PARTNERS IN OUR CURRENT BOXES
Alden's Mill House
Alden, Michigan
Our family has been using Alden Mill spices for years. We love their family's custom blends, sourcing protocols and the grit and determination to make a spice mill successful in Northern Michigan! Check out their website for more amazing products and give our two recipes a try on our Recipe page. Both use the spices in your Autumn box!
The Alden Mill House was started in 1984, by selling Chef Geno’s all-purpose seasoning Miracle Blend and other Pepper Mill Spices. The founder of Pepper Mill Spice Company, Eugene Moglovkin (aka Chef Geno), was a famous American Chef with European training. He had help beginning and running the business by his wife Joy Moglovkin. Although Geno was the creator, Joy was the business backbone that made the business happen! The business is continued to be run by family: their daughter Colleen.
Over the years Chef Geno developed and perfected his own custom seasoning blends that have been used in some of America’s finest clubs and restaurants. Chef Geno won numerous awards and ribbons in culinary art shows from Michigan to Florida. The Pepper Mill and Alden Mill House products are made up of the finest ingredients that are carefully selected from around the world.
We buy only the highest quality of spices and kosher flake salt. Our kosher flake salt has no trace of iodine to alter the desired flavor. We pride ourselves by producing quality products. We grind and mix all of our spices, label our own bottles, and then fill each bottle individually.
Belle Lavande
Stockbridge
The Mack family didn't just want to open a lavender farm; they wanted to create a destination that encouraged a slower pace, where families can explore the natural habitats, gardens, grasslands, wetlands, and animals spread across their property; a farm that enriches the land while creating the highest quality of organic lavender on the market; a space that gives back to the land and its community.
We think they succeeded with Belle Lavande in Stockbridge, MI. From lavender lemonade to gentle baby products and luxurious soaps and so much more, their products are the highest quality.
Better Made Snacks
Detroit
At Better Made Snack Foods, we are incredibly proud to be part of Detroit's rich history and vibrant community. Every year, we join hands with amazing organizations to support local events and causes that matter. We raise awareness and funds for Multiple Sclerosis and Childhood Cancer, bringing hope and making a difference in people's lives.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, we showed our heartfelt gratitude to frontline workers by delivering our snacks to hospitals, fire stations, and police stations. We love seeing the joy on kids' faces at Metro Detroit Youth Day, where we make their day extra special with our delicious snacks. And when disaster strikes, we partner with the American Red Cross to provide meals and comfort to families in need.
At Better Made, we're more than just a snack company – we're a family, deeply connected to our community.
The Blu Kitchen
Plymouth
The Blu Kitchen began in 2014, in the kitchen of our home, a tent at the farmers market, and an assortment of flavors of French macarons. After a year and a half at the farmers markets, we created a pop-up model that allowed us to operate without weather constraints, while still qualifying as a cottage food business.
After a stint in a rented kitchen, we ultimately took the leap and signed a lease in 2016. The Blu Kitchen now operates as a fully licensed bakery/confectionary in Plymouth’s Old Village, with counter hours on Saturdays.
With a commercial kitchen and a sales counter at our disposal, as well as regular operating hours, we’ve been able to expand our product line from just French macarons to include a variety of baked items and confections, as well as marshmallows and hot chocolate mix.
Carosello Pasta
Dexter
We love how Carosello pastas from Dexter, MI cook up! We think you will too. We also love their backstory. From Italy to Michigan, their story is one of authenticity, hard work and a commitment to quality.
"Many years spent in Italy gave me a deep appreciation for the slow, deliberate methods and sense of place inherent to Italian cooking. Returning to the U.S., I assumed that if I wanted authentic, traditional dried pasta, it would have to be imported from across the Atlantic. But, the Italian way is all about embracing domestic agriculture, passing on traditions, and always making (more than) enough to share. So, I set out to create a small batch, bronze extruded pasta made with U.S. grown organic semolina from our kitchen here in the Great Lakes state. We think the taste & texture rival the best pasta in Italy, and we’re thrilled to share it with you!"
-Mike Carosello
Chelsea Milling Company
Chelsea
Our family loves "JIFFY" mix products. They're consistent, delicious and so versatile. Check out their website for loads of great recipes. jiffymix.com
But we also love their origin story. "JIFFY" Mix was born out of necessity and ingenuity. Chelsea Milling Company has been a family-owned business since it was established as a traditional flour mill in 1901, by our founder Harmon S. Holmes. During the next three decades Chelsea Milling Company produced flour for the local communities.
At the start of the Great Depression Harmon's daughter-in-law, Mabel White Holmes considered how she and her family's local milling business might help those whose livelihood had been affected.
When a friend of her twin sons Howard and Dudley visited their home, Mabel noticed the biscuits in the boy's lunch were flat and unappetizing. She set out to find a way to create a pre-made mix which would assist the boy's single father in the kitchen.
