BLOG.GROWILD.NET

Wow! It's been a long time!

2010-09-15T01:02:00Z

I can't believe the last blog entry I wrote was 352 days ago! That's just unacceptable. I guess that just goes to show how much time can get away from you, right? It's been an exciting last 12 months.

Well, what's been up with GroWild? Let's see.....

GroWild is now available for purchase in 4 Whole Foods stores in the Triangle area in North Carolina (Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and Cary). Still working on getting GroWild into the Winston-Salem and Asheville Whole Foods stores. GroWild is also available at NoFo@ The Pig , Harmony Farms and Peppers Market.

We have been approved and chosen as a Green America Approved Business, and we are very excited about this! We needed to go through a very thorough interview process about our business practices and how we operate in an environmentally sound way. You can learn more about Green America here..http://www.greenamericatoday.org/

GroWild is forming partnerships with a couple of other local companies, and we are so excited about it! One of them is Barefoot Press, which is Raleigh's first green printer! Their commitment to green printing is evident throughout the operation — from their use of soy-based inks and low-VOC,water-miscible chemicals to process plates and wash the presses, to responsible disposal of waste, both chemical and paper. When they moved into their own building last year, they “recycled” a 1950s-era industrial building, using sustainable materials such as bamboo floors, energy efficient appliances, lighting and windows. They live what they preach, and we at GroWild REALLY respect that. We are happy to say that Barefoot Press prints all of GroWild's product labels. Barefoot prints our labels on post consumer recycled paper,processed without chlorine, and with soy based inks. You can learn more about Barefoot Press at http://www.barefootpress.com.

Another local company that GroWild is proud to work with is FS Series. FS Series is an event production and timing company based in Raleigh/Cary, NC. They held their first multi-sport event in April of 2007 and have grown to over 60 events in just 3 short years. In 2010, the FS team is involved in 20 triathlons, 4 duathlons, 3 marathons, 4 Open Water Swims and over 40 running races. I (Amanda- GroWild founder) signed up to do my FIRST sprint triathlon on October 10, 2010, and I'm very excited about it! The best thing about doing triathlons, is that ANYONE can do one. It's not about beating everyone else in the race, but rather accomplishing your own goals. It doesn't matter what size you are, how old you are, and what your athletic ability is. FS Series is passionate about helping others reach their goals. GroWild is about helping others live their best life, doing the right thing for the environment and having a blast along the way. So, working with FS Series was a natural progression. You can learn more about FS Series and sign up for an event at http://www.fsseries.com .

I think the most exciting thing that is about to happen with GroWild, is that our newest flavor is about to be released within the next 2 weeks! We have been doing a lot of research and development to create the best flavor profile for the new flavor. We are so excited about it, and can't wait for you to try it! A press release and announcement will be coming soon.

So, a lot of great things are happening. As always, we want your feedback. Please feel free to email us at info@growild.net with any questions, comments or suggestions. We love to hear from our customers.

Thank you for all of your support. We truly appreciate it, and we wouldn't be where we are without you. Stay tuned for more exciting things. I will do my best to be better about keeping you updated on the blog. Also, be sure to follow us on Facebook, where you will get daily up to date info on what's going on in GroWild's world.

Gracias!!!
Amanda

Natural Products Expo East, Boston, MA

2009-09-27T20:12:00Z

The Natural Products Expo East is a huge trade show that is held annually. (www.expoeast.com) Every year, thousands of companies exhibit and attend this show to see what’s new within the natural, organic, and health industry. This year, GroWild was in attendance. It was awesome! I don’t even know a better and more appropriate word, to use. It was just awesome! There were so many companies and people there to show off the latest and greatest within their product line, promote their brand, or to just make new contacts within the industry. There were two representatives from GroWild that went (myself and one other employee), and we had a blast. It was a lot of fun just seeing what other companies were doing, trying out all kinds of free samples, and learning more about what we can do for you (our customers)! And, of course, we met some great people and developed beneficial business relationships. We will definitely be attending next year, and we hope to be exhibiting in the next two years.

After the show we went to a restaurant that I was very excited about. Grezzo (pronounced Gray-zo). It’s in the North End of Boston, and it’s Boston’s premiere raw, vegan, and organic restaurant. I had heard that India Arie was there just a couple of months ago enjoying the food. It was also voted the best vegetarian restaurant in Boston for 2009. You may not be into raw food, or even vegan food. But for once, I implore you to step outside your comfort zone and try something that I believe will truly awaken your taste buds. The food was absolutely phenomenal, and the service was impeccable. We had ‘sliders’ made from veggies and nuts with ‘potato chips’, sprouted quinoa nori rolls, and a papaya steak with ‘fettuccini alfredo’ that was out of this world. I’m still trying to see how I can replicate it at home. And to top it off, we were able to meet Alissa Cohen. She’s the owner and founder of Grezzo, and a pioneer within the raw food movement (I’m actually certified in her level 1 raw chef class!). She was so gracious to take time away from her own meal to speak with us, make recommendations, and get to know a little bit about us and GroWild.

