February 13, 2025 • 36 mins
Mark Elvidge, the founder of Vermont Nut Free Chocolates shares his journey in creating delicious, allergy-friendly chocolate. From the inspiration behind the brand to the challenges of ensuring safety in manufacturing, Mark shares insights into what it takes to make sweet treats accessible to those with food allergies.
They also explore the emotional side of food allergies—how access to safe, enjoyable foods can impact mental health, social experiences, and quality of life. Plus, they discuss the importance of advocacy, ingredient transparency, and what consumers should look for when choosing allergy-friendly products.
Whether you’re managing food allergies yourself, supporting a loved one, or simply interested in the intersection of food, safety, and inclusion, this episode is packed with inspiration and practical takeaways. Tune in to learn how one company is making the world a little sweeter for the allergy community!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse (00:00):
To walk into a store like that and be
(00:02):
told you can buy anything thatyou want, everything here is
safe for you, is just anunbelievable experience for kids
with allergies.
Mark Elvidge (00:10):
Yeah, because usually there can't be a kid in
a candy shop,
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse (00:13):
right?
That's the only time he everreally could, yeah.
Mark Elvidge (00:17):
Yeah, yeah, it's, that's, that's pretty cool.
That's, that's gratifying.
Speaker (00:22):
Welcome to the Don't Feed the Fear podcast, where we
dive into the complex world offood allergy anxiety.
I'm your host, Dr.
Amanda Whitehouse, food allergyanxiety psychologist and food
allergy mom.
Whether you're dealing withallergies yourself or supporting
someone who is, join us for anempathetic and informative
journey toward food allergy calmand confidence.
(00:44):
Welcome to our Valentine's Dayepisode for season three of
Don't Feed the Fear.
This winter season we're talkingabout expanding and
strengthening our supportsystems and the resources that
we have around us.
And who with food allergiesdoesn't need to have a company
that they can trust for their goto treats and foods that they
(01:04):
enjoy.
That's why I've invited MarkElvidge, co founder of Vermont
Nut Free Chocolates, to be onthe show today.
Mark and his wife Gail arepioneers in the allergen free
confectionery space co foundingVermont Nut Free Chocolates over
27 years ago.
Mark has served as the presidentand CEO of the company since
2012 and together theytransformed their personal need
(01:27):
as allergy parents into athriving brand.
They create.
Premium quality chocolates thatcater to both allergy conscious
consumers and all chocolatelovers.
And the name is a bit deceivingbecause in addition to being
peanut and tree nut free,Vermont nut free chocolates are
also sesame and egg free.
Under his leadership, VermontNut Free Chocolates has built a
(01:49):
dedicated long term Customerbase within the allergy
community.
I know we're among that.
And many of you listeners heretoday are as well.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse (01:57):
Thank you so much for coming to join me,
Mark.
I'm really excited.
I've been a customer for over adecade now, and it's nice to
meet you and have you here onthe podcast.
Mark Elvidge (02:06):
It's a pleasure to be here, and I appreciate you
inviting me.
Dr. Amanda Whitehou (02:09):
Absolutely.
I, I was doing this season, allabout building our support
systems and who do you need onyour team when you're managing
allergies.
And of course, I was thinking ofthe different people on your
team, but one of the firstthings that I felt like I had in
my back pocket when allergystarted for us was a go to safe
treat that I could give our sonThat was Vermont Nut Free
Chocolate.
So I thought of you and you'vebeen on my team even though you
(02:31):
didn't know it.
I know there's a lot of us outthere who feel that way, too.
Mark Elvidge (02:34):
No, that's great.
And, and that's usually how,people discover us initially is
through, another family memberor a child that has an allergy.
And then, they, they discover usfor, for that reason.
And then, kind of just startbuying the product.
And it, it kind of snowballsinto everybody in the household
liking it.
So it's, we're happy to be therefor those people that need a
solution.
Dr. Amanda Whitehou (02:54):
Absolutely.
that is what happens.
It just becomes, the chocolatewe buy now, because we know it's
safe and, and it's delicioustoo.
So why don't you start bytelling our listeners a little
bit about you and how you gotstarted with this business?
Mark Elvidge (03:09):
Yeah.
I'm the co founder of VermontNut Free Chocolates.
it was actually my wife Gail'sidea.
she started the company.
And, I helped her way back in1998 when we, when we first got
going.
So we've been doing this now fora little over 27 years.
And, how we actually had theidea to start the company was
she was having an English muffinwith some peanut butter on it
(03:30):
one Sunday morning.
And my Then eight month old sonTanner was teasing for it and,
she just basically put it up tohis lips and he immediately
turned red and started screamingand got hives and, you know, and
she didn't know what to do and,and basically called the
pediatrician and it was a Sundaymorning so it was an on call,
they called back and said, Oh, Ibet you he's allergic to
(03:51):
peanuts, keep him away from,peanuts and nuts for a while and
he was eight months and theysaid we can test him at one year
old, which I'm not sure if todaythe testing is, is done at a
younger age, but, back then in,in, that was in 94, when he was
8 months old.
So, we basically kept away fromPeanuts, for, for a few months
and then had him tested and, andhe did have, a peanut allergy.
(04:14):
And we didn't know anybodygrowing up or any household
members or family that had gonethrough that, so it was all new
to us.
And, um, So we had to learn alot about, uh, about peanut
allergies and again back then itwas kind of not as prevalent,
not as much, uh, diagnosis,there was basically no, food
(04:35):
safety departments and companieswhen you would call and ask
about what else they made inthat facility or what else was
packaged on that same line or isthere any possible cross
contact, issue that could causesomebody with a nut allergy or a
peanut allergy to have, have areaction.
so it was kind of pioneering,through, through all of those
questions and answers and lackthereof answers from, from major
(04:59):
manufacturers that led Gail to,kind of start making things at
home, uh, that we could be sureof, what was in it for Tanner.
And, and it basically, thetoughest.
category of product that shefound to find that was, or find
that was, safe for a peanutallergic, consumer was, was
confectionery and chocolate,right?
(05:19):
It was the toughest one becausemost people use peanuts and
almonds and hazelnuts and, youknow, all kinds of, fillings
that, that could, could cause aproblem if you had this allergy.
So, She made him, a bunch of,items throughout, the three or
four years before we started thecompany from when he was, a year
old till four years old.
And, uh, we would eat it andbring it to parties and family
(05:42):
gatherings and give it away asgifts and people would rave
about it.
I mean, she was making trufflesand caramels and fruit creams
and all that stuff that we stilloffer.
but only, much smaller, kind of.
consumption kind of a scale.
So, one day she came downstairsand said, we, we should start a
nut free chocolate company.
There's gotta be, I think sheused hundreds of families, in
(06:05):
the same predicament as we are.
And, uh, you know, so Ichallenged her and said, yeah,
let's, let's do it.
And so, uh, she's the creativeone and came up with, all of
these, confections and, and, andtruffles and things over the
years, over the three or fouryears that she was, she was
making them for us.
And, and I helped her with thebusiness end of it.
(06:25):
So we, we put up a website and,and incorporated and, started
selling, nut free chocolateonline in January of 90, 98.
So in 1998 and, I think thefirst thing ever sold online,
Amanda, on the internet at allwas in 94.
And it was probably Jeff Bezos,right?
(06:46):
Some of the book.
Um, Yeah, you're really ahead ofthe times with that.
It was really early, uh, for,for being online.
And then, and even way earlierfor being a free from brand.
online.
So, so that's what we did.
we started online in, in Januaryof 98.
And, um people would, Discoverus and, then go to a support
(07:06):
group People would, you know, goand say, Oh, I discovered this
chocolate company in Vermont andthey're nut free and peanut
free.
And, the owners have a son whohas a allergy to peanuts.
And, the next day we'd get 20calls from Chicago or
Philadelphia or Denver orwherever, the.
the support group happened tohave taken place.
(07:27):
Um, so it, the early days of thebusiness was basically that.
It was word of mouth and justorganic, um, growth with, people
discovering us and then telling,you know, kind of their, their
friends and, and, theirfamilies.
So, it wasn't that long untilthey would tell their allergist
and then the allergist, wouldkind of talk to us and make sure
(07:47):
that we were okay.
We were, uh, legitimate and knewwhat we were talking about the
Boston Children's HospitalAllergy Department was putting
our information and all thenewly diagnosed, patient packets
as a resource, Um, so that waskind of the, the start of the
company, the why.
Uh, and, and, you know, we'vekind of grown, grown from those
(08:09):
early days.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse (08:11):
I can see how that would happen so
naturally because I, I foundmyself just like Gail, like in
the kitchen.
