By: Joy Schrock
Berlin Natural Bakery – President

What an amazing year! It’s hard to believe that it’s nearly December.

There is no question that the holiday season is upon us. As much as I love decking the halls, Thanksgiving is by far my favorite holiday. Thanksgiving is the time that I stop and reflect on all the blessings in my life. Those blessings are always about the people that I’ve been fortunate enough to meet along this journey called life.

This year, there are so many new people to add to my list to be thankful for. For starters I’d like to thank all of the people that worked so hard on the issue of mandatory labeling of products that contain GMOs. All those who gave of their time and donated their hard earned money for the common good and benefit of every American and future generations. To be fortunate enough to have been involved in this cause in the early days and watching the momentum grow year after year, to a near victory in California, is something I will never forget. I truly believe, more so now than ever, that it is only a matter of time until labeling of products that contain GMOs becomes law.

I would also like to thank the entire team at Berlin Natural Bakery for everything they do every day. You are my heroes and as our testimonials state, you are heroes to all those that purchase the outstanding products that your hands create. I’ve owned and operated many different businesses and employed thousands of people over the last 35 years. The team at Berlin Natural Bakery is the absolute best I’ve worked with. Their commitment and dedication to producing products that are not easy to produce is truly remarkable.

Last but not least, I would like to thank YOU, our incredibly loyal customers. You are amazing! I cannot tell you how often I go into a store meeting and hear the words “you have the most loyal customers we’ve ever seen.” As surprising that this is to the retailers, it is not surprising to me. I’ve been reading letters and emails for many, many years from literally thousands of people, expressing gratitude for producing products that have literally changed their lives. What a blessing it is to know that what we do increases the quality of the lives of those we serve. Thank you for sharing your stories and thank you for your ongoing support of our products. Every time you purchase a Berlin Natural Bakery product, you are casting a vote in favor of a small business, heirloom grains, small batch baking, freshly stone ground flour and Non-GMO Project Verified products. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

May you and your family have a blessed and happy Thanksgiving.

Peace & Blessings,
Joy

Over the past several months most of you know that we have been focusing on the movement to label GMOs.  It occurred to me that many of our new fans and customers that found us through the Non-GMO Project or the Non-GMO Shopping Guide more then likely are not aware of the vast amount of benefits our products have to offer. If you think they taste good, you’ll be thrilled with the standards used in making them.

Joy Schrock
President – Berlin Natural Bakery

What’s in your daily bread? Check out what’s in ours!

Our production standards are based upon several decades of research and experience. We do not change our products to meet the standards of the latest trends or fads. We stay true to the mission. What is that mission? It’s very simple…to produce heirloom spelt products that you can trust. Products that are made with ingredients that you can pronounce, easily recognize, and that taste great. Sounds easy? Check out the steps we go through to make your loaf of bread.

1. Contracts are negotiated with small independent farmers throughout Germany.

2. Soil preparation and crop rotation standards are set, farmers are well trained and their farms are inspected.

3. Genuine German certified spelt seed is planted.  Our German spelt grain is an Heirloom variety that is “protected.” In the rare event that a shipment is delayed, only U.S. Certified Organic spelt grain is used to ensure our products remain chemical and GMO free.

4. Farm equipment is cleaned and inspected to ensure no cross contamination: seeder, combine and trucks.

5. Routine farm inspections are done to ensure no chemicals are being used and that the quality standards of the spelt grain are being met.

6. Genuine German Spelt is harvested and tested to ensure that it is “chemical free”.

7. Genuine German spelt grain is stored in its tight outer hull, in a separate stand alone facility that has never been used to store other grains. This facility is cooled and air blown…ensuring the grain does not become susceptible to mold or pests.

8. The spelt is de-hulled upon demand of shipment. Equipment used in de-hulling is only used for Genuine German Spelt.

9. The grain is packaged and shipped in a sanitized and inspected container.

Dr. Franck and his staff oversee the entire process of our Genuine German Spelt grain…from certified seed production …till it reaches our doors. Their standards are so high, they can literally trace a bag of grain to the field or the lot in which it was grown.

Now it’s our turn:

1. The spelt grain arrives at Berlin Natural Bakery. It is stored in coolers until milled.

2. We stone grind the grain daily on site at the bakery.

3. The flour we stone grind today…is used to produce the products we bake tomorrow. Our flour is not stored for months, which ensures no rancidity or susceptibility to pests.

