Meet Your Makers: Cosimo Maria Masini

If you haven't tried Cosimo's wine & oil, you should! They are made my none other than Cosimo Maria Masini in Tuscany! Give these products a try and taste some of the best of Italy!

Tell us about your product/company/service.
Cosimo Maria Masini is a small vineyard and olive grove nestled in the Tuscany countryside, right between Pisa and Florence. We are focusing on biodynamic agriculture and natural wine making techniques – not only because we believe that it is better for the environment, but because we want to capture the unique characteristics of our farm, its soil and microclimate in our products. We are also trying to preserve biodiversity and that’s why we also have small productions of fruit, vegetables, honey and wheat. You might think all Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Tuscany is the same, because we share the same basic varieties, but that is not the case. Our 1,000 olive trees are nestled around the hilltop – the oils from the eastwards facing slopes are very different from those facing west. Our wines are Annick, Nicole, Nicolo’, Cosimo and Daphne – all named after family members. And then we make Sincero, a Happy Tuscan Wine we developed with our friends at Candid Wines. Sincero is only available in Chicago.

How often do you come out with new products? Are you working on anything new?
We are constantly experimenting with new things because we are very curious and dynamic and because we need to evolve. So every year we try something different, usually in small scale and if we like the results, then we work towards real production.
Both vines and olive trees take a long time to grow before they give you the first fruit, even longer until they are strong enough to give you the quality that makes great oil and wine. You can approximate 15 years for a vine to get to the point where it produces the quality grapes we like, and a good 30 years before an olive tree carries enough fruit to fill one single 16 oz bottle of oil. That being said, we have been working on isolating a very curious indigenous grape variety we found in our vineyards and hope that we can eventually add a new wine label. I love stuff like that – bringing old and forgotten varieties back. We also have identified another rare grape variety, Buonamico, and the almost extinct Mignola olive. With both we make very, very limited products.

Are your products sold anywhere besides Chicago?
Our Extra Virgin Olive Oil is a true rarity – we only have 1,000 trees, so that equals 1,000 bottles in a good year, none in a bad one. Lee at The Scrumptious Pantry is buying our whole production and most of it stays in Chicago. When you have so little, it is difficult to build large markets, especially as the yield can be drastically reduced in bad years. And we do not want to get into the business of buying other peoples oil and passing it off as our own. We believe in terroir, that food and wine have a sense of place.

What was the spark that led you to working with food?
This is actually a funny story. I had to leave Italy and move to London, of all places! You know when you are so used to something, you do not even fully recognize it’s beauty? I was born in Tuscany, food and wine were always a center piece of my life. When I moved to London to study Environmental Engineering, I suddenly found myself exposed to this circle of wine geeks. Sommelier classes. Tasting events. It was my awakening. “I want to make people happy like this with great wine”. When I got back to Tuscany after my studies I convinced my parents to move to the countryside – we found the perfect place and went to work. And work it was! The previous owners did not care and had been focused on growing quantity grapes. The soil was depleted, the historic cellars falling apart. The olives were in slightly better shape. They are very sturdy plants. There was no doubt in my mind that biodynamic agriculture was the one way to get life back into the estate. That was twelve years ago - and it has only been a few years now that we actually started selling our wines.

What do you see as the biggest benefit you offer to your retailers and consumers?
I think Americans really want to connect with their food again. When I visited Chicago last September I was blown away. You have access to so many great ingredients grown nearby, very creative chefs, so much curiosity on the consumers’ side about who grows the food. We are taking this whole concept a step further with biodynamic production – not only it is important who grows your food, but also all the other factors that make a difference: the soil, the microclimate, the so called “terroir”. This is why we love being part of The Scrumptious Pantry. They are really focused on capturing the terroir in their food products.

What is your favorite part of this job?
I am a very curious person. I really love staying immersed in the silence of nature as much as interacting with people. It is inspiring to be only surrounded by plants and animals, however I learn so much from direct interaction with our customers, too. Explaining our method of production, our wines and hearing their feedback is very important to me.

What is your least favorite part?
Bureaucracy!

What is your favorite story/anecdote that occurred along the way in creating your product?
I always tell people that I made some mistakes at the beginning of my adventure, but that I also realized that mistakes are necessary. They are the best way to learn and understand the real path you want to follow. So I realized that I did not need fancy consultants or useless expenses, but a lot of observation and sensibility, and this is the real essence of biodynamics. There have been times in which I was very discouraged and thought of closing the activity, but then some kind of spark or energy always made me change idea and continue with my path and I don’t regret that at all!

