Bakery on Main benefits from gluten-free enthusiasm

Founded in 2003, the Glastonbury, CT-based brand​ started as a natural foods market located in the small town's Main Street. It's founder, Michael Smulder, had a large celiac clientele, so he came up with different granola snacks for celiacs to enjoy at home.

"Our products are third-party certified gluten free, our oats in particularly are third-party certified from farm to fork,"​ Stacey Okimura, Eastern Regional Sales manager for Natural Channel at Bakery On Main told FoodNavigator-USA at the Healthy & Natural Show​​ in Chicago.

"Our plant where we make it in small batches is a gluten-free dedicated facility." ​Additional certifications displayed on the company's website include Non-GMO project verification, Orthodox Union Kosher Parve, and SQF Level 3 Certification.

Today, the company has over 30 SKUs, ranging in formats from granola pieces to bars. Just last year, the company opened a new state-of-the-art facility in Hartford, CT. But the company is staying true to its small-batch approach, at least for now. "From the quality assurance portion of it, it allows us to watch the quality from start to finish," ​added Okimura. 

Gluten-Free is slowing, but staying​

During a recent webinar on the 'free-from' category hosted by New Hope Network, Chief Sales & Marketing Officer at Enjoy Life Foods Joel Warady said​ "​the US gluten-free market is still growing in excess of 25% year on year. Has it slowed down? Absolutely, it was growing at 40% a year, but it’s real, and it’s not going away."​

Okimura also noticed a continued interest in gluten-free products. "I know countless people who have cut out gluten, and they feel healthier," ​he said. "I don't think it's a fad, it's been going on for a while. And as gluten-free moves from the natural and organic space into conventional, it's just going to skyrocket."​