Okay.
I bought this candy mold.
Let me see if I can figure outwhat to do.
And you know, you just figure itout as allergy parents, but
that's gotta be why so manypeople trusted you because we
know.
that you are living it and youunderstand the level of concern,
not just trying to market anduse this as a, as a marketing
(08:31):
device.
Mark Elvidge (08:33):
Right.
We have a, we have a really,compelling reason, for starting
and starting a business and,and, and being available to, the
tens of thousands of customersthat we now have and, and,
regular long time loyal fanbase, is I guess how I would
describe it.
Dr. Amanda Whitehou (08:50):
Absolutely.
Once you've earned our trust inthe allergy world, we're in,
right?
as you expanded, what goes intomaking sure that you continue
to, to keep that trust.
Because anyone outside of ourworld would say, oh, it's a nut
free facility, so obviously it'sfine.
But I know there's so much morebehind the scenes that goes into
ensuring that, right?
Mark Elvidge (09:08):
Yeah, there, there's a lot behind the scenes.
I mean, everything from,sourcing your, your raw
ingredients, right, that you'reusing in your processes, we, we
make sure that all of those, uh,ingredients come from peanut
free and tree nut freefacilities, as well, so there's
no possible, you know, kind ofcross contact before we get a
raw ingredient.
Uh, we have a pretty rigorous,supplier, kind of approval
(09:32):
process,, that we go throughbefore we'll bring in, a new
ingredient.
many of the ingredients that weuse come from, like single
source suppliers.
So like they, that's all theymake, right?
They just make this product andthat's all they do.
And, uh, where possible we buydirect as opposed to through,
distribution or, repacking oranything like that.
(09:54):
It's, it's pretty, uh, prettykey.
So, our facility obviously ispeanut free and tree nut free.
Employees are not allowed tobring anything with peanuts or
tree nuts or even, the sharedequipment warnings that you see
on most consumer packaged goodstoday are processed on shared
equipment or made in the samefacility as.
I mean, that's just prohibitedfrom being in our, in our
(10:17):
building or on our premises.
equipment, we've always boughtbrand new equipment.
We don't buy, uh, usedequipment, right?
Cause you, it's just, there's alot involved.
to kind of maintain, um, theintegrity, of our brand because
that's pretty much, what we doand, and why we do it.
I think we were the, well, I, Iknow we were the first ones to
(10:38):
be nut free and peanut free onpurpose.
way back in the day.
We haven't deviated from that atall.
we've always been coconut free.
We've always been sesame free.
we now in August, last year wewent egg free as well, Which
opened up our candy kitchen thento, uh, more, more customers who
could, could, could enjoy, awider range of our products as
(11:00):
opposed to being kind of siloedinto certain things that were in
a separate production room fromwhere the egg was and things
like that.
So.
Again, we're not everything,free, we're not, top nine or
anything like that, but we dohave a, a very good core, range
of products that meet the peanutfree, tree nut free, coconut
free, sesame free, egg free,dietary restrictions.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse (11:23):
That's great.
What about for people who havesome of the other allergens that
you do have in the facility?
I know you do pretzels, soobviously there's wheat.
Mark Elvidge (11:29):
We do have, uh, two production rooms, with,
separate HVAC systems and, andone of the production rooms is
completely wheat free.
If somebody is celiac or needsto really, uh, not have any kind
of risk of, anything that couldhave been in close proximity to
a pretzel, a wheat pretzel,right, or gluten, then, we can
(11:49):
steer them to certain productsthat we have within our facility
that are made in a totallyseparate environment.
we have our own kind of crew inthat room, and then we have our
other crew in our, in our biggerproduction room that does have
the wheat.
and again, we're not, we're notmixing wheat and baking
pretzels, right?
Those are coming from a nutfree, peanut free facility here,
(12:09):
and we're placing them on,conveyor belts, and they're
being enrobed in chocolate.
So it's not like we're creating.
pretzel bested even in the roomthat has the product that does
contain the wheat.
Currently the only thing run onthose enrobing lines is the
wheat pretzels.
So, there's no other productsthat, if there was, obviously it
would be shared, sharedequipment and may contain.
(12:32):
Um, but there's some, you know,where there are shared areas,
then it is indicated from inthat room.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse (12:42):
Picturing it the way you're describing
helps me to understand why somany of us do have a hard time
finding other products, why itprobably would be difficult to
produce any kind of a chocolateor candy item that doesn't have
exposure to any of those otherallergens.
It seems like it would be reallycomplicated.
Mark Elvidge (13:00):
Yeah, it is.
And again, you know, there's um,Pretty much soy, lecithin, and
everything that we do.
And, you know, dairy is a bigcomponent of milk, right?
We probably sell 80 percent milkchocolate to 20 percent dark.
Um, and even the dark, the rawingredients in many cases come
to you on shared, with a shareddairy equipment warning on it.
(13:22):
And as careful as you are whenyou're producing these items,
it's really tough if it's in thefacility, and again, we're
extremely diligent because welive this every day.
We have a huge customer basethat, you know, kind of, we can
steer to serve.
products that they've trustedfor years and then many times
we'll call up and, verify thatwe haven't changed any processes
or the way we do it or is itstill the same, that kind of
(13:43):
stuff too.
So it's really tough for a big,a big company, to claim the free
from status unless they justdon't have it in the
Speaker 2 (13:51):
facility.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse (13:51):
Well, that's why we're thankful for
you.
There's so much stuff and it'sall so good.
Can you talk a little about whatsome of your best sellers are or
what you find people enjoy themost?
Mark Elvidge (14:02):
Yeah, sure.
So, we have, um, Probably waytoo many skus.
we've got milk, chocolate, darkchocolate, white chocolate, and
then we do a crispy as well.
and then, all of the filledchocolates like the truffles and
the fruit creams and thecaramels, the sea salt caramels
are a favorite.
people love those, pretzelcaramel bark, which is, those
pretzels with caramel andchocolate.
(14:24):
kind of all mixed together in a,in a block, um, is, is, is
pretty addictive.
our best selling, hands down ourbest selling items, item, is, is
our chocolate covered pretzels.
I mean, our chocolate coveredpretzels are, really, really
good.
I mean, they're, they're acrisp, crunchy pretzel that's,
obviously peanut and tree nutfree, sesame free.
they do have wheat in them, uh,but we, we coat them.
(14:46):
with, you know, milk, dark, andwhite, um, premium, coatings,
with, these enrobers that runand give them a chocolate bath
and then they're hand decoratedand bagged and those are our
best selling items.
that's where, Whole Foods hasreally taken the milk and dark
pretzels and, the North Atlanticregion and most recently the,
Northeast region, which is allof Connecticut, the New Jersey,
(15:07):
New York stores as well, notHarlem.
and then, sunblossoms, uh, arean item that, we launched, a
little while ago now, the, the,the traditional two cup,
sunblossom, which is like a, uh,replacement for like a Reese's
peanut butter cup, but it's madewith sun butter filling.
Um, and again, we, we bring inthe sun butter and, and we, make
(15:28):
our filling from that, that runsthrough our, our one shot
depositor.
We make these cups and they'reflow wrap packaged.
They're really good.
And then in January of 2024, welaunched a mini version of
those.
So the mini sunblossoms and milkand dark chocolate.
And those are doing extremelywell.
There's many, many, retailersthat carry them in addition to
our own website.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse (15:49):
That's much appreciated that you
thought of that one.
Mark Elvidge (15:52):
Yeah, no, they're, they're doing really well.
And then we've got some, someline extensions planned for the.
those cups as well with somedifferent fillings and things on
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse (16:00):
them too, so.
Okay.
Yeah.
As you mentioned the future, oneof the things that always runs
through my mind A lot of usworry that a company like yours,
that's obviously continued togrow and been so steady.
A lot of those companies end upselling to giant corporations
and then we lose our faith inthem.
I'm happy to see that it's stillin your hands, original creator
and owner.
Any changes like that ahead forVermont Net Free?
Mark Elvidge (16:22):
we're, we're looking at scaling a little bit
and, perhaps bringing on alittle bit more additional
outside capital to do that.
But that's for efficiency andmarketing and, Getting, getting
our distribution pushed out alittle bit more so that we're
available to more people.
but we've been in Vermont for,for 27 years.
We started in our house.
(16:43):
We, are in our, third commerciallocation now.
and we've this, this last onethat we, we moved into just
outside of Burlington, Vermontand a town called Colchester is,
is big enough to, to scale.
And we can do three to fourtimes, our volume in this
building.
