BEST
CORN SNACK IN AMERICA
No Artificial Colors, No Artificial
Flavors, No Preservatives, No GMOs, Ever!
GLUTEN FREE
A Diabetic Friendly Snack
By
Ellen Walsh
It's
so common, you wonder why someone else didn't think of it first,
but 4th generation Minnesota farmers, Gladys and Stan Friesen,
took some ordinary field corn from their own 500 acre farm and,
through an accident on the kitchen stove, found that they could
half pop these corn kernels and turn them into an all natural,
nutritious snack.
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This
isn't sweet corn or popcorn that Americans are used to, instead
it's the corn used to feed livestock, and its got some unique
nutritional advantages! Farmers in the mid west have been growing
field corn for centuries. Its high content of carotene ( vitamin
A) makes it a superior product, and their unique patented process
leaves the entire outer hull (also known as paracarp) intact,
where the majority of the highly nutritious fiber of the kernel
is. The process they accidentally discovered kind of half pops
it -- not too fluffy, but not hard like a corn nut. The only
other ingredients in the Original flavor besides the corn are
non-hydrogenated soybean oil and sea salt. That's it! Who would
have thought that something SO simple could taste SO good!
Over-processed,
traditional corn snacks have twice the sodium as GLAD CORN,
and this nutritious snack has double the fiber, because nothing
has been taken out of the corn. The fact that it doesn't digest
fast because of the high fiber content, makes this nutrient
dense snack terrific for Diabetics.
"Our
background is in corn and soybeans," explains Stan. "We
raised some hogs too, but quit in the early 80s to experiment
with some other interests I had". It was then that Stan
retrofitted a barn into an ethanol plant, and set to work in
earnest to discover cheaper and more energy efficient methods
to run his farm. So there he was, in Nov. of 1990, working on
an ethanol recipe, when the corn exploded and leapt out of the
pan and landed everywhere in the kitchen. Being the experimenter
he is, Stan tasted the popped corn, and ran into their bedroom
where Gladys was quietly reading a book. "Taste this!"
Stan said with an excited tone to his voice. She did and promptly
went to the kitchen to get some more! Little did they know what
they were about to embark upon.
Two
weeks later Stan and Gladys went to a Christmas party, and they
brought a snack with them. It was their, as of yet, unnamed
corn snack. As is often the case with the birth of new food
products, their friends loved it, and encouraged them over and
over to make it again. "It took me 11 hours to make 5 quarts
of it," Gladys laughs. "I didn't know what I was doing,
but I was having fun doing it." It was at that party that
their friends brainstormed to come up with a product name that
somehow included Stan or Gladys' name. STAN CORN didn't make
the cut but GLAD CORN was a hit. Since Stan is the “scientist",
Gladys took on the job of selling the product. She read a book
on marketing, and after taking to heart the first lesson - the
name of the product should be upbeat and descriptive of the
product - they stuck with the name GLAD CORN.
Before
launching into production, Stan and Gladys did a couple of years
of research. The first thought was to give the idea to a food
manufacturing company and get a royalty, but soon discovered
they had to do it themselves. They toured food manufacturing
plants, and while visiting relatives in South Dakota, saw a
small potato chip factory and realized that they too could make
GLAD CORN on a small scale. They got licensed and about 2 years
later, their small home based manufacturing facility was started,
but not before having the USDA approve their ideas, in advance
of spending their limited resources, on modifying their barn
into a factory. "I didn't want to build something only
to be told I should have done something else," the experienced
farmer stated. "We combed the junkyards for stainless steel
items that would allow us to begin production economically."
Stan
and Gladys lent their own new venture $3500 and paid it all
back within six months. “This project has to sink or swim
on its own," Stan told Gladys. “We will capitalize
the start-up by using some of our savings and expand with the
profits the new company generates." Their first day of
production they did 26 cases of product. Gladys did all the
sales, calling on all the stores within driving distance, wowing
them with samples she had them taste.
This
was a family business through and through. Initially, Stan got
up at 4 a.m. to start the processing, then Gladys and Stan's
father (who is now 93 years old) came in at 8 a.m. to hand package
the product and put it into the cases to be sold. This schedule
allowed Stan to also take care of other farming chores. They've
been doing this for 15 years now and have gotten more automated
and hire 5 others (who have gotten to be like family members)
to help with the work. 700 cases of GLAD CORN are made on each
processing day (which is 1 or 2 days a week). When asked what
the secret to her marketing approach was, Gladys replied without
hesitation, "I always leave samples. And even now when
we sell a case, we include a free bag so that the store owner
can put product out and let the customers sample it. Once people
taste it, they're likely to buy it."
How
to Use the GLAD CORN snack:
GLAD CORN comes in four delicious flavors in two different size
bags. Original, Bar-B- Que, Gourmet Cheddar and Jalapeno. This
gluten free snack is perfect to throw into your child's lunchbox,
or keep around the kitchen for the solving-of-the hunger-pains
moment. Try these other fabulous ways to use GLAD CORN:
Use instead
of croutons
Garnish on soups
In place of cracker crumbs
Breading
Trail mix ingredient
Nut substitute
How
to ORDER GLAD CORN:
In order to give you the best price, GLAD CORN comes by the
box, and is available either in (24) 4oz. bags, or (8) 12 oz.
bags for each flavor. For first time experimenters, we have
a variety pack that allows you to try 1, 2, 3 or 6 of each flavor.
Give it a try! It will end up being a staple in your kitchen
pantry!
Original
Bar-B-Que
Gourmet Cheddar
Jalapeno
Variety pack
Here's
How to Buy GLAD CORN Natural Snack Food
(Click
Here)
