Happy 4th of July to my readers. Today I continue writing about my adventures at the Buy Fresh, Buy Local food tasting. Spotting an ice cold chest of apple juice, I marched forward and was greeted by Kendra, the director of Nana Mae’s Organics.

With a charming smile, she invited me to taste her organic apple juice made from Gravenstein Highway. A few sips did the trick. The notes from fresh apples had an upfront full bodied taste.At retail, a bottle can cost around $3.95. Kendra also gave me a jar of her apple sauce which was incredible. Compared to commercial apple sauces, Nana Mae’s had was not watered down and simply tasted like fresh apples.

hint. try adding apple sauce to a turkey sandwich, a slight sweet note adds great character to a sandwich

Connection. I never understood until that day why people spend a premium to buy organic food. Aside from being free from chemicals, buying organic product gives the consumers a rare chance to connect with the farmers behind their product. I am more likely to spend a premium buying Nana Mae product since I have met Kendra. She is a hard working mom, the wife of a farmer, and a very kind lady. Enough reasons to buy her products.

Interview. Like any small business owneres, Kendra plays multiple rolls including mom, marketing director, and all roles that make the operation running. She mentioned that many small organic food companies are being acquired by food giants such as Smuckers. Despite all the long hours of work, Kendra enjoys being an evangelist to a great tasting apple juice.