What is Yummee Gluten Free?

Yummee Gluten Free is a Sydney-based business founded by me, Denise Guray in 2014. I produce a range of high-quality nut butters and baking mixes that are all 100% gluten free,and have been lovingly crafted and produced in a gluten free environment. All of our products are also vegan, organic, soy and corn free.

Who am I?

Hi, I’m Denise, the person behind the Yummee Gluten Free brand. I started Yummee Gluten Free because I couldn’t find any of the right products that were made from high quality ingredients and were suitable for my dietary requirements. 

I was diagnosed with coeliac disease about 20 years ago. Since then I have always cooked from scratch and when looking for similar products to augment my pantry, I could not find anything that I wanted to eat myself and provided high quality nutrition to feed my family and me.

I love every aspect of food, it’s rich history, it’s nutrient composition and its capacity to impact, nourish and heal the body. I have also recently discovered the joys of growing my own food in my small urban back garden in Bondi!

All my life I have suffered from allergies and food related issues. I always knew there was a link between what I was eating and how I was feeling. I adamantly believe food is medicine and that it has the power to soothe, heal and give immense joy, in every aspect of its growing, preparation and consumption. I am also aware of the negative impacts it may have through consuming food that is not optimal for the body and the mental and emotional components linked to food and eating habit.

In recent years I have engaged in studies to become a qualified nutritionist. This allows me to bring more research and professional understanding to the Yummee Gluten Free product range.

Through my own life experience I’ve continued to develop my passion for wellbeing and vitality and cooking! This has been the motivation to develop Yummee Gluten Free.

Why I love food and my food philosophy

My food philosophy is simple and echoes the wise words of Michael Pollan, an American food journalist;

“Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”

I advocate that food is not just nutrients and fuel for the body but it’s also history, past, present and future. It’s a way to cross cultural barriers, understand the thoughts and values of others and get a sneak peek into their lives. (My children are always telling me I’m curious!)

Food to me is also love, sharing and imparting a bit of yourself with every meal or snack you prepare.

As a young child I had asthma and many food allergies. I was always careful with what I ate as I knew the link between food and my symptoms was real. I have cooked from scratch for most of my life as I knew that so many additives and processed food just did not agree with me. 

My long career as a teacher and my retraining as a nutritionist fuels my passion for inspiring and helping others to maximise their quality of life.

I feel a responsibility to the next generations, to involve them to cook and eat well with regard for the wellbeing of their body and the planet.

The Yummee Gluten Free Products

With the dramatic rise in awareness of gluten free products and nutrition, I have been motivated to help the community through an expanding range of high-quality gluten free products.

Produced with premium real food ingredients, minimally processed, low salt, no seed oils, unique flavours, ethically and sustainable made, sourced and packaged, make Yummee Gluten Free products the best you can buy!

I take great pride in my products. They are created based on thorough research with premium organic, gluten free and vegan ingredients and crafted with care and creativity. 

Raw ingredients are sourced from Australia where possible. This is important to me. Supporting small Australian growers and businesses is paramount to my business ethos. I have personally spoken to growers, co-ops and distributors to ascertain the highest quality ingredients. For example, I recently sent back about 20 kilos of nuts that were not up to my standard! 

I have had conversations and emails with many businesses, including the Peanut Company of Australia who monitor the growing of peanuts throughout Australia. They were unable to satisfy my criteria of organic produce; more calls and emails were made! Finally, I found and spoke to a small farmer in Kingaroy, Queensland who now supplies my business with peanuts.

Yummee Gluten Free products aim to have minimal impact on the environment. Glass jars are heavy and costly but are still, I think the best and most sustainable packaging.

I'm really excited to share through my years of cooking, eating, entertaining and now studying food to bring you my delicious nut butter range with my Yummee Gluten Free brand. It encompasses all aspects of my beliefs promoting quality food and optimal health.

Yummee Gluten Free Unique Nut Butter Varieties - Where Did They Come From?

Cashew Cacao and Date Butter 

My daughter loved chocolate! Who doesn’t? It didn’t take me too long to realise the popular brand of chocolate spread she so loved to devour had more potentially harmful ingredients than beneficial ones. So Cashew, Cacao and Date Butter was born! Yummee Gluten Free Cashew Cacao and Date Butter is chock full of cashews, organic and unsalted, sourced from the best plantations. 

Medjool dates were added for sweetness, fibre and texture and raw cacao, it’s chocolate –no explanations needed!  A little high quality 70% chocolate is added to the nut butter products to boost the chocolate flavour. Remember this was made for my daughter who was addicted to the other brand of high-sugar chocolate spread. It works so well together so I continue to use this combination. A very small amount of sea salt is also added, to bring out and balance the flavour.

A little organic coconut oil is added to the nut butter, all my nut butters have a small amount of coconut oil in them. Coconut oil contains natural antimicrobial properties and so is the perfect solution to use as a natural preservative, to give good mouth feel and texture to my finished nut butter. Find some delicious recipies in my e-recipe book!

Cashew Jaffa Nut Butter 

This was created as I was a lover of those choc-orange sweets as a kid, (although they did give me headaches). I think orange and chocolate is a classic combination and should be celebrated. This nut butter combines our Cashew, Cacao and Date Nut butter with high quality food grade orange essential oil. It’s great in smoothies, spooned into the cavity of dates, bliss balls, added to hot or cold drinks and its addition to your milk of choice.  Find more delicious recipies in my e-recipe book!

Almond Butter and Almond and Coffee Butter

Almonds are my absolute favourite nut and when I was searching for an almond nut butter to satisfy me, I could not find anything that I liked because the quality of their ingredients was dissappointing. Thus I decided to make my own which exceeded even my own expectations!