If you could have supper with 3 people (living or deceased), who would they be and why?
*Rudolf Steiner, the founder of biodynamic agriculture, our main light on the path we are following
*President Obama, to make him taste my wines!
*The Dalai Lama, to be enveloped by his spirituality

April Staff Selection: 10% off Yakami Orchard Yuzu Juice

From Staffer Jen Rosenthal

Recently, while putting out our daily deliveries, I opened a box with a weird new product. The label read "Yakami Orchard Yuzu Juice." I was instantly intrigued! Yuzu is a small citrus fruit from Japan that tastes like a lemon, orange & tangerine all rolled into one. It's tart and tangy, but surprisingly soft all at once. The perfect citrus substitute for all your cooking, cocktail, or sauce-y needs. And now that Spring has officially sprung, what could be better than a yuzu infused porch sipper, breezy spring salad, or a seafood supper.


Here are a few recipes to inspire "yuzu":

Jamaica Tea (Hibiscus Flower Water)
2 c. (2 oz) jamaica flowers (dried hibiscus flowers available at Mexican grocery stores)
¾ c. sugar
6 c. water
Splash of Yuzu Juice

Bring water to a boil; add flowers & sugar, stirring constantly until mixture boils for a minute. Set aside & let steep for at least 2 hours. Strain mixture through a fine meshed sieve, pressing flowers to extract as much liquid as possible.
Refrigerate until cold.
Pour tea over ice, adding a splash of yuzu juice to taste.


Mushroom Salad with Yuzu Dressing

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Mushroom-Salad-with-Yuzu-Dressing-365165



Yuzu Cocktail
http://whiteonricecouple.com/recipes/fruit-recipes-2/yuzu-cocktail-recipe/

Rice River Farms Products 10% Off in March

A blog post by PFW Staffer Jeff Tabels. All Rice River Farms products are 10% in March.

Recently, I've had an increased interest in grains & legumes. They're a great way to get excellently-nutritious food into your diet as well as tasting delicious.

It started a few years ago when I discovered quinoa. The "super grain" has a wonderful nutty brown flavor. My friend Melissa Yen, of Jo Snow Syrups, even uses it in breakfast porridge. Soon, couscous, regular & Israeli, came into the picture. As the joke goes, food so nice they named it twice. Then just recently, beans. I really wanted to challenge myself to work with beans in dry form. I have always believed that cooking low & slow infuses the flavors in a dish, and that's exactly what dry beans need.

Provenance carries a wonderful line that covers all this and more: Rice River Farms, based in Aitkin, MN. They have an extensive line of rice, grains, beans, pastas & much more. The items I've used from these guys have been fantastic in flavor as well as inspiration.

Scarlett Runner Beans practically quadruple in size; Christmas Limas are silky smooth when cooked with some butter & garlic; Steuben Yellow Eyes work wonderfully in any bean dip; Snow Cap Beans & Cannellini Beans are an easy staple for stews & soups.

These guys also have an amazing lineup of rice. I've been toying around with their Bamboo Rice, whic has a subtle sweetness & wonderful green color. It's just sticky enough after cooking that I think this rice would be good in maki rolls. Himalayan Red Rice in a pilaf with dried fruit? YES!

I know I've left out a bunch of other Rice River Farms items, and I'm sorry. Looks like you'll have to come over & take a look for yourself!


Here are a few recipes to try out. Enjoy!

Breakfast Quinoa
from Melissa Yen, Jo Snow Syrups

1 cup cooked quinoa (Rice River Farms)
3/4 - 1 cup almond milk
Handful of sunflower seeds (raw, hulled & unsalted)
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 TBSP maple syrup or honey or agave nectar
Handful of dried cherries

Put first 6 ingredients in a pot. Bring to boil, lower heat to simmer & cook until liquid is absorbed, about 7-8 minutes (depending on how thick you like it).
I add the dried cherries to plump up when it's almost done.
Transfer to a bowl (as all proper recipes would say) & sprinkle with more cinnamon.


