So you think you want to start a Gluten-Free Bakery?

GFP Family in the window

Today is officially moving day! Welcome to the new home of Gluten-Free Prairie and my new blog:  “Little House on the Gluten-Free Prairie” It’s been along journey from there to here. And I’m excited to share “real life” adventures of starting a Gluten-Free Bakery – especially in the heart of Wheat Country, Montana. Along with realities of realizing the promise of the American dream that anything is possible. We’re creating new recipes weekly, like this one for Deep Dark Chocolate Brownies. Check out the recipe page for lots of other tasty treats using our GFP line of products.

gluten-free brownies

Everyday seems to present a new challenge along with many blessings – including my daily commute. This blog will provide a platform to document some of the story.

The concept behind “Little House on the Gluten-Free Prairie” is simple. In addition to sharing the recipes and attributes of the products we’re creating, I can also report on the latest news and views towards living a healthy gluten-free lifestyle. And of course I’ll continue my mission to raise awareness and increase early diagnosis of Celiac Disease. All from the Gluten-Free Prairie Worldwide Headquarters here in Big Sky Country, Montana.

Journey

A few years ago I was inspired to launch my blog: Not Even a Crumb.com. (and if you’ve followed me over from NEAC, THANKS for make the trip today). So, if I already have a blog, then why am I starting this blog today? The explanation will reveal itself shortly, stay tuned. When I started Not Even A Crumb (NEAC) there were only a handful of gluten-free blogs. Now there is an abundance. Literally fist-fulls of handfuls of GF blogs now exist. Each has something special to offer our GF world. Some of my favorites are:

Basically, the concept behind the Not Even A Crumb blog was always to raise awareness and increase diagnosis of Celiac Disease, a genetic autoimmune condition requiring a lifetime commitment to a gluten-free lifestyle. If you’d like to know more about Not Even A Crumb and Celiac you can check it out here: www.notevencrumb.com My daughter, Amy and I were diagnosed almost 11 years ago. The delay in diagnosis for both of us was over 10 years – typical of most celiac diagnosis. Our entire journey is documented over at NEAC.

During the early days of NEAC I also became very active with Celiac Disease Foundation, becoming a member of their Board of Directors in 2013, a position that I cherish. To help raise awareness, I wrote and co-produced the PSA, “Are You The One”. You can see it here:

Just tuning in ? Here’s a little trip down memory lane…

I’m getting there…promise. Along with my passion to raise awareness about the #1 Disease You’ve Never Heard Of” came some amazing opportunities. And here’s the Reader’s Digest Version: After our diagnosis with Celiac, Amy and I embraced our new gluten-free lifestyle but finding healthy gluten-free options was a great challenge. Also, it seemed we still had a problem with one of our favorite foods –  oats.  But pure gluten-free oats are….gluten-free, right? Turns out the answer is Yes and No. The fact is that oats are naturally gluten-free, but are often cross-contaminated in the field or during harvest or processing. So we simply didn’t eat oats…for about 7 years. At the same time my family and I were building a new home in Southwest Montana. The constant road trips between Southern California and Montana got very old very quickly. While it can be a beautiful drive, eating gluten-free on the road can be a real chore. I decided to document a road trip for my NEAC blog. The series of posts entitled: “Going Gluten-Free in Wheat Country” started with a visit to Wheat, Montana (yes, there is really a town by that name.

Along the way, I also met with a local group of farmers who were growing a unique variety of gluten-free oats just a few miles from our new home. The celiac plant pathologist who developed the oats explained that the oats were grown in designated fields and harvested on equipment that only harvested the oats. He convinced me to try them as he believed them to be more tolerable than other oats.

Deb in Gluten-Free Oat Field

Fast forward several months. Amy and I learned that we both could tolerate these oats and we were ecstatic. I was so excited to have oats back in my life that I started thinking about starting a business based around this oat. I could see the tremendous potential and value for the gluten-free and mainstream consumer. One day I called the family together and gave my best pitch (ala Shark Tank) and Gluten-Free Prairie was born.

Fast forward again 2 years this time…

My family and I are now full time Montanans and our little family business Gluten-Free Prairie continues to grow daily. In the Spring of 2013 we purchased and started renovating a 100 year old building on Main Street in our little town. Jenn created this artists rendering as we started the renovations.

Gluten-Free Prairie's main street store in Manhattan, Montana

This year (2015) we’ve launched our product line nationwide. Check out our store locator to find us in your neighborhood. Our entire Gluten-Free family of products are also available at Amazon.com. (free shipping with Prime membership)

I also co-authored a little cookbook: 500 Gluten-Free Dishes. Also available on Amazon.com.

Deb Wheaton co-authored 500 Gluten-Free Dishes

So, welcome to “Little House on the Gluten-Free Prairie”

Thanks for Stopping By Today.Deb on combine

DebSignature

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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