**This is an interview with the owner. Please scroll to bottom of page for bakery address, phone number, website, email, and social media links.**

Small businesses are truly the driver behind gluten free options in Michigan. While there are a few big name brands at stores, like Ethel’s Baking and The GFB, it is the small mom and pop vendors that provide the majority of gluten free baked goods in the Great Lakes State.

Many of our home based bakers also sell at Michigan Farmers Markets. That includes Meadowview Acres. Originally selling fresh produce and jams at local farmers markets, they recently started offering gluten free baked goods. Read my interview with owner Chrisine Schweigert, to learn more about their gluten free baking business

1. What inspired you to become a baker? Why the focus on gluten-free?

What inspired me to start baking gluten free? Well that can be a long story but in adulthood I discovered I have a wheat allergy. I always enjoyed baking, especially bread and bread products before my allergy was discovered.

As I bought the pre-made gluten free breads and muffins and other items, the taste was lacking in a lot of products. Or the texture would not be appealing. So I started the journey to learn to bake gluten free. And a journey it has been!

As you know, baking gluten free is not the same as baking with regular flour. With many many failed recipes, and gritty tasting muffins and cakes, I worked through each recipe until I was happy with it. I felt that if my husband ate my bakes and enjoyed them, they were a success.

Then I got brave enough to venture out and start sharing with people around me that also need to eat gluten free. Before I launched the Facebook page, I solely did orders for people that reached out to me and people that I knew. My friend Melissa was a huge motivator in starting the Facebook page to sell to other people.

2. Are there other highlights of your products?  Dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free etc?

Most of my recipes contain dairy. However I am willing to accommodate additional dietary requests. My pumpkin roll contains no dairy and it turned out really well.

Most of my items are nut free or can easily be made nut free. I do not use almond flour in any of my recipes. Therefore any nuts used are added as an extra ingredient. like the pecans in my cinnamon roll muffins. I do use dairy free cream cheese that contains nuts.

3. What steps do you take to ensure that Meadowview Acres items are truly gluten-free?

I am a dedicated gluten free baker. I am lucky my house has two kitchens. Therefore I maintain a separate dedicated gluten free kitchen, and only use certified  gluten free flours, and certified gluten free oats.

I read every package even if it is a product I have used 100 times. I’ve personally been a victim to an ingredient change, so I’ve learned the hard way to check absolutely everything.

4. Can you share a story of a customer who’s been greatly impacted by your business?

My favorite story so far is a weekly standing order for a local college student. This young adult ordered a couple dozen donuts, and then apparently called home to tell her mom about them. The mom mom immediately started to panic about cross contact, etc, and I received a very worried email from the mom. 

It felt wonderful to be able to reassure her that I was doing everything in power to put out a good, safe product made from gluten free ingredients. By the time I got done talking with the mom she was really happy that her child could receive some homemade baked goods away from home. 

5. What would you like consumers to know about Meadowview Acres?

This business was created because I was tired of bringing pre-made gluten free food to parties. I wanted to be able to enjoy that fellowship you get when you get to actively participate in something. So I started 1 recipe at a time and worked until my family and friends liked my recipes  just as much if not more than the non gluten free ones. I’m also someone that is willing to try and accommodate any allergy. Please feel free to reach out and talk with me. 

Meadoview Acres Location, Hours and Contact Information

Meadowview Acres– St. John’s, Michigan

NO STOREFRONT- Will be at St. John’s Farmer Market starting in June
Preferred Contact Method for Orders – Through Facebook messenger 

Facebook  | Email

Meadowview Farms is one of many dedicated gluten free bakers across the state of Michigan.  Click this link to see a comprehensive list of all the gluten-free bakeries in Michigan, complete with interactive map! 

The post Meadowview Acres- Gluten Free Baked Goods in St. Johns appeared first on MI Gluten Free Gal.

What’s Special About Oh MI Organics Chocolate?

Oh Mi Organics, owned by Megan and Brent Hurst, meets a very important need in this world. Chocolate. Not just any chocolate, but chocolate that is free of gluten and many common allergens.

It’s exciting to see a small Michigan business tackle an issue that’s usually only contemplated at major companies. They’re just one more company that makes me proud to be a Michigander.

Where Is Oh MI Organics?

A visit to their store in St. Johns is like a step back in time. They don’t have a business phone and they don’t offer Wi-Fi. Instead, the Hurst’s have board games and a nice quiet atmosphere to enjoy them in. This has attracted many kids from the community. In an age of prolific technology, teenagers actually set their phones aside, enjoy a conversation and play a game!  

Oh Mi Organics even offers sidewalk chalk and coloring pages for those that want to get creative. This chocolate shop has quickly become a local place to create memories with one another. Learn more about this magical place in Megen Hurst’s own words.

Does Oh MI Organics Take Credit Cards?

When Oh MI Organics first opened, they were a cash only business. However, they started accepting online orders and digital pay during the pandemic. Our customers really enjoyed having the option of paying with a card, so we continued with the digital register.

​What​ inspired you to become a gluten-free ​chocolatier​?​

I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis when I was 31. I eliminated many foods to help limit the inflammation in my body. Foods on the no-no list now included gluten, dairy and preservatives.

The thing I missed the most was chocolate, because it was tough to find them without those ingredients. Therefore, my husband and I came up with a gluten-free chocolate recipe that was safe for me (and so many more) to eat! You can read more about the birth of Oh Mi Organics on our about page.