White Bean Soup
from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything

1 ½ cups Rice River Farms Cannellini Beans, rinsed & picked over
6 cups chicken, beef, or vegetable stock, or water, plus more if necessary
1 medium onion, quartered
2 TBSP butter or extra-virgin olive oil (optional) Salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
Minced fresh parsley leaves for garnish

Place the beans, stock or water, and onion in a large deep saucepan or casserole; turn the heat to medium-high. When it boils, turn the heat down to medium-low & cover partially. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the beans are very soft, at least an hour.

Put the mixture through a food mill or strainer, or puree it in a blender. (You may prepare the soup in advance up to this point. Cover, refrigerate for up to 2 days & reheat before proceeding.) Reheat, adding more stock or water if necessary to achieve the consistency you like. Stir in the butter or oil, season with salt & pepper, garnish & serve.

Meet Your Makers: Few Spirits

Few Spirits is located just to the north of Chicago in Evanston, and is one of several great small-batch distillers to be featured on the shelves at our shops. Learn more about Few Spirits on their website: http://fewspirits.com/.

Join us for an instore tasting at our Lincoln Square location, 2312 W Leland on March 8th from 6p-8p.

Now read more about this young local distillery:

Tell us about your product/company/service.
Few Spirits is a craft distillery focused on producing the finest small-batch spirits, grain-to-glass.

What do you hope to accomplish through providing quality products?
Few hopes to become a great company – a great place to work, a strong member of the community.

Do you personally know the farmers that produce your products?
Some. We use hops in our gin, and we grow the hops ourselves.

Is there anyone else on your “team”?
There are three of us that work together, and we work with our distributor closely to get the product around.

How did you get into this “line of business”?
Passion for the products and the opportunity to build something special.

Are your products sold anywhere besides Chicago?
We are distributed in Chicago, as well as Japan, and elsewhere hopefully.

What did you want to do as a kid, "when you grew up"?
Rock star!

What was the spark that led you to this?
Passion for the product and desire to do something relatively unique. I have a family history in the alcohol business via my grandfather, and after his death, I wanted to get back in touch with that history.

Where do you find the inspiration for the products/flavors you select for your portfolio?
I get inspired by flavors and tastes that I like, and that I don’t see, or by techniques that are under-utilized by others.

What do you see as the biggest benefit you offer to your retailers and consumers?
Unique. Our products are different than the large producers, and by controlling every aspect of the process, we can really create something different.

What is your favorite story/anecdote that occurred along the way in creating your product?
Explaining to the liquor inspector that I was quite sure that my 80 proof gin and whiskey was not going to freeze, no matter how cold it got in the distillery. I don’t think he believes me to this day.

Describe your a-ha moment that made you say, "I'm going to do this!"
I was sitting at my desk, picturing myself sitting at the same desk in 20 years.

If you could have supper with anyone, who would it be and why?
My grandparents.

November Staff Selection: Zocalo (gluten free) Flours are 10% off all month!

from Staffer Aaron Golding

It's getting cold and windy and grey and there is a draft coming through my window, and that's a good thing because it makes me want to fire up my oven, release my stand mixer from the cupboard, and get down to some serious baking. For too long the summer - with its oppressive heat, sunshine and barbeques - has condemned my oven to a simple life of storage for pots and pans. Gone, was the yeasty smell of rising bread. Gone, the sweet fragrance of cakes and cookies slowly rising and inside a 325-degree-haven. So it is only now, as the temperature falls, that finally my oven and me are to be properly reacquainted. And this makes me eager to test out Zócalo Gourmet's gluten-free flours.

Provenance has been carrying Zócalo's flours for a while, and now that baking season is in full swing, I think it's time to try some. Now, mind you, I don't have a gluten intolerance but, I am finding that more and more people I know are realizing that they do, and I think having gluten-free flours on hand is a smart idea so that when it's time to get down on some brownies or cupcakes, no one is left out. Also, these flours are so cool that it doesn't matter that I'm not gluten-free, I'm still going to use them. The lack of gluten is just a bonus.

Why? Because Zócalo Gourmet is a great company that supports the small-scale producers of Latin America and their communities, and their flours are all like Latin American super foods. The Sweet Potato flour is perfect for all your baking needs. It is good at holding moisture and also adds just a hint of sweetness not to mention all benefits that this fine root veggie imparts. The Purple Corn flour is good as a substitute for cornmeal or wheat flour, and is loaded with antioxidants that will enrich any recipe. Lastly, is the Kañiwa Heritage flour, which is similar to quinoa, and has a fair amount of protein that will beef up any bread. The Kañiwa is best used in conjunction with another flour because of the density added from the protein. Going half and half will keep your baked goods protein rich while remaining light and fluffy.


