Nuts About Artisana | Artisana Organics (Virtual Organic Week 2020)

It was love at first spoonful from Artisana Organics. From the moment I took a bite of their cashew butter, I knew we would be friends forever. To find a product you love is pretty neat and I have to say that getting to collaborate with them is even cooler than that! Very grateful to share more about Artisana Organics with you today. Yesterday we talked about leafy greens from Pines Wheatgrass, if you missed that post go check it out.

They have been making yummy nut butters since the early 2000s and it all started because they wanted to make a positive impact on the world through food. (My kind of people!)

Last year, around this time, I was in Washington D.C. with the Organic Trade Association as one of their influencers to "hit the hill" to lobby for the future of the Organic industry and, more specifically, the Farm Bill. Organic Week D.C. is an amazing week organized by the OTA. Organic businesses travel to D.C. to hit The Hill and meet with key members of Congress! When you support the ORGANIC industry, you are supporting organic brands and organic farmers that believe in the health and wellness of your family. Did you know that there are 700 chemicals that are prohibited in organic farming, yet 3000 chemicals are allowed in conventional farming as opposed to 67 that are allowed in organic. Organic producers, farmers and brands are committed to making healthy food safe and available to all Americans! Read more about that trip HERE.

This year, things were moved to a virtual "Organic Week D.C." and I decided to do my own version of a Virtual Organic Week! I'm sharing some of my favorite USDA Organic brands with you each day on social media and here on KrystensKitchen.com, as well as sharing some Q + As which each brand. Follow along on Instagram, too!

Artisana Organics makes an incredible line of nut butters and my most favorite and the one that I use the absolute most is the Cashew Butter. It's made with just raw organic cashews! That's it! I use it for everything: Homemade Twix Bars, 2 Ingredient Pumpkin Frosting, Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies and even this Birthday Cake Latte! It's really the creamiest cashew butter ever. More importantly there are no additives and everything is 100% organic!

You can even make these adorable Apple Slice Donuts and spread Cashew butter all over them and add toppings of choice!

I did a Q+A with one of the co-founders, Santiago Cuenca-Romero. I'm excited for you to read it and learn more about them. I love that they saw a need and did something about it. Thank you, Santiago!

Why did you start your company/ Why did the company start? We started because we wanted to create a positive impact in the world through food, which was my area of training. We were involved with the raw food community and with raw chefs in the early 2000s in California and were really excited about creating super pure, clean foods for them. We also saw a lack of access to organic food in much of the country, and wanted to contribute to improving that situation.

Why is creating organic products important to your company? By exclusively purchasing organic ingredients and creating organic foods, I see that we are helping to build a supply chain that is committed to organic growers and farming practices. We are also able to educate consumers on why organic is the best way to support and preserve the health of the earth and the communities where the raw ingredients are grown.

What do you wish consumers understood about organic ingredients/sourcing organic ingredients? I wish there was more awareness about what organic really means and how effectively you can farm following organic practices. Crops can develop sustainably without the use of harmful pesticides and chemicals and that is a primary way for us to keep biodiversity on this planet. Besides, to humankind, it is simple: we are what we eat. Do you want that to be pesticides that have a subsidiary effect of harming pollinating bees? Probably not. Only an organic-certified system currently guarantees the supply chain you participate in is not putting toxic and harmful chemicals and pesticides into our world.

Do you have any advice for other brands or consumers about why they should choose organic products and support the organic industry? On a personal and moral level, my reasons would be pretty much those I’ve already outlined. Additionally, it makes good business sense: I would tell others that the organic industry is only growing right now. Consumers are becoming more aware and concerned about conventional farming practices, and more and more interested in clean labels and clean food.

Where can people buy your products? Just about any independent co-op or independent natural foods chain store (like Mother’s Market - Krysten's favorite store!), larger natural chains like Whole Foods, Sprouts, and Publix, and then online on Amazon, Thrive, and iHerb, as well as our own website.

Apple Slice Donuts details: slice apples, use a small circle cookie cutter and cut out the middle. Smother with Artisana Organics Cashew Butter. Top with strawberries, hemp seeds, chia seeds, chocolate, coconut, nuts, seeds and whatever you'd like.