Our Artisan Philosophy
Artisan Manifesto
- Everything from scratch.
- No fillers, flavorings, or shortcuts.
- Real, simple ingredients from socially responsible sources.
- Food from our own bakery, not contracted to some nameless “co-packing” plant.
- Accept nothing less than perfection.
Simple Ingredients
You simply cannot make an artisan product with chemicals, additives, or preservatives. Surprisingly, most natural cookies contain stabilizers, gums, or other non-traditional ingredients that you would never use at home. At Liz Lovely, our ingredients are all basic foods that can be found on the shelf at your local natural market.
A Few Exceptions
Some of our chocolate covered products are not made in our bakery. Lovely Oh's, for example, are sandwich cookies that we purchase from our distributor and coat in organic, fair trade, dark chocolate here at Liz Lovely. It's not the core of our business, it's just fun. That said, we are very mindful that the finished foods we purchase are made with some (if not all) organic ingredients.
Technology and the Artisan Philosophy
While our ingredients are simple, our bakery is getting quite complex. Our strategy is to add machines to enhance our ability to create, rather than simply replacing the human presence altogether. We've been rewarded each time with better cookies. Each individual cookie is scrutinized and handled by a real person continually throughout the day. To us, that's the true soul of an artisan product, and the reason that Liz Lovely Cookies are the best commercially produced cookie available today.
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Uncovering Co-Packers
Check out some food labels. If it says Distributed by or Manufactured for before the company's name and address, that product has been "co-packed". Co-packers slap brand-name labels on mass produced food for whoever pays the bill. These companies devalue food and the people that produce it. Support the alternative and avoid co-packed products whenever possible!
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Food is the Essence of Life
It provides nourishment on levels both physical and emotional. It's center-piece of our holidays and special events. You can see, taste, and feel the attention to detail that dedicated food artisans bring to their work. Living in Vermont has reinforced this for us. Dedication to tradition and craftsmanship is well preserved up here in the North country. It has enriched our lives immensely, as we hope our handmade artisan cookies are enriching yours. Buy artisan foods and keep it real!