Here are some recipes that I pulled off their website that I'm going to definitely try. Enjoy!

http://zocalogourmet.blogspot.com/2011/09/sweet-potato-biscuits-with-wild-forest.html

http://zocalogourmet.blogspot.com/2011/09/kaniwa-chocolate-chip-cookies.html

Meet Your Makers: Kathy & Herb Eckhouse from La Quercia Meats

We've been carrying La Quercia's sliced speck, proscuitto & pancetta at our shops for years now, and even on occasion have their lardo. Sure, we've heard a few skeptics ask "Proscuitto from IOWA?"...then they try it and are almost always back for more. It doesn't hurt that you can find La Quercia on some of the best menus across the country, either!


Tell us about your product/company/service.
We make artisan cured meats or salumi – prosciutto, pancetta, guanciale, coppa, lardo, speck, bacon, and lonza – in Iowa. We buy our meat from family farmer groups like Niman Ranch, Heritage Acres, Coleman Meats, and Eden Farms. We use only non-confinement, humanely raised animals. We use sea salt and spices (and time and effort!) to make our meats – we never use nitrates, nitrites, or vegetable substitutes.

What do you hope to accomplish through providing quality products? We believe that the food we eat can delight us each day. We strive to offer a memorable eating experience – one that causes you to stop and savor the moment. Great food is more than great taste. It is part of a responsible food system that sustains you, the producers, and the craftspeople, restaurants, and stores who support their communities and respect the environment.

Do you personally know the farmers that produce your products?
We try to get out and meet as many of the farmers who raise the pigs as possible. It is important to understand the “on the ground” meaning of the animal husbandry standards. And it really helps us appreciate the hard work of the farmers and the respect that is owed the animals as well.

What is involved with working with the farmers to get a product to market? We work with farmers on breeding and feeding, animal husbandry, finding suitable slaughterhouses, timing of “harvest,” finding a mutually agreeable and sustainable “fair trade” pricing system, verification of breed and animal husbandry to support label claims, specific criteria for the cuts we buy, etc.

Is there anyone else on your “team”?
We have to work with the farmers, the slaughterhouse, and the trucking companies that bring us the fresh meat to dry cure and make into our aged meats. “Breeding, Feeding, Killing, and Chilling” all happen before we get the meat. When what you make is 96 percent meat, those elements are critical and must be done well.

How often do you come out with new products? Are you working on anything new?
We don’t come out with new products very often, but we are working on expanding our “pork varietals” line. This year, we introduced our Tamworth Country Cured Bacon (made from Tamworth pigs, nicknamed “the bacon pig,” and raised on hillsides in Missouri) and will soon have some Tamworth Prosciutto in limited quantities. We also started making lardo from Iberico de Bellota back fat from Spain.

How did you get into this “line of business”?
We lived in Parma, Italy, for 3 ½ years and really wanted to do something special in Iowa when we moved back here.

What did you do before this?
Kathy worked as a ranch hand and then as a researcher in Agricultural Economics at the University of California at Berkeley before she made home-making and mothering her primary occupation. A long time foodie (Berkeley born and raised) who lived in Europe for several years as a child and adolescent, Kathy is the person all of her friends describe as the best cook they know. She adds intuition and a fine food sense developed through years of making bread and pasta, inventing recipes, and reading cookbooks. For Herb, this is his fifth career. He spent over thirty years in agriculture, from raising seed potatoes to working cattle to developing and marketing commodity crop and vegetable seeds. Before he and Kathy designed and built their prosciuttificio, he spent 5 years researching, experimenting, learning and making prosciutto at home.

Are your products sold anywhere besides Chicago?
Our meats are sold across the United States and in Canada.

What did you want to do as a kid, "when you grew up"?
It was so long ago that we don’t remember!

What was the spark that led you to working with food?
Well, we love to eat and we’ve been involved in eating and growing food for decades. It’s a great way to be connected with people and with the world.

Where do you find the inspiration for the products/flavors you select? The first question is, “What will taste good?” The most important inspiration is the meat itself. We use really special meat and we always want to honor the animal, so when we use spices or smoke, we want them to be complementary, not overwhelming. We have a very strict policy of only making things we like to eat!

