On our package, we list some attributes related to our products, like gluten free, non-GMO, etc. We expand upon those on our new website, where we have more space. As we all know, it’s typical in the food industry to list as many things about the product as possible and, in particular, to highlight those things that are on the consumer’s mind because of recent news, studies, trends, etc. When we started Sheffa Foods, we were a bit naïve in many ways. Our first package was beautiful, but it didn’t have a window or a picture of the product. Additionally, we didn’t want to list any trendy attributes or say what we are not. We wanted to focus on what we are – tasty, healthy, and uncomplicated.

The reason for this choice is partly due to our frustration with the food industry. Wouldn’t it be nice, as consumers, if all the foods on the market were made from basically natural ingredients, free from potentially harmful preservative and additives? Shouldn’t that be the standard? Why is it, for example, in the dairy industry a natural milk company has to outright state that they don’t use hormones and antibiotics? Shouldn’t the companies who do use those things be required to sell their milk with a label that says, “We raise our cows with hormones and antibiotics”? Again, we think the basic standards should shift, and perhaps they are.

In any case, we also discovered in our first few months of business, that consumers are extremely busy people and need as much information, as quickly as possible. Thus, we eventually changed our packaging to make it more informative. We thought it would be helpful, however, talk a little about each attribute we list on our website and highlight the connection to our products because this really defines who we are as a company and what’s important to us. So, in some of our very first blog entries, we’ll be doing that and tooting our own horn just a bit!