So, it's what we want to try to,try to capitalize on over the
next, several years.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse (17:06):
That's great.
I'm happy to hear it.
I, you're mentioning Vermont.
My in laws live in theBurlington area.
as an allergy parent, there's somuch, no, you can't have that.
We have to check that.
Be careful.
Double check, triple check.
we had gotten care packagesbefore, but he'd never walked
into the, the, to shop.
To walk into a store like thatand be told you can buy anything
(17:26):
that you want, everything hereis safe for you, is just an
unbelievable experience for kidswith allergies.
Mark Elvidge (17:32):
Yeah, because usually there can't be a kid in
a candy shop,
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse (17:35):
right?
That's the only time he everreally could, yeah.
Mark Elvidge (17:39):
Yeah, yeah, it's, that's, that's pretty cool.
That's, that's gratifying.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse (17:43):
I, I was wondering what that's like.
I mean, obviously being a parentof a kid with allergies and then
being able to do that, not justfor your son, but obviously
many, many thousands of people.
Mark Elvidge (17:53):
Yeah, that's, that's probably the most
gratifying, aspect of thisbusiness is to just get that,
feedback and see, see thepictures that people send us.
You know, chocolate bunnysmeared chin it's just, it's
just really, really gratifying.
And we've got some of thosepictures on our, on our website
and stuff too.
But, um, it's just, it's justso, uh, you know, makes it all
(18:18):
worthwhile.
Right?
To see that.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse (18:21):
I would think so.
this episode will air onValentine's Day, and, my kids
getting their treats ready.
I was just thinking your sonmust have shown up with the best
valentines and the best treatsI'm sure he enjoyed, you know,
that, that luxury that he had,or didn't he really appreciate
it, do you think?
Mark Elvidge (18:36):
Yeah, yeah, he did.
I think the, the, the neat thingwas is that, every year, while
he was, particularly elementaryschool, right, when they had the
birthday parties and this classcelebrations and, uh, Gail
provided for the whole class.
And it wasn't always, it wasn'talways just chocolate, I mean
she'd make cupcakes and cookiesand, just everything nut free,
(18:57):
but, uh, yeah, he was popular.
I bet.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse (19:00):
and that way he's not being left out,
he's, he's being even more likedand included because he's.
Yeah.
The one who brings all thatgreat stuff for everybody.
Speaker 2 (19:07):
Yeah.
No.
That was, that was, uh, reallycool.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse (19:10):
I was curious if, with the focus of
your work being on this, does itfeel like allergies and allergy
awareness runs your life at acertain point when that's your
whole business and catering tothat market and your son, you
know, is managing his?
Mark Elvidge (19:25):
Um.
So it's, it's a lot ofconversations every day about
food allergies.
And, and we get calls from, fromparents who, I don't, in some
cases I don't even know how theycan feed their kids.
They have so many, to kind ofdeal with.
And it's, it's, uh, It's tough.
We're, we, and again, we can'tbe everything to all people.
(19:47):
Sometimes I wish, some of theseparents, we could say, yes, you
can have this, but in some caseswe can say, we're sorry, we just
don't have anything that'ssuitable, you know?
So, I think, I think theawareness, of, of allergies,
from where we started, right.
When they didn't have any food,Allergen labeling laws or
(20:07):
anything like that.
The awareness is more, butthere's still a lot, I think.
We, we can, I think there's alot to, to do, in both in, in
the industry, like in themanufacturing and the food, food
business and, and, the generalpublic.
I mean, there's still, peoplethat have the allergy understand
or any food allergy, right?
You understand it if you're, ifyou're living it and you're
(20:27):
immersed in it every day.
But if, if you don't have achild or a family member or know
somebody with a food allergy,it's kind of.
an educational process everytime you run into, somebody with
that, right?
So we'll do demos in grocerystores, locally and in New
England.
And I get out there as much as Ican to try to, shake hands and
(20:48):
kiss babies.
And, kinda meet the customers atthe point where they're, kind of
deciding what to buy and, Manypeople see the free from label
and they're like, Oh, we don't,we don't want that.
We don't, you know, it's notgoing to be good.
No, no, no, wait, let me tellyou, let me show you.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse (21:04):
Let you taste it.
Mark Elvidge (21:05):
Yeah, exactly.
So do the story and tell peopleabout, why we exist and what we
do.
And Oh, by the way, here, trythis.
And then they end up, being acustomer and coming back and
buying that bag of pretzels or,that package of sunblossoms or.
You know, that chocolate bar orsomething at some point in the
(21:26):
future.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse (21:27):
Right.
Mark Elvidge (21:27):
So that, it's kind of cool when you can actually do
that conversion.
Dr. Amanda Whitehou (21:30):
Absolutely, again, I think that speaks to
the stereotypes and themisconceptions of allergies,
that they just assume if it'sallergen free, if it's free of
these allergens, something'sbeen removed, but it's
chocolate.
It's got sugar.
It's got cocoa.
It's got milk.
it's obviously not dairy free,but, but it, we, we have that
conception that anything allergyfriendly is, is less than or has
been compromised.
Yeah.
Mark Elvidge (21:50):
Yeah, yeah.
And we like to, uh, prove, thatmisconception and all.
that, that our, our products,are always, friendly, or not
friendly, but certain allergyfriendly, but free of peanut and
tree nut and coconut and sesameand egg now.
But, they also stand up thereand taste, flavor, and texture.
Uh, and can, be eaten with, youknow, the big brands, And
(22:13):
actually, in many cases, we, wetaste better.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse (22:17):
Yeah.
I was gonna say not just the bigbrands like the, the commonplace
grocery store name brands, but Iwould say it's a, a gourmet
level.
Mark Elvidge (22:24):
It is, yeah.
Gourmet and premium is, is kindof a category we live in.
Um, and, and, and then havingthat free from, reason for being
is, is, is why.
Uh, but that enables us to sellproduct to anybody who's a
chocolate lover and also, theones that we were, kind of
(22:46):
originally, created the companyfor.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse (22:49):
As far as other, Businesses and your
corporate experiences in theindustry, where do you think
there's still room, generallyspeaking, for growth and for
more understanding or educationor, or clearing up skepticism,
misinformation, things likethat?
Mark Elvidge (23:04):
Um, so I think you're probably familiar with
FAIR, and, and I'm on, there's acouncil, uh, an alliance of
manufacturers in the, in thefree from space, that meet
monthly, bimonthly.
And, we're, we're trying to comeup with some standards in terms
of wording and, talk aboutprecautionary, allergen labeling
(23:26):
and, also thresholds in termsof, testing and again, I don't
claim free from unless we reallyare but there's some companies
that, you know, have rooms orareas that do testing and
validation, that's risky.
both for the consumer who has toavoid that and, and the company
doing that, right?
So, we're trying to kind ofcreate some industry standards
(23:50):
to, to, to kind of model and,and, and, and follow along those
lines based on the goodpractices that those of us that
are in the free firm and havebeen for some time are, are
doing.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse (24:02):
Well, I imagine obviously with any
business that it comes down tothe bottom line as far as
profits and to do in a certainway must be more expensive,
obviously, but is theremisbelief?
Is there doubt in the foodindustry as a whole that that
that low level of exposure orpotential cross contamination
can actually be a problem forpeople?
Mark Elvidge (24:20):
Um, I don't know that it's a, I don't know that
it's a doubt and I think, Ithink it's more of, it's a
smaller percentage of the totaladdressable market, right?
So if there's 1 percent of thepeople that need to be peanut
free and 99 percent of theircustomer base wants, pecan rolls
(24:41):
or nut rolls or whatever withstuff all rolled together.
And then, they're gonna servethat market.
A, they weren't started as afree from brand, right?
They were that brand and thatcompany and to create a whole
different manufacturingenvironment with different lines
(25:01):
and people and, you know,technically should have a
different facility.
It's really prohibitive to, forthem to try to change and
satisfy the needs of a very,very small percentage of the
population.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse (25:18):
Yes.
Obviously the number of peoplewith allergies is continually
increasing.
So I hope that will lead tocontinued awareness and
accommodation and, and peopleunderstanding that once they get
our business, we're, we'reloyal.
They've got us for life and it'sworth achieving.
Mark Elvidge (25:33):
Yeah, and again, that, that is, one of the things
we're talking about on, on thisPact Alliance at FAIR is, is, is
the, the long term, loyalty thatthe food allergy consumer,
exhibits towards a brand thatthey trust.
and that's, that's reallyimmeasurable, and it's just so,
so valuable.
