just a few of the sustainably sourced ingredients we use in our Simple Mills products.

Almonds

Our almond suppliers achieve a gold standard for their sustainability practices, which is the highest standard according to the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative Platform's Farm Sustainability Assessment program. It’s also important to process these beauties to make them safe to eat, so instead of chemically processing, we treat our almonds with steam rather than PPO. Did you know that the almond industry also contributes funds to honey bee health research to support the honey bees? 

All about almonds? Try these delicious cherry almond scones.

Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Using the power of the sun, we harness Mother Nature’s natural form of energy to grow the ripest tomatoes to give an additional burst of fresh flavor to our Sun-Dried Tomato & Basil Crackers. They’re also processed in a completely solar facility. What a bright idea!

Pair our sun-dried tomato and basil almond crackers with goat cheese and pesto for a tasty appetizer.

Organic Palm Shortening
Our organic palm shortening is grown and produced in a sustainable organic system, which is simultaneously working to restore forests near the mouth of the Amazon River. Our organic palm shortening supplier has proudly earned an Eco-Social certification, which means our producer practices fair relations in trading socially and environmentally certified products. 
 

Coconut Sugar
All of our coconut sugar comes from small, local farmers in Indonesia that use eco-friendly growing practices. Our coconut sugar source also provides social, educational and professional reinvestment in the communities where we source our coconut sugar. Not to mention, coconut palm trees produce 75% more sugar per acre and use less than 20% of the resources needed to grow sugarcane plants. This ultimately helps make the environment a better place. (Sweet!)

Crazy for coconut? Try a slice of toasted coconut cake.

Making the Most of Mother Nature
We believe real food comes from the Earth and it always should. If you don’t recognize an ingredient then chances are your body won’t recognize it either, which is why we never use artificial flavors, fillers or synthetic dyes or colors. We handpick all of our ingredients, only selecting those that are the most nourishing because we believe the best foods are truly simple.