4. Our stone grinding method allows us to preserve the whole grain. We lose less than 1/2 of 1% during our milling process.

5. We bake only small batch breads. We do not over work the dough, add dough conditioners, gluten or preservatives. This can only be achieved by baking small batches. We have highly skilled bakers that oversee the entire baking process to ensure consistency and quality of every product.

6. Our products are double bagged for freshness.

7. Baked and shipped fresh daily.

8. Our bakery holds the highest Kosher Certification “Orthodox Union”.

9. Our breads were the first to become Non-GMO Project Verified.

Isn’t it amazing what all we go through to produce a loaf of bread? Fortunately we didn’t have to meet these standards overnight. Many of them have been established and implemented over the years due to our never ending need to know the truth and to do what is right…regardless if it’s what is easy.

Many of you may not even care about these standards and fortunately for you…you don’t have to. You can count on us to continue to do our best to ensure you receive our best.

We know you have a choice regarding the breads and baked goods that you purchase. Thank you for choosing ours!

If you are wondering what bread tasted like that your great grandmother made, click on the link below and check out our online store.   Real Heirloom Spelt baked goods, made by real people.

BERLIN NATURAL BAKERY ONLINE STORE

Peace & Blessings,

Joy

Holiday Greetings from Berlin Natural Bakery!

As many of you know, we are located in the heart of Amish Country.  Although there is no snow on the ground yet, the holiday spirit is abundant everywhere you look.  The shops are filled with last minute shoppers, the restaurants are busy with reservations for holiday parties and carolers are making their way around the neighborhoods to spread holiday cheer.  There is no shortage of holiday spirit in our neighborhood.  We hope the same is true of yours.

What an honor it has been to serve you in 2011.  We have several announcements that we want to share with you.

Just a quick reminder that our Righteous Raisin Spelt Bread, Spelt Stuffing Mix and our Amish Country Spelt Noodles are 20% off.  Make sure to take advantage of this special offer before the end of the month.

Starting in January, we will be focusing on healthy eating.  If losing weight is one of your new years resolutions, you will not want to miss these articles.  We will be sharing some stories of how spelt has changed peoples lives as well as some incredible recipes.  If you have a story, we would love to hear from you.  You can send your testimonials to joy@berlinnaturalbakery.com.

In observance of the upcoming holidays our offices will be closed on Mon. Dec. 26th and Mon. Jan. 2nd.

Our sincere thanks to all for your ongoing support of Berlin Natural Bakery and your commitment to helping us win the “just label it” battle for foods that contain GMOs.

We extend our warmest holiday wishes to each of you for a blessed and peaceful holiday season.

Happy Holidays to you and yours from us and ours!

Joy Schrock

President

Berlin Natural Bakery

Autumn has come to Ohio, and it is an absolutely beautiful time of year. I love summer and always hate to see it go, but Ahhhh….Autumn is unsurpassed and I relish every day… soaking up the last rays of sunny warmth during the days yet enjoying the crisp coolness of the nights. As quickly as summer seems to disappear, the exquisite days of autumn hurriedly speed by even more quickly. It’s an ever changing time of year, filled with picturesque flowers, beautiful changing leaves, anticipation of the holidays to come and of the first snowfall and lots of great comfort food.

It’s a perfect time of year to make a big pot of chili and this recipe is my favorite. Pair it with a piece of Berlin Natural Bakery’s moist and succulent Amish Country Spelt Cornbread, top it with wedges of delicious Swiss Cheese, and you have all the fixing’s for one scrumptious and effortless meal.

1 lb ground beef
1 small onion chopped
1 can chili beans (my favorite is Brooks Hot & Spicy, but any brand will do)
1 large can or bottle of tomato juice (48 oz)
¼ cup sugar
1 tsp salt (more or less based on taste)

Brown ground beef and chopped onion in a large saucepan. Add chili beans, tomato juice, sugar and salt. Stir well and allow to simmer for an hour or two. That’s all there is to it. It tastes so good this way, but you could definitely add other ingredients, such as sausage, peppers, chopped garlic, hot sauce, chili peppers, whatever you might think would give it an even better flavor. Add pieces of cut up cheese to your bowl of chili, serve with buttered cornbread and enjoy.

May you enjoy each day of this beautiful time of year as well, no matter where you may be. Until next time….Happy Baking!