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Plant-based

Spotlight on Violife

This week’s Member Deals Spotlight shines brightly on Violife! All of their plant-based products are 20% off for member-owners from April 20th – 26th, so it’s a great time to stock up on their award-winning dairy-free delights. Read on to learn more about Violife and the mission that drives them to succeed:

Back in the early ’90s, three friends in Greece were bemoaning how much they missed cheese during the dairy-free Greek Orthodox holidays (100 days/year). They couldn’t find any good substitutes, so they decided to create their own and thus, Violife was born. Violife comes from the Greek word Vios, which means Life. So it’s actually, life squared, encouraging us to live life to its fullest. They are a vegan-dedicated community based in the beautiful surroundings of Thessalonica in Greece. They’ve been committed to making delicious, 100% vegan, non-dairy, non-GMO foods since the ’90s, in their production plant in the small town of Drama in Northern Greece. They are proud and humbled to be a favorite brand for so many Vegans, Vegetarians, and Flexitarians in over 50 countries around the world.

At Violife, they understand the frustration of finding a product you love only to find that it will exacerbate your allergy, intolerance, or condition. Rest assured that all of their plant-based foods are free from common allergens lactose and gluten as well as being soy and nut free.  Their foods are Kosher certified and safe for those with lactose intolerance, gluten intolerance, nut intolerance, soy intolerance, or celiac disease. Their products are also free of GMOs and preservatives, plus they’re enriched with Vitamin B12. 

With more than 30 years of vegan products development and production experience, Violife is the world leader with a global footprint, backed by the world’s largest plant-based food transformation company, Upfield. They’re humbled and honored to be the number one award-winning vegan alternative to cheese. 

So, why choose Violife?

  • Variety: styles, flavors, and formats for all preferences. Slices, blocks, shreds, and spreads – in a variety of flavors such as Cheddar, Gouda, Mozzarella, Smoked…
  • Functionality: their products melt, grill & grate, toast & roast, they are easy to cook with and to spread.

Whether you enjoy it sliced in your sandwiches, spread on your bagel, sprinkled on your pasta, or melted in your macaroni and cheese, Violife is the alternative that tastes and cooks just like cheese! Whether you are already living a vegan lifestyle, or are enjoying a more flexitarian way of living, Violife is here to help you get some great taste in your life.

 

Spotlight on Rhapsody Natural Foods

Rhapsody Natural Foods is basking in Member Deals Spotlight this week and all of their fabulous fermented foods are 20% off for member-owners from April 22nd – 29th. Read on to learn more about this family-owned local business hailing from the heart of Cabot, VT, and their quest to bring you traditional plant-based foods produced in harmony with nature:

Sjon and Elysha Welters moved to the US from the Netherlands in 1983 with their 1-year-old daughter in tow in search of a place to build a homestead from which they could carve out a sustainable lifestyle. Their family eventually landed about a mile from Cabot Village in central Vermont and began setting down roots, raising their three children, and starting a business. 

Sjon Welters on the family homestead in Cabot, VT standing between the Rhapsody production facility and office

Their initial venture was a restaurant in Montpelier, which would serve as a test kitchen of sorts for the line of Rhapsody products that we know and love today. Their ultimate dream, however, was to be able to produce these foods on their homestead, cutting the commute and allowing the family to decrease their carbon footprint and dependency on imported food. The 2011 construction of a small production facility on their homestead allowed this dream to come to fruition, rooting the Welters family more deeply into the rural Vermont landscape where they were able to focus on improving the soil, maintaining their large vegetable gardens, and tending to the fruit trees and fields.

Sjon Welters in the Rhapsody production facility on the Welters family homestead

The Welters family is committed to producing foods that uphold their traditional value to nourish the health of their community. They understand that traditional foods can hold solutions to many modern-day problems. They are particularly passionate about fermented foods, which contain beneficial probiotic bacteria, are full of digestive enzymes that aid in digestion, support immunity, and help nutrients and minerals assimilate more easily. 

Rhapsody is committed to supporting a sustainable local economy by sourcing from local and regional producers as much as possible, buying organic, and minimally processed, clean ingredients, and avoiding all GMO foods. They are constantly seeking opportunities to collaborate with local farmers so that more of the ingredients in their products can be sourced closer to home. They experimented with growing rice on their homestead for 7 years, proving that rice production in Vermont is possible. They hope to someday be able to source the rice for their Koji (starter culture for their miso) locally. They are also hoping to find someone who is excited to grow organic natto soybeans locally as those are only available from a very limited number of suppliers. Rhapsody’s products are certified organic by Vermont Organic Farmers and their goal is not to only meet the organic standards but to exceed them, as the national standards of organic become less representative of the intention on which it was based. Additionally, in October of 2020, all of Rhapsody Natural Foods’ products became certified kosher.

Sjon Welters planting rice on the homestead

 

Presently, their three children and their families (7 grandchildren) live on the same property and support the business in their own unique ways, making it a true family affair. According to their webpage, the Welters family is “committed to running a sustainable business that supports a natural lifestyle where the days and weeks of our lives are engaging, dynamic, inspiring, challenging, and fulfilling. Production, sales, marketing, distribution, and bookkeeping are all divided up according to skillset and interest. We get it all done with a sense of purpose and satisfaction! In the face of the health, economic, and environmental crisis that our community, both local and global, faces today we are committed to actions that contribute to positive change. Our work towards meeting this challenge is in part by sharing our passion for high-quality fermented local food!”

 

 

Falafel Pita with Tzatziki Sauce

Looking for a quick and easy plant-based weeknight meal? Then you’ll love this simple take on a Mediterranean classic! And you’ll find most of the ingredients in our weekly sale from May 16th – 22nd, making this one a budget-friendly option as well!

Tabouli Salad

We’re celebrating Mediterranean cuisine this week at the Co-op and we think you’re going to love this simple, fresh, delicious tabouli salad which combines many of the ingredients from the weekly sale display (May 16th – 22nd). Enjoy it on its own as a tasty salad, or stuff it into a pita with chicken and fresh greens!