Are Your Chocolates Free From Other Allergens?

As of 2019, all of our products are free from the top 9 allergens. Our products are free of artificial colors and flavors as well. Our chocolates are made from Fair Trade certified cocoa. As our name suggests, we use organic ingredients.

All of our products are dairy-free, and we never use cow’s milk. We do use a dairy free coconut based caramel made by Bloom Caramel in Portland, Oregon.

What steps do you take to guarantee that your products are gluten-free?

We do a lot of research! We have thoroughly researched and/or contacted our ingredient supplies  to verify that they are 100% gluten-free. We’re very transparent, and you can watch us hand-make and package our sweet treats in our Chocolate Studio Observation Window.

What Local Michigan Ingredients do you Use?

We source our maple syrup and pure mint oil from Livingston Farms of St. Johns. We obtain our raw honey from Gearig Apiaries in Ithaca. Our Bean Bean chocolate has two roasted coffee beans on top from Blue Owl Coffee in Lansing, MI.

How Do You Create All Of Those Amazing Chocolate Flavors?

Our unique flavorings come from a business in Baltimore, MD. All of their flavorings are gluten and dairy-free, all without propylene glycol.

How Flavors of Gluten Free Chocolates Do You Make?

To-date we have now made over 250 flavors of chocolate. We rotate our flavors, and keep 50 in stock in our display case at all times.

Our most popular flavors are Neapolitan (the flavor changing chocolate), English Toffee, Super Swirl Ice Cream, Coconut Macaroon, Mint, Raspberry, all of the caramel filled chocolates (dairy free caramel of course), and our customers with nut allergies really enjoy the “PB” filled chocolates (made with sunflower seed butter)

Can You Share About Your New Line of Gluten Free Baked Goods?

All of our baked goods are also vegan-friendly, because we use flaxseed instead of egg. We make a variety of cookies – Snickerdoodle, Sugar, Chocolate Surprise, “PB” (made with sunflower seed butter), and Oatmeal Cranberry.

Some of our products do contain oats. Our Jammy Bars contain rolled oats, from a dedicated gluten free facility. Our oat flour comes from a company that is very allergy friendly and also batch tests for gluten and other allergens.

Our Cookie Pies are very popular as well. Two soft baked cookies with handmade dairy free buttercream frosting sandwiched in between. Flavor varieties are:

• Chocolate Vanilla
• Cinnamon Roll
• Blackberry
• Raspberry
• Toffee Crunch
• Banana Cream
• Lemon Cream
• Mint Chocolate
• Maple
• Red Velvet Cake
• Coconut Cream
• Lemon Lavender
• Fudgie
• and “PB” Chocolate.

We also make caramel filled brownies, and delicious Jammy Bars (an oatmeal bar with natural fruit preserves).

What Customer Feedback Has Brought You Joy?

We have met many people at our storefront that have food allergies, mainly dairy and gluten. When they look over our glass case of over 50 flavors to choose from, it’s a joy to see the smiles on their faces when they realize that they can once again enjoy an array of chocolate flavors.

Many people have told us that we have “ruined store chocolate for them.” One customer stated that she had a bite of a known brand name of chocolate, threw it out her car window, and drove straight to our store to get a Sea Salt Caramel because she liked ours better.

Can You Share More About Your Lunch Options?

We offer a variety of grab-n-go lunch options like vegan mac-n-cheese made with brown rice pasta, Basmati Rice Bowls such as Shawarma, Sweet & Sour, and Taco. All also vegan friendly, as we used seasoned roasted cauliflower in place of meat.

In the summer, we offer Asian Chopped Salads, Taco Salads, and we make side salads like Broccoli Salad, Sweet Potato Salad, and Italian Pasta Salad. All made with vegan dressings as well.

In the fall and winter we offer a wide variety of soups like Split Pea, White Bean Veggie, Tom Kha, Cheesy Veggie with Rice, Mexican Quinoa Stew, Taco Soup, Red Lentil Curry, and Butternut Squash Bisque. All are vegan friendly as well. We also make gluten free cheesy garlic biscuits to go with the soups.

What Else Would You Like My Followers to Know?

We create our products with food allergies or diet restrictions in mind. In addition to our chocolates, we have many raw, paleo and keto diet options. These include our no-bake energy bites, which are made with sunflower seed spread, gluten-free oats and ground flaxseed. We lightly sweeten them with pure Michigan maple syrup.

Our newest product, “You Dip It”, is an organic, vegan-friendly all-purpose dip that goes great with fruit slices, pretzels, cinnamon pita chips, graham crackers, and more!

We also created the Fall FEASTival, held in downtown St. Johns every year in September. This outdoor festival features only Michigan-Made food.

Oh MI Organics Location, Hours and Contact Information

Oh Mi Organics
109 W Higham St
St. Johns MI 48879
Open Mon- Fri 8 am – 6 pm, Sat 9 am – 2 pm, CLOSED SUNDAY
Website / Facebook / Instagram / Email

**While this is a sponsored post, all of my thoughts and opinions are my own. I’m excited and proud that there’s a chocolate company in Michigan that’s so forward thinking about food allergies!**

Originally Published February 2017

The post Oh Mi Organics – Michigan’s Allergen Free Chocolate appeared first on MI Gluten Free Gal.