Plant Chat: Gretchen from Gretchen’s Grains

I was raised in a small logging town in the Pacific Northwest by avid hunters, fishers and gardeners. After college I traveled abroad and then explored the United States for a number of years snowboarding and surfing my way around. Upon moving to Seattle in 2004 I met my future husband at a questionable bar and soon after moved with him to his native city of New Orleans. In that beautiful city we were married and had our twin boys, Jackson and Waylon. Sixteen months later our youngest, Thomas, was born. Returning to Seattle in 2009, we conceived of and started, (our 4th child) Gretchen’s Grains. I can’t properly express the gratitude I feel for the path of my wonderful life. It delights and surprises me every day.

How did you start Gretchen’s Grains?  Was there a particular reason that you chose to feature whole grains?

Gretchen’s Grains was born when my 3 children were all under the age of 2 (no, that is not a typo). I was using my freezer as a tool to feed my family healthy food without losing my mind. Everything from homemade baby food to soup, I’d make in bulk then freeze. It was REALLY helpful. One day I cooked up a huge batch of brown rice, froze and bagged it in single portions. It was a bit of a revelation when I thawed it because the texture was perfectly intact. I started cooking and freezing all sorts of grains. One day I ran out of frozen grains and when I went to the store realized you couldn’t buy cooked, frozen, organic grains. It blew my mind that this wasn’t a major healthy convenience food for the masses. I decided this was a path I would need to take. I thank my parents for my naming me Gretchen because it goes so well with ‘grains.’

Where do you source all of your ingredients?  Have you visited the farms?

We have a supplier that sources our grains organically from different farms dependent upon price fluctuations. The wheat berry and brown rice are U.S. grown and quinoa (like most in the U.S.) is typically from Bolivia or Peru. We have not visited the farms because we don’t buy from the farms directly. For the size of our company now it would be cost prohibitive for us to engage in this type of travel. It is a plan for the future, however, as we want to be as close to our product and the people that grow it as possible.

Can we expect to see more varieties of whole grain products in the future?

We hope to launch more types of organic, frozen whole grains in the near future. For now, though, we are working on spreading the word about the ease and healthfulness of having our current whole grains ready to go in the freezer. We encourage consumers to cook and freeze their own, just to see how handy it is to have them in a moment’s notice. This leads to consumers being “hooked” on having whole grains in their freezer.  A super healthy addiction!

What makes your products unique? 

Our grains are unique because there isn’t another line fully cooked and frozen, organic whole grains on the market! We also include a resealable bag so consumers can throw a handful in soup or salads, seal it up and throw it back in the freezer. There are some other frozen brown rice products on the market, but as far as simple, single ingredient, perfectly cooked, organic whole grains line…we are the only one.

How have people responded to your products?

The response to our whole grains is what keeps me going on this small business journey. Bill (my husband) and I demo all over the PNW at retailers and festivals. I can’t tell you how often I’m told that our whole grains help them have a healthier diet. If I’m ever feeling overwhelmed in the daily grind of numbers and logistics of the business, I look to my emails at the people who send messages just to tell me how much more often they eat whole grains bc they can buy them ready to eat and organic. It’s awesome.

Can you share your favorite tip for eating a healthy plant-based diet that features whole grains?

My favorite tip for eating a healthy plant-based diet is to be prepared! It’s way too easy to make poor decisions when you are feeling hungry and you have to chop and sauté before getting something in your belly. Nuts, fruits, frozen or fresh veggies and of course frozen whole grains make that moment of weakness easy to squash. Toss a handful of frozen grains in a bowl with a handful of frozen, chopped veggies and heat. Throw a handful of sunflower seeds and some hot sauce on top and in 2 minutes you have a full, healthy, delicious meal. Preparation! That’s my tip for healthy eating.