The website is www.grezzorestaurant.com. They are also opening a new location in Newburyport, MA, on Oct 5, 2009. Next time you are in the Boston area, you need to check it out. You will NOT be sorry.

All in the entire trip up north was very successful, and fun! With everything that GroWild does, we have you in mind. We are committed to our customers and the earth. Bringing you food that is wildly delicious and naturally nutritious. Thank you for your continued support! Many exciting things are coming soon!

Wishing you all of the best,

Amanda

Passion

2009-09-02T18:44:00Z

That word is thrown around a lot lately, isn't it? "What are you passionate about?", or "What is your passion in life?". One of the definitions for passion, according to www.dictionary.com is a strong or extravagant fondness, enthusiasm, or desire for anything. And though this word may be used a lot in many different texts, it hasn't lost it's true meaning for us at GroWild. "What is GroWild passionate about?", you ask. Well, let me tell you.

GroWild is passionate about helping you make the best choices for yourself, your family, and our planet. We want to enrich your life through offering healthy food so that you can live YOUR BEST LIFE. And we want you to help enrich someone else's life. It's all about becoming part of the movement. The movement of health. And we are so excited to be a part of it, and hopefully you are too. (Can you feel the enthusiasm?)

You probably already know that GroWild donates 5% of profits to the Arbor Day Foundation, which helps to plant trees across our country.

But what you may not know is that we are also committed to helping our children. We want to help our children today by being a part of programs that teach them what being healthy means, and why it is important. So that they can grow up to be the amazing leaders we need tomorrow. GroWild is actively seeking programs that focus on healthy school lunches, and teach kids the benefits of eating right and exercising. If you know of a program that you think would greatly benefit from our involvement, please contact Amanda at info@growild.net.

So, now you know a little more about what GroWild is passionate about. We'd love to hear your story.

Let the fun begin!

2009-07-31T04:56:00Z

As I write this, it's 11:56pm on Thursday, July 30, 2009. The day started for me at 6:30am, and will hopefully be ending in about 30 minutes. Yes, I'm exhausted.

I have just published the new website for GroWild.net.

I am relieved that the site is finally up, yet excited and anxious to see what the future will bring for GroWild. I’ve worked so hard these last few months getting everything together. Do you need to know how to get a UPC Code, nutritional label, or FDA approval? Let me know and I can show you the way, my friend. This entire journey has taught me so much, and yet, I am still learning something new about processes, policies, procedures, and myself every day. GroWild was born from a dream, and grew on a whole lotta faith! Thank you to everyone who has supported me along the way. Your patience, kindness, and true friendship means so much to me, more than you’ll ever know.

So, now the fun begins! I hope that you’ll enjoy the new website, GroWild’s new look, the product line (which I am always working on expanding!), and most importantly I hope you live your best life with a little GroWild.

Amanda

Food, Inc.

2009-07-19T01:45:00Z

I just came home from seeing the movie Food, Inc. And if you haven't heard about it, or want to learn more, check out the website www.foodincmovie.com. I had an idea of what to expect when I went to the theatre, but I still learned a lot. I am an animal activist, environmentalist, and someone who believes that no matter what social class, everyone has the right to healthy, safe food. This movie was definitely eye opening. There were some things that I had expected to see, and others that truly were shocking. And I think you'll be surprised too.

America needs to see this movie. This was made for us, the consumer. We have the power (more than people think) to change things for the better. This doesn't mean that people shouldn't eat meat or fast food (but cutting back certainly is a step in the right direction). This means that we have the power to change how things are done to make our food and our food system healthy and safe for everyone (including the animals!).

Go see Food, Inc. and make your own decision. We have the power to vote, 3 times a day, with every bite we take.

GroWild is committed to using only the best ingredients for all of GroWild's products. We make sure, that when possible, we buy organic and fair-trade. We do not purchase anything that has been genetically modified, or has GMO ingredients. And we do purchase a few ingredients locally to reduce our carbon footprint. We also support other local businesses and companies that share our values and desire to respect the land, animals, and each other. GroWild is not a large manufacturing company. Everything is made by hand, and not mass produced. We truly believe that everyone can make a positive impact in our world (with even the tiniest change), and we thank all who join and support us in this movement.

Amanda

GroWild, Inc.

Founder & President

The beginning....

2009-07-18T03:14:00Z

I've been working so hard on getting everything together with GroWild, I'm so excited for the launch in 2 weeks!