How do you plan to grow your offerings, and why?
We are not planning to get bigger, but we do want to work more on what we call “pork varietals” – distinctive breed characteristics and animal husbandry practices that have a profound impact on the quality of the meat. We are working with farmers who are raising heritage breeds and have special ways of raising their pigs.

What do you see as the biggest benefit (s) you offer to your retailers and consumers?
First, our meats need to be delicious, so we hope that’s a big benefit to everyone who eats them. And then we are really proud of how the pigs are raised and how we make our meats. It’s a sustainable and natural model, food that is well sourced, well made, and great to eat. We would love to know what you and your customers think!

Other than financial, what risks did you take to get your product(s) to market?
We took the risk that we could totally fail, which would have been personally humiliating as well as financially devastating.

Of all the millions of food products you could have specialized in, why these? We live in Iowa, the nation’s largest pork producer and home to many more pigs than people. We had spent 3 ½ years in Parma, Italy, and learned to love salumi in general and prosciutto in particular, so making prosciutto seemed like a good idea.

What is your favorite story/anecdote that occurred along the way in creating your product?
I got a phone call from a nice young man who wanted to give his former girlfriend a special gift to woo her back. We pondered the choices together and selected an assortment of La Quercia dry-cured meats. Fast forward a year and they are ordering prosciutto for their wedding. Another two years, and it’s prosciutto for their child’s christening. It just doesn’t get better than that – being part of celebrating life and community!

Describe your a-ha moment that made you say, "I'm going to do this!" H
erb was enjoying a second platter of prosciutto with a good friend in Italy who said to him, “If you can make something as delicious as this, you are going to make a lot of people happy.” That sounded like a great idea!

If you could have supper with 3 people (living or deceased), who would they be and why?
Herb and I would choose to have supper with our three children. I don’t think I need to explain why!

Meet Your Makers: Melissa Yen

Some of you may know Melissa Yen was co-owner of Vella Cafe in a former life (she also worked at Provenance). We miss that place (especially the Vietnamese Coffees!) but one segment of Vella is still alive in Jo Snow Syrups. We're in love with these syrups and the cocktail culture, our stores, and certainly our home bar are better off for having them.

Tell us about your product/company/service.
I make artisanal small batch syrups for coffee, snow cones, Italian sodas & cocktails. I start with organic evaporated cane juice & then steep herbs & spices & finish with natural extracts. I also make a seasonal line with farmer’s fruit for the summer for my snow cone stand.

What do you hope to accomplish through providing quality products?
I am so excited about artisanal food products. It makes me happy to offer my product to people. It is the ultimate form of sharing. It is really a little part of me. I feel good about making a product that is normally made with high fructose corn syrup & artificial colors, and being able to provide that as a choice for people.

Do you personally know the farmers that produce your products?
I get my fruit for my seasonal flavors at the farmers market, so the farmer is right there with me at his stand, selling his fruit. It is great to talk to the farmers & see which plum might be the best for what I am doing, or which would be the best apple.

What is involved with working with the farmers to get a product to market?
It is pretty straight forward. I make my syrups in such small batches, that I just need to place an order before market to get my fruit, as I guess I use a tad more than an average customer at the market. Eight pounds of fruit goes into each batch of my seasonal flavors.

Is there anyone else on your “team”?
I am a one-woman show, although I could not do it without my husband, Laurent. He is literally the head dish washer, logistics management, junior-syrup slinger, catch all, do-whatever-I-ask-him-to-do-go-to-guy. My graphic designer, Jennifer Mayes also made this whole venture possible. I can’t believe how amazing she made my product look. I really think a strong brand identity & great packaging is a must! I also have a team of the BEST volunteers in the city who work the snow cone stand with me. They all have amazing attitudes even when it is a million degrees outside or pouring rain. I feel very lucky. Also, the small shop owners & cafes that have supported me from the beginning by buying Jo Snow & offering advice & being understanding & appreciating my product.

How often do you come out with new products? Are you working on anything new?
I do quite a few custom flavors in small batches & sometimes bottle them for sale for some of my specialty stores on a limited basis. This summer I played with seasonal flavors every couple weeks.

Yes, I am working on new flavors & sizes! Everyone has been asking for smaller sizes & “gift packs” so I am working on the labeling & packaging for those. I also am coming out with real live “soda pop” flavors! I am still working on the fun names for them, but Cola #6 is one of them. It is absolutely amazing syrup that gives you a sense of Coca Cola, but more nuanced, floral, spicy, and artisanal. So fun! There will be a root beer also & a Cream Soda, with a kick!