(25:53):
I mean, we have We havecustomers, Amanda, that
discovered us, you know, whentheir children were 3, years
old.
back when we started, right, inthe late 90s, 98, um, 99, 2000
was a big year because we had aPeople Magazine article that
came out about us and, that justkind of blew the doors off,
(26:15):
awareness for us.
But, Many of those customershave grown up on Vermont Net
Free.
So every birthday, every,holiday, every season, every,
college cram session for exams,right?
Sending college gifts andbaskets to them from, when they
move, move that on their own.
And then in, in many cases,we've done several, bride and
(26:38):
groom.
Truffles, the two piece truffleswith the bride and groom's name
on it from people that aregetting married now that were
customers when they were fiveyears old, So that's, that's
really, a testament to the longterm value of, of a customer in
this free from spaves.
we've done, not only thosewedding favors for people, but
(26:58):
then, baby shower and thenchristening and bar mitzvah
gifts and things like that topersonalize kind of favors.
Uh, so, third generation, uh,coming up on Vermont, not free
products, right?
Just following them
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse (27:13):
right through the lifespan.
Mark Elvidge (27:15):
Yeah, that's gotta be really, really cool.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse (27:18):
Uh, yeah, that must just be such an
amazing feeling You know, itseems like a simple thing, and I
think people, again, who don'tlive the life don't realize
what, what does it matter ifthat kid has a different treat
in his classroom, or if thatkid, is left out in some way,
but I think it really makes adifference to not feel at all
times either scared and nervousand afraid to try something or
(27:38):
to feel, that what we're havingis less than or that we have a
restricted choice, which, whichwe do, but it doesn't feel like
it when you log onto yourwebsite, and shop for candy.
So it's an experience that wedon't get often.
Mark Elvidge (27:51):
Yeah, it's a lot of work, right?
There's a lot of pieces to the,to the puzzle.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse (27:55):
What was it like just being an allergy
parent for you?
Mark Elvidge (27:59):
So it was it was again a learning experience
initially.
and then you know once once welearned about it I mean, I think
I don't think we ever got anypushback from any of the schools
or groups that Tanner joined oror was involved with we live in
a very small You Uh, community,up in northern Vermont, in the
Lake Champlain Islands.
And I think, the three, three,the five counties together, I
(28:22):
think there's 5, 000 people.
And it's five towns, so each onehas a little tiny school.
And, we were the first ones thatwe knew of to be, parents.
Or, or having a child go throughthe, the school system where
Tanner went through K through 8.
And, they were really good.
They, He gave us time at each inservice every year to do the
epinephrine training and, kindof go over the plan.
(28:45):
And, you know, they were goodabout moving, uh, his little,
um, medical bag betweenclassrooms if he had to move.
It wasn't long until he was ableto carry that, between
classrooms.
Um, so, we had a really, goodexperience, without pushback.
I don't know.
I've heard horror stories of,the school refusing, you know,
to do stuff.
(29:06):
that's, that's just, crazy.
but I guess it can happen, so.
Speaker 2 (29:11):
It is.
We, we were fortunate.
Mark Elvidge (29:13):
Um, so He, he's still allergic to peanuts.
He actually buys certain brandsthat he's learned to trust over
the years.
he's definitely a label reader,and he checks out websites and
he, you know, calls consumerlines as well when there's, when
there's, you know, realquestion.
Um, but he does find, an arrayof products that are tasty and
(29:36):
good and, suitable for hisallergy.
there's a couple of subscriptionservices that he uses now that,
you can put your allergies inthere and they'll just make sure
that everything they send youis, you know, kind of excluding
those, that you can't have.
Um, so, there's definitely, moreproduct and more variety and
more, choice, right, than therewas when we first started.
(30:00):
And when you first probably evenstarted.
with your, your child, andnavigating this, this, this
world.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse (30:06):
And it's surprising, you know, obviously
I'm a little ways behind you interms of going through the
process, but it's shocking to meto hear that he was the first
one and that there weren'tothers.
But I forget how rapidly they'regrowing, how quickly it's
increasing.
Mark Elvidge (30:19):
Yeah.
I mean, I think that diagnosisof paediatologist has more than,
more than tripled Right.
It seems to be a growing, issue,a problem.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse (30:28):
It's encouraging for all of us whose
kids are still younger to bereminded, not that we don't
know, but he grew up, he becamean adult, he's doing well, he's
healthy and, and, well.
I
Mark Elvidge (30:38):
mean, he went to, college in Boston, so he was
away, for four and a half yearsand then lived in Boston after
that and lived in London forfive years.
and is back in the U.
S.
now, but he's traveled andworked and experienced.
it doesn't have to slow you downat all.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse (30:57):
well, on that note, watching him grow up,
I always ask everyone, can yousay anything, what's a positive,
what's a bonus, or a good thingabout food allergies?
Mark Elvidge (31:08):
Well, I think the biggest thing is that, there's
worse things kids could get.
and then the other thing is, Ithink it makes them realize
that, not everybody can just eateverything.
and even though people may havedifferent allergies, or things
that they can and can't eat,understanding it from your point
(31:31):
of view and saying, Oh, youknow.
I got this, let me help you ask,ask this question.
I don't wish, wish it onanybody, but, he, he has done
well and thrived.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse (31:43):
That's great to hear.
Well, we're all thankful forwhat came of his allergies.
can you Tell everybody wherethey can find Vermont nut free.
Mark Elvidge (31:52):
Yeah.
So, our website iswww.vermontnutfree.com and
Vermont is all spelled out.
we are available in, manyretailers, uh, but a few SKUs
here and there.
we have a store locator page onour website as well and you can
type in where you live and, and,or the city or zip and, and, it
(32:12):
can show you the closest stores.
we do mail order all over thecountry and actually, into
Canada and, some of the Europeancountries as well.
We have, we have some prettyregular customers.
So, we can get product to you,no matter where you live.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse (32:27):
I know one concern that people have
mentioned is how do you shipchocolate to hot places in warm
weather months?
Mark Elvidge (32:35):
Yeah, so we use styrofoam shipping containers
with ice packs.
and then we just make sure thatthe shipping level is, within,
one to three days.
we want to do a five day acrossthe country UPS ground right to
California from Vermont in, inJuly.
So we just got to make sure thatwe're watching the weather and,
and, adding those warm weathershipping containers when, when
(32:57):
needed.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse (32:57):
is there anything that we didn't get to
or that you want to mention?
Mark Elvidge (33:01):
Just, again.
We've got a dedicated team ofworkers that work super hard
every day to, you know, makesure that the products are safe
and delicious.
And, it's not, uh, it's not justGail in the kitchen anymore.
It's, it's a whole team ofpeople, so.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse (33:17):
Is Gail still in the kitchen at all?
Mark Elvidge (33:19):
she does product formulations and flyer design.
with our sales marketingcoordinator on, packaging and,
and new, launches and thingslike that, but mostly remotely.
I'm in the, uh, in the buildingevery day, kind of running
operations and, you get 38, 38people now, working for us.
So, it's a little different thanwhen, I think we had two people
(33:42):
coming to our house when wedecided, It was, yeah, time to,
time to move to a bigger space,but, um, yeah, three buildings
later we've, we've got a greatteam of hardworking people who,
who really, believe in us and,and, and what we do for our, our
customers.
So, it's, it's a nicecombination.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse (34:00):
Well, thank you.
Thank you to all of them, and toyou, and to Gail, because it
seems like it's a small thingthat's such a big thing that,
that that exists for us as anoption, so thank you.
Yeah.
Mark Elvidge (34:10):
Thank you, Amanda, for inviting me on and, letting
me tell the story a little bit.
And here are your three actionsteps that you can take away
from today's episode.
Number one, if, Peanut, treenut, sesame, coconut, and egg
free treats are safe for you,and you're as hungry as I am
after talking about chocolate,go to vermontnutfree.
(34:31):
com.
You can shop online, you canfind the store locator to find a
place where you can shop nearyou.
Number two, if that doesn't workfor your allergens, take a
minute to find something thatdoes.
I'm sharing the link in thenotes to snacksafely.
com.
If there are any of you outthere who don't know about them
yet, you should.
(34:52):
You can read on their websiteabout the links that they go to
to research and get informationfrom food manufacturers and
different brands to determinewhich items are safe for the top
nine allergens.
So you can find that atsnacksafely.
com and click on their safesnack guide.
(35:12):
Number three continue buildingand strengthening your support
network and letting yourselflean on the people who want to
help you and be there for You bysharing this information Share
this episode share the Vermontnot free website Share a Snack
Safely Guide or even just aspecific brand or product with
the people who love you and wantto buy you a treat once in a
(35:33):
while, who want to be able toshow up and bring something that
you can eat.
