The Kitchen

I'm pleased to be able to report that we seem to have overcome the production issues with our wheat crackers. The last trial went well enough that we're going to try a full-scale production. Of course, it's now the busy season for crackers, so we're having a hard time getting on the line, but we've been promised that they'll try to fit us in as soon as they can. And not a moment to soon, as we're now out of the few mixed cases we had left, also. Wheat crackers should be back within the month, I think. Mmmm, I can taste them already :)

It all started with the oil.

In our first production of the crackers, we used the oil which our manufacturer had in stock, a soybean oil with TBHQ and citric acid added as a preservative. It wasn't until we got to selling the product that we found out TBHQ was off-limits to many retailers (most notably, Whole Foods). So we thought we'd be smart, the next time we had to print the 80-calorie cheese crackers packaging, we switched to palm oil, which didn't have TBHQ.

That turned out not to be so smart. Palm oil in turn is unacceptable to some people because it has slightly more saturated fat or something (you just can't win), plus it made the texture moderately less crispy, which some people objected to.

At this point we needed to print up more 50-calorie packaging, but because of our bad experience with palm oil we wanted to switch to sunflower oil instead, which should avoid both of these problems. But we want to test the sunflower-oil crackers first, to be sure we (and you, our customers) are going to like the texture before we make up 300,000 film impressions. See? We learn from our mistakes. But it slows us down when applying the knowledge, because...

...that in turn means we need to beg politely ask our manufacturer to do a small production of crackers for us as a trial. This means they need to find time on their now very busy line (it's right before school starts, and crackers are in demand) to do an itty-bitty 500-1000 lb production.

And to top things off, we're also asking them to do yet another wheat-cracker trial, so we can finally get those back in stock (we think we know how to solve it now. Really.)

So, I apologize again for all these delays, and can assure you that no one wants to get the crackers back in stock more than we do. We're just having a really hard time getting all the piecese together :(

You may have noticed that several of our products are missing from our website. Here's an update on what happened to them, and when/if they'll be back (Updated 8/23):

• Wheat Crackers We've been having serious productions problems with these. The trial went fine, so we printed up all the packaging and did our first full-scale production, but it did not go well. The yield was way below acceptable levels, as the dough would simply not run through the machine. We did more trial to figure out what was wrong, but aren't getting anywhere. Still working on it. We aren't putting this on backorder until we figure out what's wrong.
• Nacho Crackers We're updating the packaging on these to be more similar to our wheat and cheese crackers. Should be back in September, if all goes well.
• 50-Calorie Cracker Packs I think we've been getting the most questions about this item. We were considering getting rid of it to simplify our product line, but due to popular demand (and 0 WW Points :), we now plan to print up more packaging and bring it back with the other crackers. Expected Return: Mid-September.
• Elbow Pasta We don't have formal packaging for the elbow pasta, but we did once have some elbows left over from a mac & cheese run which we offered exclusively on our website. We've since ran out of it, and aren't planning on bringing it back immediately. Perhaps after the next mac & cheese production. Expected Return: Maybe August, if it all.
• Bulk-Packed Pasta Like the Elbows, this was a one-off thing because we had some pasta left over from a standard production. We've since ran out of it, and weren't happy wiht the packaging that it shipped with anyway. We do plan on bringing it back when we've had a chance to work out better packaging. Expected Return: August.

Whoo! Hope that helps (and cuts down on e-mails ;)

Some people wondered what happened to the Birthday Cake mix mentioned on some of our product lists. That product got left out of the initial cake mix line launch because we weren't happy with the flavor. Unfortunately, product development has since been very busy with crackers and other stuff, so they haven't really re-examined it in-depth yet. It probably won't be launching for a while. We've actually taken it off the list on some new packaging we just printed up :(

A little heads-up about a late-breaking change in the cooking time for our FiberGourmet Light Spaghetti.

The cooking time on the box says the spaghetti needs only 6-10 minutes. This was copied over from one of our other boxes during the design process, and is not accurate. The cooking time should be more like 10-14 minutes, depending on your preferences.

Some of our gluten-sensitive customers have asked about the "No Gluten Ingredients" statement on our brownie and cinnamon cake webpages. Given that both those products have wheat starch, how can it be gluten free?

Wheat flour has two major parts: starch and protein (mostly gluten). It's possible to separate these two components, and both wheat starch and wheat gluten are available as separate ingredients. The separation process is very good, typically reducing the protein content down to 200 parts per million. Our cakes use just the wheat starch (after modifying it to turn it into a fiber source), not the gluten, and the low gluten content is further diluted by the other ingredients to below 100 ppm. Consequently, these cakes have effectively no gluten, although they are made with wheat (starch) ingredients.

We would have actually gone for a "Gluten Free" claim on the packaging, but the facility the cakes are made in was not certified as such, presenting possible legal issues with that, especially as the FDA has yet to issue any regulatory guidance on the term (though they've been promising one for ages). But for most people the gluten level (at less than 100 ppm) should be fine.

In case you're curious, the magic number is "2". That's how many times I have to hear the question before it becomes a blog post.

Due to increases in UPS shipping costs, we have been forced to increase our flat rate shipping in the US by $1, from $5.99 to $6.99. We tried to hold out as long as we could, but the UPS bills were really pinching. Hopefully this will be the last increase for some time.

You can save around 4g of sugar (and 20 calories) by skipping the sugar topping packet. Really doesn't add that much to the cake, honestly :)

If you do want to add the topping on the cinnamon cake, I'd also recommend putting it on the mix after adding the water and mixing the batter, but right before it goes in the microwave. That makes for a nice caramelized effect :)

To those who have asked about samplers made of 6 boxes of the two cakes: yes, they're coming!

To those who asked about the sugar: Unfortunately, we're caught between a rock and a hard place here, as a lot of stores won't take anything with artificial sweeteners in it.

As many of our loyal customers know, some of the most popular flavors of our nested fettucine - including Whole Wheat, Spinach, and Garlic Parsley - have been out of stock for a long time. This was caused by our switching the packaging to boxes, in order to protect the pasta better during transit, a process which has taken longer than anticipated. While we still don't we regret the overall decision, we do regret that it's taken so long to choose a box size which would work, and to finish the artwork for that box, and for that I do apologize.

After several false starts and missteps, I'm pleased to report that those two crucial and difficult design stops have been completed. You can see a preview of the new box art here.

While the art shown says it is for Garlic Parsley, in the final box that space will be left blank and a sticker containing the product flavor, ingredient list, and UPC will go in its place. We just put down the Garlic Parsley info as a placeholder. This will help us save money on the boxes, so we can keep our costs and your prices down. Although the boxes are more expensive than bags, we don't plan to raising your price for the final product, and we think you'll be very happy with the condition the pasta will arrive in at your door in the future.