In 1930, with the support of her husband Howard Samuel Holmes, Mabel's home-grown project became the first prepared baking mix sold to the public. The convenient, simple to use mix only required the addition of milk to produce perfect biscuits every time. By keeping their "JIFFY" brand baking mixes affordable, the Holmes' new venture was able to help many families who were recovering from the effects of the Great Depression.
Today, "JIFFY" is the market share leader in retail prepared muffin mixes, yet our goal remains the same; to feed America, especially during difficult economic times.
Ninety years after our debut in 1930, our mission remains the same. At "JIFFY" our mission is to provide our consumers with the best possible value. We define Value as being the highest quality ingredients and the best price.
CRUST, a beloved baking establishment, first opened its doors on February 1, 2012, marking the culmination of an extensive journey that began with meticulous research spanning dozens of bakeries across North America. Founded on a foundation of passion and precision, CRUST quickly distinguished itself as a beacon of artisanal excellence in the baking industry.
From its inception, CRUST has been committed to upholding the highest standards of quality and authenticity. Every loaf of bread, every pastry, and every dessert crafted at CRUST reflects a dedication to using premium ingredients sourced from trusted suppliers. The commitment to excellence extends beyond the ingredients to the meticulous care and precision applied in every step of the baking process.
CRUST’s journey is also a story of community and connection. Beyond creating exceptional baked goods, CRUST has cultivated a warm and inviting atmosphere that welcomes customers as if they were part of the family. The aroma of freshly baked breads and pastries, the friendly faces behind the counter, and the dedication to personalized service have made CRUST not just a bakery, but a cherished destination in the hearts of its patrons.
Germack Roasting Company
Detroit
Some of our favorite nuts come from Detroit! Our family has been enjoying germack products for decades. We sure hope yu enjoy this limited-run bag of Tigers peanuts! Take us out to the ballpark with Germack!
Germack, a DETROIT CLASSIC, is a small FAMILY OWNED business founded in 1924 as the first company in America to import and roast pistachio nuts. Now in our 4th generation of family ownership, Germack roasts in-house a full line of nuts, seeds and coffees in Detroit’s Eastern Market District. We invented the popular red-colored pistachio nut – our nutty heritage runs deep!
Germack’s first quality, fancy grade nuts are NUTRITIOUS enough for every day snacking and cooking, DELICIOUS enough for entertaining, and FANCY enough for holiday gift giving.
Our customers tell us our nuts taste better than the rest! The Germack taste difference comes from our quality ingredients and our time-honored roasting process.
As a small family owned business, we put MORE CARE and BETTER INGREDIENTS into every batch and seek out small suppliers around the world with similar values. We select only the highest quality nuts. Our FIRST QUALITY, FANCY grade nuts are gift quality – a uniform color, bigger size, and more whole pieces. We roast our nuts in small batch roasters, with heart-healthy canola oil for optimal roast level and taste. We control the time between roasting and delivery to ensure maximum freshness.
Gee Dee Bees Raw Honey
Hastings
We love Gee Dee Bee's honey. It definitely has that fresh-from-the-hive flavor profile. Family-owned and operated, Greg and his niece, Brenna, care for their hives with the TLC you would expect from a family-owned farm. Greg's backstory is pretty awesome!
Greg's History:
My introduction to beekeeping started in Honduras. I was there as a part of a doctors without borders program. During my stay, I met a beekeeper, Thomas Hebert. He asked me if I would be interested in coming out to the beehives with him. Curious, I said, “yes”.
Before we had gotten out there, he had me completely suit up with extra safety measures.
As we approached, they came to greet us, stinger first! I could feel them cling onto the bee suit trying to pierce through it wherever they could. A few were successful but my suit protected me.
We continued our way to the hives. Thomas broke the top open on one, proceeding to take the frames out despite the residents angry protests. He taught me about how to check if a frame is ready to be pulled or if it needed more time. He also taught me how to extract the honey and its wonderful health benefits. I fell in love with honeybees and the hard work of beekeeping.
Thomas Hebert has since passed. However, his passion for beekeeping lives on. Gee Dee Bees carries on that passion. Teaching beekeeping to the next generation. My team and I work to keep honey bees around so that many more generations can enjoy the fruits of their labor.
Great Lakes Potato Chips
Traverse City
We have some great potato chips here in the Mitten State! Our family absolutely loves the Cherry BBQ chips from Great Lakes Potato Chip Company. We hope you do too! Yet another family-owned company making quality products right here in Michigan!
"We love potato chips – who doesn’t? So when we decided to make potato chips from Michigan potatoes right here in Traverse City, we knew they needed to be something special.
How do we do it? Small batches, fresh, almost all Michigan potatoes and spices and a good, old-fashioned Midwestern work ethic. The result? One sensational kettle chip that stands up to the most demanding snack craving you can dish out.