How did you get into this “line of business”?
Circuitously! I have always been in the food business. It is my passion. I used to co-own a café & was obsessed with this Mexican coffee drink called Café de Olla. I wanted to figure out how to get that great spicy aromatic flavor to my customers in the morning, so I created a syrup to put in lattes. My friend was opening an Italian deli & asked if I could make fruity syrups for Italian sodas, so I did. Once we sold the cafe, I figured out how to bottle the syrups & Jo Snow was born.

What did you do before this?
I co- owned Vella Café where I started making the syrups.

Are your products sold anywhere besides Chicago?
Yes, they have been creeping into different markets through odd connections here & there. Zingerman's in Ann Arbor uses the Café de Olla in their café. The Boston Shaker in Sommerville, Ma carries Jo Snow & they are creeping into restaurants out there. I just sent some to LA & to Columbus,Ohio.

What did you want to do as a kid, "when you grew up"?
I don’t think it making snow cones, but that would have been pretty cool if it was! I really don’t know. I used to want to be an archeologist because I was interested in other cultures. Funny, I still am today. That is where I get my inspiration from, other cultures.

What was the spark that led you to working with food?
I have always been in the restaurant business, in college out of necessity. The education you receive by working in a restaurant is immense. To be surrounded by all that amazing food & to be able to be introduced to new & exciting flavors constantly is great. I think I just became more & more enamored by food as I learned more & more.

Where do you find the inspiration for the products/flavors you select for your portfolio?
See above. I am influenced by other cultures & the flavors of other cultures. Whenever we travel to other countries, the first thing we do is check out their grocery stores & markets. I love the foods of other places.

How do you plan to grow your portfolio, horizontally or vertically, and why?
Right now the plans are to grow my product line horizontally with new flavors & new size, as I have so many ideas for new flavors. The possibilities are endless. As for growing the Jo Snow product line vertically, that also holds so much potential, but for now, I have my hands full with the syrup line & getting a handle on that, as I haven’t even hit my one year anniversary yet.

What do you see as the biggest benefit (s) you offer to your retailers and consumers?
As for consumers, I am offering a quality product that they don’t have to feel bad consuming. I have had so many people tell me that they are trying to cut out “pop” & have replaced it with soda water & Jo Snow Syrups. It makes me feel great that I am helping someone kick a bad habit.

For my retailers, I feel good about supplying them with a unique local product. There is nothing else like Jo Snow on the marketplace right now in Chicago, so I feel like I can really fill a niche for them.

For both consumers & retailers I feel great about providing a high quality, all natural, versatile, affordable product to them.

Other than financial, what risks did you take to get your product(s) to market?
The risk that I would drive my husband crazy! Actually it was a huge emotional risk. A lot goes into creating & producing a food product. When it is your passion, it is a part of yourself that you are offering up. You are exposing your innermost self to the public & you hope that they accept you & love the product as much as you do. It is also your life. You work 24/7 and give up almost all of your “personal” time. You have to love what you do.

Of all the millions of food products you could have specialized in, why these?
I have always wanted a food product. I never moved forward with it as I was never passionate about any one idea or product. When I started making the syrups at the café & then for my friend’s café, I saw that I was onto something. I saw that people loved them. So, I knew how to make the product, they were market tested, in a way, so that was half the battle! Now, the other half of the battle, that’s another story 

What is your favorite story/anecdote that occurred along the way in creating your product?
It was actually when we were naming Jo Snow Syrups. My husband & I & our friend were on a road trip to Kansas City to check out this super-cool snow cone stand there. We were driving back & my friend said to me, as only really good friends can, “You know, to be super honest with you, I don’t love the name of your syrup company” (I had another name that just wasn’t sitting right with me either.) So we started brain storming. Let me tell you driving through the stark landscape on the way from Kansas City to Chicago can make you kind of loopy! In that stir-craziness, trapped-in-a-car-for-seven-hours feeling, we came up with Jo Snow! It stated out a little sophisticated with “snow” & then just got goofy by adding “Jo”. Just the way I like it, not too serious!


Describe your a-ha moment that made you say, "I'm going to do this!"
When a certain un-named specialty store owner said “I didn’t know you made sirrops. Why don’t you bottle them & I could sell them.” Thus, Jo Snow was born! Thanks, Tracy! (Oops!)