The Almond and Coffee Nut Butter came about as my stall at the markets was located next to the barrista and the smell of coffee was so tantalisingly delicious, I knew I wanted to capture that with my next nut butter! I use fair trade and organic coffee which gives a superior flavour and has perfectly captured the essence of the barrista.

Yummee Gluten Free Peanut range

This includes Peanut and Turmeric Butter, and Peanut, Lime and Chilli – all first created for my son’s love and voracious appetite for all things peanut butter!

Tumeric is added for its impact on inflammation. The Peanut Lime and Chilli Butter came about from my passion for Thai food (being on a Low FODMAP diet is problematic to attain the taste, without onions and garlic). So many ingredients are needed for a full flavour spectrum, my Peanut Butter with Lime and Chilli nailed it both in taste and minimal ingredients needed!

I Need Your Help

Having now developed a popular range of products, it is time for my business to expand beyond home-kitchen production. Until now, production has been achieved with a Thermomix – and now two Thermomixes! It has become difficult to keep up with the demand for my products and grow the business from my home kitchen. 

Until now Yummee Gluten Free has been run entirely by me, with a little help from friends. I order the raw materials, make, market and ship the products. I do have some wonderful and able people who help with sales at market stalls but almost every aspect of my business has been done by me.

Now it is time to grow and that’s why I need your support!

Crowd funding will provide the means to manufacture the Yummee Gluten Free range with a co-packer, still within a gluten free environment, with the same quality ingredients and recipes, in small batches but on a larger scale than I can do in my home kitchen.

Crowd funding will also extend the reach and availability of my products as I will be able to make my products in quantities suitable for retail outlets. At the moment I am selling my products through my website, markets and a limited number of retail outlets, a few local health food shops. The funds raised will enable me to broaden my horizons and distribute Australia wide.

The money raised from Crowd Funding will also be used for purchasing new sized jars. The new jars will be 300g are wider and flatter, enabling good stirring action and access to every last scrape of nut butter! 

New labels have been designed to enhance the brand appeal and communicate a complete range. These of course need to be printed and attached to the jars as part of the expanded production.

The raw ingredients such as the nuts, dates, spices, coconut oil etc also need to be purchased in much larger quantities than I have used to date. The money raised will go towards purchasing these ingredients.

Cost Breakdown Summary

Packaging:

Glass Jars and Lids ($900)

Printed Labels ($600)

Carton boxes ($670)

Raw ingredients and Mannufacturing:

Minimum run x800 jars

x400 Cashew Cacao and Date ($3,230)

x400 Cashew Jaffa ($3,000)

Graphic Design ($2,000)

Campaign Fee ( $600)

TOTAL = $11,000

My initial target will provide enough funds to cover these costs to make 2 of our top-selling, favourite nut butters into production straight away. The first 2 varieties will be: Cashew Cacao and Date, and Cashew Jaffa

If we hit this target, then I will set another production in motion for another 2 popular butters which are: Almond Butter, and Almond and Coffee.

I would also love to manufature my Peanut Tumeric Nut Butter and Peanut Lime and Chilli Nut Butter for your eating pleasure so please get behind this campaign - your support is much needed and appreciated.

Crowd funding will allow Yummee Gluten Free to grow and reach more people with similar dietary requirements and for those who love great flavours, high quality nutrition and good food.

Timeline for Production

Crowd funding campaign starts  - End of January 2019

Campaign ends - End of February 2019

Manufacturing - March 2019

Reward packs are bundled up and sent - Beginning of April 2019

Happy backers enjoy my Yummee Gluten Free Nut Butters! - April 2019

Frequently Asked Questions

What flavour of nut butter will I receive with my reward?

If we reach our initial target of $11,000 I will be able to manufacture the first 2 varieties of butters including Cashew Cacao and Date, and Cashew Jaffa. The number of jars you receive depend on the reward level you choose and will be a combination of these. If we exceed my target, more nut butter varieties will be included as I mentioned above.

Do the reward levels include shipping costs?
Yes, all reward levels have the cost of shipping to anywhere within Australia built into their pricing. Shipping will be via Australia Post. 

How long will it take until I receive my reward?
Once the crowd funding campaign has finished and manufacturing is complete we expect to have all our reward packs sent out within a few weeks.

What if my delivery hasn’t arrived?
Please check back for updates on this pozible page in case we have had any delays. If it has been more than 4 weeks please contact us at [email protected] 

How are Yummee Gluten Free nut butters different to the cheap brands in the supermarket?
Firstly, I use premium gluten free, organic and vegan ingredients, no seed oils and minimal salt. This means that you can be assured of a quality product that not only tastes sensational but provides real food nutrition and promotes wellbeing and good health.
Secondly, our blends are unique to the Yummee Gluten Free - read more about it above.

Can I buy Yummee Gluten Free nut butters after the campaign has finished?

Yes you can! You can purchase through our website at https://www.yummeeglutenfree.com/

and a big motovator to running this crowd funding campaign is to have our products stocked in your favourite health food stores and cafes. If you are a cafe, or specialty/premium food retailer, I would love to hear from you - send me a message at [email protected] 

How can I keep up to date with Yummee Gluten Free?

Please follow me on instagram and/or facebook (@yummeeglutenfree) to get the latest recipe ideas and product information and an insight into the life of Denise from Yummee Gluten Free.

What happens if the target is not reached within the timeframe?

If I sadly do not reach my target in the timeframe, you will receive a refund and no money will be raised. No manufacturing will take place and I will not be able to supply you with my delicious nut buttesr and awesome rewards. So please get behind me and the campaign and help me realise my dream!