Celiac Awareness Follow Friday: Bixby Bar, gluten-free chocolate

Kate McAleer of Bixby & Co.

Celiac Awareness Follow Friday: Bixby Bar, gluten-free chocolate

Here’s another reason to give thanks that it’s Friday.

Every Friday, during Celiac Awareness Month, Gluten Free Therapeutics will be featuring a company from our home state of Maine. These companies are making delicious contributions to living gluten free and our loyal blog readers should know more about these companies.

Last week we featured Power of 3 Seed Blends and this week we’re excited to introduce you to our friends at Bixby Bar!

Meet Kate McAleer, 26-year-old owner and founder of Bixby Bar, an all natural craft chocolate bar made with fresh nuts, fruits and spices. Bixby Bars are made with the highest quality Rainforest Alliance Certified™ organic cocoa, a naturally gluten-free product. Kate has had Bixby Bar certified gluten-free by the GFCO and adheres to the highest standards of quality at Bixby’s dedicated gluten-free manufacturing facility in Rockland, ME.

In addition to being gluten-free Bixby Bars are certified EarthKosher, non-GMO, and all-natural and offer three vegan-certified options as well.

“Many chocolate bars on the market are filled with genetically modified ingredients, additives and preservatives,” she explains. “Most use fillers like corn syrup and added sugars to make the base of their bar and then coat it in chocolate.” She went on, “Some ‘organic’ chocolate bars still use fillers, the corn syrup is just organic.”

It was important to Kate that the product be certified across the board. After her mother was diagnosed with advanced breast cancer she put the whole family on an aggressive regimen of natural foods, exercise and elimination of toxic beauty and cleaning products. Kate’s mother remains cancer free to this day.

“We wanted to be able to proudly back our claims and provide a product that those with allergies, medically-necessary diets, and healthy eaters alike could enjoy without worrying.”

Bixby chooses the highest quality organic cacao beans from small farms around the world and even uses organically-raised sugarcane. This process ensures the product is naturally devoid of fillers and high in fiber and natural antioxidants.

Kate took the Bixby name from her grandparents whose adventurous spirit inspired her products. After graduating from N.Y.U. she decided to break from her original career path and pursue a degree in pastry arts from The Culinary Institute of America in Manhattan and eventually the Ecole Chocolat in Vancouver.

“I played varsity golf throughout college,” Kate explained. “And if I forgot a snack from home I was stuck with limited options on the course and usually ended up getting a candy bar.”

Seeing an opportunity Kate experimented with combining chocolate with her favorite fruits, nuts and spices to create a unique new product. The Bixby Bar is a rare combination of social consciousness, culinary expertise and nutritious value, providing a unique indulgence for health conscious consumers.

Bixby’s special combinations of ingredients even tout health benefits! One of our favorite bars is the Heart’s Delight; a combination of dark chocolate with almonds, strawberries and ceylon cinnamon making it low in sugar and fat and high in antioxidants, natural fiber, vitamin c and Omega-3s.

Heart’s Delight Bixby Bar, pictured. features dark chocolate, almonds, strawberries and Ceylon cinnamon. Bixby & Co. is relaunching their packing with the current look here and the new look featured in the top photo. Photos courtesy of Brian Fitzgerald and Bixby & Co.

See an interview with Kate here and find Bixby Bar on Twitter

Quick Facts

Bixby Bar Craft Chocolate

http://www.bixbyco.com

Created 2011

Naturally gluten free | Certified gluten-free | Processed in a gluten-free facility

Flavors: Birdie (Vegan), Heart’s Delight (V), Knockout, Mulligan, To The Nines, Whippersnapper (V)

*Products may contain tree-nuts and are processed in a facility that also processes nuts. 

This original article is made possible by Gluten Free Therapeutics. Our mission is to educate, inform, and provide the most effective nutritional products possible to allow those with celiac disease and serious gluten intolerances to heal their bodies. CeliVites complete line of superior gluten free supplements includes multivitamin/multimineral supplements, iron supplements, and calcium supplements for people living with celiac disease. All CeliVites products are designed to help you heal, restore and rebuild your body, because going gluten free isn’t enough!