Make it easier for people to bethere for you and support you
and understand what your needsare.
the content of this podcast isfor informational and
educational purposes only, andis not a substitute for
professional medical or mentalhealth advice, diagnosis, or
treatment.
If you have any questions aboutyour own medical experience or
(35:55):
mental health needs, pleaseconsult a professional.
I'm Dr.
Amanda White house.
Thanks for joining me.
And until we chat again,remember don't feed the fear.
To walk into a store like that and be
(00:02):
told you can buy anything thatyou want, everything here is
safe for you, is just anunbelievable experience for kids
with allergies.
Mark Elvidge (00:10):
Yeah, because usually there can't be a kid in
a candy shop,
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse (00:13):
right?
That's the only time he everreally could, yeah.
Mark Elvidge (00:17):
Yeah, yeah, it's, that's, that's pretty cool.
That's, that's gratifying.
Speaker (00:22):
Welcome to the Don't Feed the Fear podcast, where we
dive into the complex world offood allergy anxiety.
I'm your host, Dr.
Amanda Whitehouse, food allergyanxiety psychologist and food
allergy mom.
Whether you're dealing withallergies yourself or supporting
someone who is, join us for anempathetic and informative
journey toward food allergy calmand confidence.
(00:44):
Welcome to our Valentine's Dayepisode for season three of
Don't Feed the Fear.
This winter season we're talkingabout expanding and
strengthening our supportsystems and the resources that
we have around us.
And who with food allergiesdoesn't need to have a company
that they can trust for their goto treats and foods that they
(01:04):
enjoy.
That's why I've invited MarkElvidge, co founder of Vermont
Nut Free Chocolates, to be onthe show today.
Mark and his wife Gail arepioneers in the allergen free
confectionery space co foundingVermont Nut Free Chocolates over
27 years ago.
Mark has served as the presidentand CEO of the company since
2012 and together theytransformed their personal need
(01:27):
as allergy parents into athriving brand.
They create.
Premium quality chocolates thatcater to both allergy conscious
consumers and all chocolatelovers.
And the name is a bit deceivingbecause in addition to being
peanut and tree nut free,Vermont nut free chocolates are
also sesame and egg free.
Under his leadership, VermontNut Free Chocolates has built a
(01:49):
dedicated long term Customerbase within the allergy
community.
I know we're among that.
And many of you listeners heretoday are as well.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse (01:57):
Thank you so much for coming to join me,
Mark.
I'm really excited.
I've been a customer for over adecade now, and it's nice to
meet you and have you here onthe podcast.
Mark Elvidge (02:06):
It's a pleasure to be here, and I appreciate you
inviting me.
Dr. Amanda Whitehou (02:09):
Absolutely.
I, I was doing this season, allabout building our support
systems and who do you need onyour team when you're managing
allergies.
And of course, I was thinking ofthe different people on your
team, but one of the firstthings that I felt like I had in
my back pocket when allergystarted for us was a go to safe
treat that I could give our sonThat was Vermont Nut Free
Chocolate.
So I thought of you and you'vebeen on my team even though you
(02:31):
didn't know it.
I know there's a lot of us outthere who feel that way, too.
Mark Elvidge (02:34):
No, that's great.
And, and that's usually how,people discover us initially is
through, another family memberor a child that has an allergy.
And then, they, they discover usfor, for that reason.
And then, kind of just startbuying the product.
And it, it kind of snowballsinto everybody in the household
liking it.
So it's, we're happy to be therefor those people that need a
solution.
Dr. Amanda Whitehou (02:54):
Absolutely.
that is what happens.
It just becomes, the chocolatewe buy now, because we know it's
safe and, and it's delicioustoo.
So why don't you start bytelling our listeners a little
bit about you and how you gotstarted with this business?
Mark Elvidge (03:09):
Yeah.
I'm the co founder of VermontNut Free Chocolates.
it was actually my wife Gail'sidea.
she started the company.
And, I helped her way back in1998 when we, when we first got
going.
So we've been doing this now fora little over 27 years.
And, how we actually had theidea to start the company was
she was having an English muffinwith some peanut butter on it
(03:30):
one Sunday morning.
And my Then eight month old sonTanner was teasing for it and,
she just basically put it up tohis lips and he immediately
turned red and started screamingand got hives and, you know, and
she didn't know what to do and,and basically called the
pediatrician and it was a Sundaymorning so it was an on call,
they called back and said, Oh, Ibet you he's allergic to
(03:51):
peanuts, keep him away from,peanuts and nuts for a while and
he was eight months and theysaid we can test him at one year
old, which I'm not sure if todaythe testing is, is done at a
younger age, but, back then in,in, that was in 94, when he was
8 months old.
So, we basically kept away fromPeanuts, for, for a few months
and then had him tested and, andhe did have, a peanut allergy.
(04:14):
And we didn't know anybodygrowing up or any household
members or family that had gonethrough that, so it was all new
to us.
And, um, So we had to learn alot about, uh, about peanut
allergies and again back then itwas kind of not as prevalent,
not as much, uh, diagnosis,there was basically no, food
(04:35):
safety departments and companieswhen you would call and ask
about what else they made inthat facility or what else was
packaged on that same line or isthere any possible cross
contact, issue that could causesomebody with a nut allergy or a
peanut allergy to have, have areaction.
so it was kind of pioneering,through, through all of those
questions and answers and lackthereof answers from, from major
(04:59):
manufacturers that led Gail to,kind of start making things at
home, uh, that we could be sureof, what was in it for Tanner.
And, and it basically, thetoughest.
category of product that shefound to find that was, or find
that was, safe for a peanutallergic, consumer was, was
confectionery and chocolate,right?
(05:19):
It was the toughest one becausemost people use peanuts and
almonds and hazelnuts and, youknow, all kinds of, fillings
that, that could, could cause aproblem if you had this allergy.
So, She made him, a bunch of,items throughout, the three or
four years before we started thecompany from when he was, a year
old till four years old.
And, uh, we would eat it andbring it to parties and family
(05:42):
gatherings and give it away asgifts and people would rave
about it.
I mean, she was making trufflesand caramels and fruit creams
and all that stuff that we stilloffer.
but only, much smaller, kind of.
consumption kind of a scale.
So, one day she came downstairsand said, we, we should start a
nut free chocolate company.
There's gotta be, I think sheused hundreds of families, in
(06:05):
the same predicament as we are.
And, uh, you know, so Ichallenged her and said, yeah,
let's, let's do it.
And so, uh, she's the creativeone and came up with, all of
these, confections and, and, andtruffles and things over the
years, over the three or fouryears that she was, she was
making them for us.
And, and I helped her with thebusiness end of it.
(06:25):
So we, we put up a website and,and incorporated and, started
selling, nut free chocolateonline in January of 90, 98.
So in 1998 and, I think thefirst thing ever sold online,
Amanda, on the internet at allwas in 94.
And it was probably Jeff Bezos,right?
(06:46):
Some of the book.
Um, Yeah, you're really ahead ofthe times with that.
It was really early, uh, for,for being online.
And then, and even way earlierfor being a free from brand.
online.
So, so that's what we did.
we started online in, in Januaryof 98.
And, um people would, Discoverus and, then go to a support
(07:06):
group People would, you know, goand say, Oh, I discovered this
chocolate company in Vermont andthey're nut free and peanut
free.
And, the owners have a son whohas a allergy to peanuts.
And, the next day we'd get 20calls from Chicago or
Philadelphia or Denver orwherever, the.
the support group happened tohave taken place.
(07:27):
Um, so it, the early days of thebusiness was basically that.
It was word of mouth and justorganic, um, growth with, people
discovering us and then telling,you know, kind of their, their
friends and, and, theirfamilies.
So, it wasn't that long untilthey would tell their allergist
and then the allergist, wouldkind of talk to us and make sure
(07:47):
that we were okay.
We were, uh, legitimate and knewwhat we were talking about the
Boston Children's HospitalAllergy Department was putting
our information and all thenewly diagnosed, patient packets
as a resource, Um, so that waskind of the, the start of the
company, the why.
Uh, and, and, you know, we'vekind of grown, grown from those
(08:09):
early days.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse (08:11):
I can see how that would happen so
naturally because I, I foundmyself just like Gail, like in
the kitchen.
Okay.
I bought this candy mold.
Let me see if I can figure outwhat to do.