It’s all about flavor. Our skin-on style puts a little extra “zip” in the chip, providing you a full-flavor snack adventure – something those naked chips just can’t deliver. And although it’s nice that potato skins are known to contain nutrients and fiber, we leave’m on just because we love the way they taste."
- The Girrbach family
Gus & Grey
Detroit
The first time I remember anything being "canned" was my Grandmother, Patricia Tufts, and she spent all day making bread and butter pickles. Her recipe is still my absolute favorite!
My first experience with canning with fruit, was really grape juice, and it was in fourth grade, and Mrs. Tutak had the class make (what seemed like) a million jars, to sell at the church Christmas bazaar. It was a simple grape jelly, and at that time, it was the best thing that I have ever tasted. I wonder now if it was because so much time and love went into the project...either way...I loved it.
Flash forward about 20 years. I was living in NYC, and though I hadn't thought about canning in nearly two decades, and couldn't shake the idea. I called my mom and had her search for my Grandma's bread and butter recipe, and when I finally received it, I couldn't get to the market fast enough to buy all the necessary ingredients.
After my friends gobbled every last jar up, I decided to try out a few jams. I made about 12 jars of apricot jam, and gave the majority of it away - to the same pickle gobblers - and the feedback was simply outstanding! I have a friend who saved his jar for his mom's visit to Brooklyn, and I received one the biggest compliments! His mom said that she hadn't tasted anything like that since she was a kid! Can you imagine the smile on my face!!! I knew that I was on the right path. I kept trying out and creating new recipes, and never thought about starting my own business, until I moved back to the Detroit area, and a new crop of friends were hooked, and obviously, so was I.
This endeavor has been a labour of love, and I want to thank every single person who takes the time to read what I have to say, and enjoy all that I prepare.
Get your tastebuds ready, because Gus & Grey is ready to entice you!
Jam On! - Tara Grey
When I decided to start Shurms Candy in 2012 with my wife Jackie, it was out of a desire to bring that happiness to people – but in a unique way. We offered a few different candies for a while, and then we finally realized that the unique way that we want to bring the happiness of candy to people is by combining it with the shape of the state that we grew up loving.
So, in February of 2018 we launched MichiGummies – a fantastic gummie candy in the shape of Michigan. We were thrilled to offer a candy that our fellow Michiganders really connected with. We have always really appreciated the bond that Michiganders share – it’s kind of like belonging to a special club. And this candy is kind of like the official candy of our club.
S•TEA•P - Specialty Tea Products
Ypsilanti
S•TEA•P is a home based business in Ypsilanti, MI. Women owned and operated, we are proud to be family run.
At S•TEA•P, we make brewing and drinking loose leaf tea more approachable and less mysterious through encouraging experimentation, providing education, and creating community.
Tea drinking is a personal and individual experience. One of our founding principles is that each cup of tea is as unique as the individual who drinks it. Tea can (and should) be modified to individual tastes. It can be be made stronger or weaker, hot or cold, sweetened or drank with milk.
Our tea's draw upon familiar names and flavors that evoke fond memories and promote relaxation and reflection. By simply brewing a cup of our tea, people will be mentally transported to their favorite places in time, recollect their favorite Michigan Memories, and dream of new ones yet to be made.
Wildroast Coffee Co.
Grandville
The journey began when we acquired our first location at 4035 Chicago Drive in Grandville, MI. We transformed the 100 year building into the vision for our shop. We knew people would be the heart of our business, so we started recruiting a bright and talented staff who would create the atmosphere we wanted; for our guests to feel at home in our shop while experiencing delicious coffee. Countless lattes, community events, and conversations over a mug coffee later, and we are just as passionate about coffee and connecting people with it as the day we started.
Our next exciting milestone was beginning to roast our own coffee in 2022 with an unwavering commitment to sourcing and roasting quality coffee. We intentionally procure the best specialty beans for our coffee since we believe our guests and community at large deserve the best. Since then, our partnerships with farmers, producers, baristas, roasters, and fellow businesses has helped us grow and nurture a shared coffee culture and experience.
What started as a dream has grown into a reality and we couldn’t be more excited for what the future holds. We invite you to be part of it and join the Wildroast community!
Witt's Maple Syrup
Gaylord
We started tapping maple trees with our neighbors in 2001. We had just a couple dozen buckets and boiled the sap on a flat pan over an open fire. This quickly expanded and the following season we purchased our own evaporator and setup a tubing system on 250 trees. Through out the years, we have expanded and now have 1900 trees. With two decades of boiling, our process has improved to provide a quality, consistent product that we use in our kitchen and are proud to share to yours!
With sustainability in mind, we have chosen to stick with wood fire as we’ve expanded. Our syrup is boiled with local, sustainably harvested hardwood. This method helps make our flavorful syrup but also ensures that we will have plenty of fuel for generations to come.