And you know, you just figure itout as allergy parents, but
that's gotta be why so manypeople trusted you because we
know.
that you are living it and youunderstand the level of concern,
not just trying to market anduse this as a, as a marketing
(08:31):
device.
Mark Elvidge (08:33):
Right.
We have a, we have a really,compelling reason, for starting
and starting a business and,and, and being available to, the
tens of thousands of customersthat we now have and, and,
regular long time loyal fanbase, is I guess how I would
describe it.
Dr. Amanda Whitehou (08:50):
Absolutely.
Once you've earned our trust inthe allergy world, we're in,
right?
as you expanded, what goes intomaking sure that you continue
to, to keep that trust.
Because anyone outside of ourworld would say, oh, it's a nut
free facility, so obviously it'sfine.
But I know there's so much morebehind the scenes that goes into
ensuring that, right?
Mark Elvidge (09:08):
Yeah, there, there's a lot behind the scenes.
I mean, everything from,sourcing your, your raw
ingredients, right, that you'reusing in your processes, we, we
make sure that all of those, uh,ingredients come from peanut
free and tree nut freefacilities, as well, so there's
no possible, you know, kind ofcross contact before we get a
raw ingredient.
Uh, we have a pretty rigorous,supplier, kind of approval
(09:32):
process,, that we go throughbefore we'll bring in, a new
ingredient.
many of the ingredients that weuse come from, like single
source suppliers.
So like they, that's all theymake, right?
They just make this product andthat's all they do.
And, uh, where possible we buydirect as opposed to through,
distribution or, repacking oranything like that.
(09:54):
It's, it's pretty, uh, prettykey.
So, our facility obviously ispeanut free and tree nut free.
Employees are not allowed tobring anything with peanuts or
tree nuts or even, the sharedequipment warnings that you see
on most consumer packaged goodstoday are processed on shared
equipment or made in the samefacility as.
I mean, that's just prohibitedfrom being in our, in our
(10:17):
building or on our premises.
equipment, we've always boughtbrand new equipment.
We don't buy, uh, usedequipment, right?
Cause you, it's just, there's alot involved.
to kind of maintain, um, theintegrity, of our brand because
that's pretty much, what we doand, and why we do it.
I think we were the, well, I, Iknow we were the first ones to
(10:38):
be nut free and peanut free onpurpose.
way back in the day.
We haven't deviated from that atall.
we've always been coconut free.
We've always been sesame free.
we now in August, last year wewent egg free as well, Which
opened up our candy kitchen thento, uh, more, more customers who
could, could, could enjoy, awider range of our products as
(11:00):
opposed to being kind of siloedinto certain things that were in
a separate production room fromwhere the egg was and things
like that.
So.
Again, we're not everything,free, we're not, top nine or
anything like that, but we dohave a, a very good core, range
of products that meet the peanutfree, tree nut free, coconut
free, sesame free, egg free,dietary restrictions.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse (11:23):
That's great.
What about for people who havesome of the other allergens that
you do have in the facility?
I know you do pretzels, soobviously there's wheat.
Mark Elvidge (11:29):
We do have, uh, two production rooms, with,
separate HVAC systems and, andone of the production rooms is
completely wheat free.
If somebody is celiac or needsto really, uh, not have any kind
of risk of, anything that couldhave been in close proximity to
a pretzel, a wheat pretzel,right, or gluten, then, we can
(11:49):
steer them to certain productsthat we have within our facility
that are made in a totallyseparate environment.
we have our own kind of crew inthat room, and then we have our
other crew in our, in our biggerproduction room that does have
the wheat.
and again, we're not, we're notmixing wheat and baking
pretzels, right?
Those are coming from a nutfree, peanut free facility here,
(12:09):
and we're placing them on,conveyor belts, and they're
being enrobed in chocolate.
So it's not like we're creating.
pretzel bested even in the roomthat has the product that does
contain the wheat.
Currently the only thing run onthose enrobing lines is the
wheat pretzels.
So, there's no other productsthat, if there was, obviously it
would be shared, sharedequipment and may contain.
(12:32):
Um, but there's some, you know,where there are shared areas,
then it is indicated from inthat room.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse (12:42):
Picturing it the way you're describing
helps me to understand why somany of us do have a hard time
finding other products, why itprobably would be difficult to
produce any kind of a chocolateor candy item that doesn't have
exposure to any of those otherallergens.
It seems like it would be reallycomplicated.
Mark Elvidge (13:00):
Yeah, it is.
And again, you know, there's um,Pretty much soy, lecithin, and
everything that we do.
And, you know, dairy is a bigcomponent of milk, right?
We probably sell 80 percent milkchocolate to 20 percent dark.
Um, and even the dark, the rawingredients in many cases come
to you on shared, with a shareddairy equipment warning on it.
(13:22):
And as careful as you are whenyou're producing these items,
it's really tough if it's in thefacility, and again, we're
extremely diligent because welive this every day.
We have a huge customer basethat, you know, kind of, we can
steer to serve.
products that they've trustedfor years and then many times
we'll call up and, verify thatwe haven't changed any processes
or the way we do it or is itstill the same, that kind of
(13:43):
stuff too.
So it's really tough for a big,a big company, to claim the free
from status unless they justdon't have it in the
Speaker 2 (13:51):
facility.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse (13:51):
Well, that's why we're thankful for
you.
There's so much stuff and it'sall so good.
Can you talk a little about whatsome of your best sellers are or
what you find people enjoy themost?
Mark Elvidge (14:02):
Yeah, sure.
So, we have, um, Probably waytoo many skus.
we've got milk, chocolate, darkchocolate, white chocolate, and
then we do a crispy as well.
and then, all of the filledchocolates like the truffles and
the fruit creams and thecaramels, the sea salt caramels
are a favorite.
people love those, pretzelcaramel bark, which is, those
pretzels with caramel andchocolate.
(14:24):
kind of all mixed together in a,in a block, um, is, is, is
pretty addictive.
our best selling, hands down ourbest selling items, item, is, is
our chocolate covered pretzels.
I mean, our chocolate coveredpretzels are, really, really
good.
I mean, they're, they're acrisp, crunchy pretzel that's,
obviously peanut and tree nutfree, sesame free.
they do have wheat in them, uh,but we, we coat them.
(14:46):
with, you know, milk, dark, andwhite, um, premium, coatings,
with, these enrobers that runand give them a chocolate bath
and then they're hand decoratedand bagged and those are our
best selling items.
that's where, Whole Foods hasreally taken the milk and dark
pretzels and, the North Atlanticregion and most recently the,
Northeast region, which is allof Connecticut, the New Jersey,
(15:07):
New York stores as well, notHarlem.
and then, sunblossoms, uh, arean item that, we launched, a
little while ago now, the, the,the traditional two cup,
sunblossom, which is like a, uh,replacement for like a Reese's
peanut butter cup, but it's madewith sun butter filling.
Um, and again, we, we bring inthe sun butter and, and we, make
(15:28):
our filling from that, that runsthrough our, our one shot
depositor.
We make these cups and they'reflow wrap packaged.
They're really good.
And then in January of 2024, welaunched a mini version of
those.
So the mini sunblossoms and milkand dark chocolate.
And those are doing extremelywell.
There's many, many, retailersthat carry them in addition to
our own website.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse (15:49):
That's much appreciated that you
thought of that one.
Mark Elvidge (15:52):
Yeah, no, they're, they're doing really well.
And then we've got some, someline extensions planned for the.
those cups as well with somedifferent fillings and things on
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse (16:00):
them too, so.
Okay.
Yeah.
As you mentioned the future, oneof the things that always runs
through my mind A lot of usworry that a company like yours,
that's obviously continued togrow and been so steady.
A lot of those companies end upselling to giant corporations
and then we lose our faith inthem.
I'm happy to see that it's stillin your hands, original creator
and owner.
Any changes like that ahead forVermont Net Free?
Mark Elvidge (16:22):
we're, we're looking at scaling a little bit
and, perhaps bringing on alittle bit more additional
outside capital to do that.
But that's for efficiency andmarketing and, Getting, getting
our distribution pushed out alittle bit more so that we're
available to more people.
but we've been in Vermont for,for 27 years.
We started in our house.
(16:43):
We, are in our, third commerciallocation now.
and we've this, this last onethat we, we moved into just
outside of Burlington, Vermontand a town called Colchester is,
is big enough to, to scale.
And we can do three to fourtimes, our volume in this
building.
So, it's what we want to try to,try to capitalize on over the
next, several years.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse (17:06):
That's great.
I'm happy to hear it.
I, you're mentioning Vermont.
My in laws live in theBurlington area.
as an allergy parent, there's somuch, no, you can't have that.
We have to check that.
Be careful.
Double check, triple check.
we had gotten care packagesbefore, but he'd never walked
into the, the, to shop.
To walk into a store like thatand be told you can buy anything
(17:26):
that you want, everything hereis safe for you, is just an
unbelievable experience for kidswith allergies.
Mark Elvidge (17:32):
Yeah, because usually there can't be a kid in
a candy shop,
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse (17:35):
right?
That's the only time he everreally could, yeah.
Mark Elvidge (17:39):
Yeah, yeah, it's, that's, that's pretty cool.
That's, that's gratifying.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse (17:43):
I, I was wondering what that's like.
I mean, obviously being a parentof a kid with allergies and then
being able to do that, not justfor your son, but obviously
many, many thousands of people.
Mark Elvidge (17:53):
Yeah, that's, that's probably the most
gratifying, aspect of thisbusiness is to just get that,
feedback and see, see thepictures that people send us.
You know, chocolate bunnysmeared chin it's just, it's
just really, really gratifying.
And we've got some of thosepictures on our, on our website
and stuff too.
But, um, it's just, it's justso, uh, you know, makes it all
(18:18):
worthwhile.
Right?
To see that.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse (18:21):
I would think so.
this episode will air onValentine's Day, and, my kids
getting their treats ready.
I was just thinking your sonmust have shown up with the best
valentines and the best treatsI'm sure he enjoyed, you know,
that, that luxury that he had,or didn't he really appreciate
it, do you think?
Mark Elvidge (18:36):
Yeah, yeah, he did.
I think the, the, the neat thingwas is that, every year, while
he was, particularly elementaryschool, right, when they had the
birthday parties and this classcelebrations and, uh, Gail
provided for the whole class.
And it wasn't always, it wasn'talways just chocolate, I mean
she'd make cupcakes and cookiesand, just everything nut free,
(18:57):
but, uh, yeah, he was popular.
I bet.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse (19:00):
and that way he's not being left out,
he's, he's being even more likedand included because he's.
Yeah.
The one who brings all thatgreat stuff for everybody.
Speaker 2 (19:07):
Yeah.
No.
That was, that was, uh, reallycool.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse (19:10):
I was curious if, with the focus of
your work being on this, does itfeel like allergies and allergy
awareness runs your life at acertain point when that's your
whole business and catering tothat market and your son, you
know, is managing his?
Mark Elvidge (19:25):
Um.
So it's, it's a lot ofconversations every day about
food allergies.
And, and we get calls from, fromparents who, I don't, in some
cases I don't even know how theycan feed their kids.
They have so many, to kind ofdeal with.
And it's, it's, uh, It's tough.
We're, we, and again, we can'tbe everything to all people.
(19:47):
Sometimes I wish, some of theseparents, we could say, yes, you
can have this, but in some caseswe can say, we're sorry, we just
don't have anything that'ssuitable, you know?
So, I think, I think theawareness, of, of allergies,
from where we started, right.
When they didn't have any food,Allergen labeling laws or
(20:07):
anything like that.
The awareness is more, butthere's still a lot, I think.
We, we can, I think there's alot to, to do, in both in, in
the industry, like in themanufacturing and the food, food
business and, and, the generalpublic.
I mean, there's still, peoplethat have the allergy understand
or any food allergy, right?
You understand it if you're, ifyou're living it and you're
(20:27):
immersed in it every day.
But if, if you don't have achild or a family member or know
somebody with a food allergy,it's kind of.
an educational process everytime you run into, somebody with
that, right?
So we'll do demos in grocerystores, locally and in New
England.
And I get out there as much as Ican to try to, shake hands and
(20:48):
kiss babies.
And, kinda meet the customers atthe point where they're, kind of
deciding what to buy and, Manypeople see the free from label
and they're like, Oh, we don't,we don't want that.
We don't, you know, it's notgoing to be good.
No, no, no, wait, let me tellyou, let me show you.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse (21:04):
Let you taste it.
Mark Elvidge (21:05):
Yeah, exactly.
So do the story and tell peopleabout, why we exist and what we
do.
And Oh, by the way, here, trythis.
And then they end up, being acustomer and coming back and
buying that bag of pretzels or,that package of sunblossoms or.
You know, that chocolate bar orsomething at some point in the
(21:26):
future.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse (21:27):
Right.
Mark Elvidge (21:27):
So that, it's kind of cool when you can actually do
that conversion.
Dr. Amanda Whitehou (21:30):
Absolutely, again, I think that speaks to
the stereotypes and themisconceptions of allergies,
that they just assume if it'sallergen free, if it's free of
these allergens, something'sbeen removed, but it's
chocolate.
It's got sugar.
It's got cocoa.
It's got milk.
it's obviously not dairy free,but, but it, we, we have that
conception that anything allergyfriendly is, is less than or has
been compromised.
Yeah.
Mark Elvidge (21:50):
Yeah, yeah.
And we like to, uh, prove, thatmisconception and all.
that, that our, our products,are always, friendly, or not
friendly, but certain allergyfriendly, but free of peanut and
tree nut and coconut and sesameand egg now.
But, they also stand up thereand taste, flavor, and texture.
Uh, and can, be eaten with, youknow, the big brands, And
(22:13):
actually, in many cases, we, wetaste better.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse (22:17):
Yeah.
I was gonna say not just the bigbrands like the, the commonplace
grocery store name brands, but Iwould say it's a, a gourmet
level.
Mark Elvidge (22:24):
It is, yeah.
Gourmet and premium is, is kindof a category we live in.
Um, and, and, and then havingthat free from, reason for being
is, is, is why.
Uh, but that enables us to sellproduct to anybody who's a
chocolate lover and also, theones that we were, kind of
(22:46):
originally, created the companyfor.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse (22:49):
As far as other, Businesses and your
corporate experiences in theindustry, where do you think
there's still room, generallyspeaking, for growth and for
more understanding or educationor, or clearing up skepticism,
misinformation, things likethat?
Mark Elvidge (23:04):
Um, so I think you're probably familiar with
FAIR, and, and I'm on, there's acouncil, uh, an alliance of
manufacturers in the, in thefree from space, that meet
monthly, bimonthly.
And, we're, we're trying to comeup with some standards in terms
of wording and, talk aboutprecautionary, allergen labeling
(23:26):
and, also thresholds in termsof, testing and again, I don't
claim free from unless we reallyare but there's some companies
that, you know, have rooms orareas that do testing and
validation, that's risky.
both for the consumer who has toavoid that and, and the company
doing that, right?
So, we're trying to kind ofcreate some industry standards
(23:50):
to, to, to kind of model and,and, and, and follow along those
lines based on the goodpractices that those of us that
are in the free firm and havebeen for some time are, are
doing.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse (24:02):
Well, I imagine obviously with any
business that it comes down tothe bottom line as far as
profits and to do in a certainway must be more expensive,
obviously, but is theremisbelief?
Is there doubt in the foodindustry as a whole that that
that low level of exposure orpotential cross contamination
can actually be a problem forpeople?
Mark Elvidge (24:20):
Um, I don't know that it's a, I don't know that
it's a doubt and I think, Ithink it's more of, it's a
smaller percentage of the totaladdressable market, right?
So if there's 1 percent of thepeople that need to be peanut
free and 99 percent of theircustomer base wants, pecan rolls
(24:41):
or nut rolls or whatever withstuff all rolled together.
And then, they're gonna servethat market.
A, they weren't started as afree from brand, right?
They were that brand and thatcompany and to create a whole
different manufacturingenvironment with different lines
(25:01):
and people and, you know,technically should have a
different facility.
It's really prohibitive to, forthem to try to change and
satisfy the needs of a very,very small percentage of the
population.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse (25:18):
Yes.
Obviously the number of peoplewith allergies is continually
increasing.
So I hope that will lead tocontinued awareness and
accommodation and, and peopleunderstanding that once they get
our business, we're, we'reloyal.
They've got us for life and it'sworth achieving.
Mark Elvidge (25:33):
Yeah, and again, that, that is, one of the things
we're talking about on, on thisPact Alliance at FAIR is, is, is
the, the long term, loyalty thatthe food allergy consumer,
exhibits towards a brand thatthey trust.
and that's, that's reallyimmeasurable, and it's just so,
so valuable.
(25:53):
I mean, we have We havecustomers, Amanda, that
discovered us, you know, whentheir children were 3, years
old.
back when we started, right, inthe late 90s, 98, um, 99, 2000
was a big year because we had aPeople Magazine article that
came out about us and, that justkind of blew the doors off,
(26:15):
awareness for us.
But, Many of those customershave grown up on Vermont Net
Free.
So every birthday, every,holiday, every season, every,
college cram session for exams,right?
Sending college gifts andbaskets to them from, when they
move, move that on their own.
And then in, in many cases,we've done several, bride and
(26:38):
groom.
Truffles, the two piece truffleswith the bride and groom's name
on it from people that aregetting married now that were
customers when they were fiveyears old, So that's, that's
really, a testament to the longterm value of, of a customer in
this free from spaves.
we've done, not only thosewedding favors for people, but
(26:58):
then, baby shower and thenchristening and bar mitzvah
gifts and things like that topersonalize kind of favors.
Uh, so, third generation, uh,coming up on Vermont, not free
products, right?
Just following them
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse (27:13):
right through the lifespan.
Mark Elvidge (27:15):
Yeah, that's gotta be really, really cool.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse (27:18):
Uh, yeah, that must just be such an
amazing feeling You know, itseems like a simple thing, and I
think people, again, who don'tlive the life don't realize
what, what does it matter ifthat kid has a different treat
in his classroom, or if thatkid, is left out in some way,
but I think it really makes adifference to not feel at all
times either scared and nervousand afraid to try something or
(27:38):
to feel, that what we're havingis less than or that we have a
restricted choice, which, whichwe do, but it doesn't feel like
it when you log onto yourwebsite, and shop for candy.
So it's an experience that wedon't get often.
Mark Elvidge (27:51):
Yeah, it's a lot of work, right?
There's a lot of pieces to the,to the puzzle.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse (27:55):
What was it like just being an allergy
parent for you?
Mark Elvidge (27:59):
So it was it was again a learning experience
initially.
and then you know once once welearned about it I mean, I think
I don't think we ever got anypushback from any of the schools
or groups that Tanner joined oror was involved with we live in
a very small You Uh, community,up in northern Vermont, in the
Lake Champlain Islands.
And I think, the three, three,the five counties together, I
(28:22):
think there's 5, 000 people.
And it's five towns, so each onehas a little tiny school.
And, we were the first ones thatwe knew of to be, parents.
Or, or having a child go throughthe, the school system where
Tanner went through K through 8.
And, they were really good.
They, He gave us time at each inservice every year to do the
epinephrine training and, kindof go over the plan.
(28:45):
And, you know, they were goodabout moving, uh, his little,
um, medical bag betweenclassrooms if he had to move.
It wasn't long until he was ableto carry that, between
classrooms.
Um, so, we had a really, goodexperience, without pushback.
I don't know.
I've heard horror stories of,the school refusing, you know,
to do stuff.
(29:06):
that's, that's just, crazy.
but I guess it can happen, so.
Speaker 2 (29:11):
It is.
We, we were fortunate.
Mark Elvidge (29:13):
Um, so He, he's still allergic to peanuts.
He actually buys certain brandsthat he's learned to trust over
the years.
he's definitely a label reader,and he checks out websites and
he, you know, calls consumerlines as well when there's, when
there's, you know, realquestion.
Um, but he does find, an arrayof products that are tasty and
(29:36):
good and, suitable for hisallergy.
there's a couple of subscriptionservices that he uses now that,
you can put your allergies inthere and they'll just make sure
that everything they send youis, you know, kind of excluding
those, that you can't have.
Um, so, there's definitely, moreproduct and more variety and
more, choice, right, than therewas when we first started.
(30:00):
And when you first probably evenstarted.
with your, your child, andnavigating this, this, this
world.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse (30:06):
And it's surprising, you know, obviously
I'm a little ways behind you interms of going through the
process, but it's shocking to meto hear that he was the first
one and that there weren'tothers.
But I forget how rapidly they'regrowing, how quickly it's
increasing.
Mark Elvidge (30:19):
Yeah.
I mean, I think that diagnosisof paediatologist has more than,
more than tripled Right.
It seems to be a growing, issue,a problem.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse (30:28):
It's encouraging for all of us whose
kids are still younger to bereminded, not that we don't
know, but he grew up, he becamean adult, he's doing well, he's
healthy and, and, well.
I
Mark Elvidge (30:38):
mean, he went to, college in Boston, so he was
away, for four and a half yearsand then lived in Boston after
that and lived in London forfive years.
and is back in the U.
S.
now, but he's traveled andworked and experienced.
it doesn't have to slow you downat all.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse (30:57):
well, on that note, watching him grow up,
I always ask everyone, can yousay anything, what's a positive,
what's a bonus, or a good thingabout food allergies?
Mark Elvidge (31:08):
Well, I think the biggest thing is that, there's
worse things kids could get.
and then the other thing is, Ithink it makes them realize
that, not everybody can just eateverything.
and even though people may havedifferent allergies, or things
that they can and can't eat,understanding it from your point
(31:31):
of view and saying, Oh, youknow.
I got this, let me help you ask,ask this question.
I don't wish, wish it onanybody, but, he, he has done
well and thrived.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse (31:43):
That's great to hear.
Well, we're all thankful forwhat came of his allergies.
can you Tell everybody wherethey can find Vermont nut free.
Mark Elvidge (31:52):
Yeah.
So, our website iswww.vermontnutfree.com and
Vermont is all spelled out.
we are available in, manyretailers, uh, but a few SKUs
here and there.
we have a store locator page onour website as well and you can
type in where you live and, and,or the city or zip and, and, it
(32:12):
can show you the closest stores.
we do mail order all over thecountry and actually, into
Canada and, some of the Europeancountries as well.
We have, we have some prettyregular customers.
So, we can get product to you,no matter where you live.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse (32:27):
I know one concern that people have
mentioned is how do you shipchocolate to hot places in warm
weather months?
Mark Elvidge (32:35):
Yeah, so we use styrofoam shipping containers
with ice packs.
and then we just make sure thatthe shipping level is, within,
one to three days.
we want to do a five day acrossthe country UPS ground right to
California from Vermont in, inJuly.
So we just got to make sure thatwe're watching the weather and,
and, adding those warm weathershipping containers when, when
(32:57):
needed.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse (32:57):
is there anything that we didn't get to
or that you want to mention?
Mark Elvidge (33:01):
Just, again.
We've got a dedicated team ofworkers that work super hard
every day to, you know, makesure that the products are safe
and delicious.
And, it's not, uh, it's not justGail in the kitchen anymore.
It's, it's a whole team ofpeople, so.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse (33:17):
Is Gail still in the kitchen at all?
Mark Elvidge (33:19):
she does product formulations and flyer design.
with our sales marketingcoordinator on, packaging and,
and new, launches and thingslike that, but mostly remotely.
I'm in the, uh, in the buildingevery day, kind of running
operations and, you get 38, 38people now, working for us.
So, it's a little different thanwhen, I think we had two people
(33:42):
coming to our house when wedecided, It was, yeah, time to,
time to move to a bigger space,but, um, yeah, three buildings
later we've, we've got a greatteam of hardworking people who,
who really, believe in us and,and, and what we do for our, our
customers.
So, it's, it's a nicecombination.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse (34:00):
Well, thank you.
Thank you to all of them, and toyou, and to Gail, because it
seems like it's a small thingthat's such a big thing that,
that that exists for us as anoption, so thank you.
Yeah.
Mark Elvidge (34:10):
Thank you, Amanda, for inviting me on and, letting
me tell the story a little bit.
And here are your three actionsteps that you can take away
from today's episode.
Number one, if, Peanut, treenut, sesame, coconut, and egg
free treats are safe for you,and you're as hungry as I am
after talking about chocolate,go to vermontnutfree.
(34:31):
com.
You can shop online, you canfind the store locator to find a
place where you can shop nearyou.
Number two, if that doesn't workfor your allergens, take a
minute to find something thatdoes.
I'm sharing the link in thenotes to snacksafely.
com.
If there are any of you outthere who don't know about them
yet, you should.
(34:52):
You can read on their websiteabout the links that they go to
to research and get informationfrom food manufacturers and
different brands to determinewhich items are safe for the top
nine allergens.
So you can find that atsnacksafely.
com and click on their safesnack guide.
(35:12):
Number three continue buildingand strengthening your support
network and letting yourselflean on the people who want to
help you and be there for You bysharing this information Share
this episode share the Vermontnot free website Share a Snack
Safely Guide or even just aspecific brand or product with
the people who love you and wantto buy you a treat once in a
(35:33):
while, who want to be able toshow up and bring something that
you can eat.
Make it easier for people to bethere for you and support you
and understand what your needsare.
the content of this podcast isfor informational and
educational purposes only, andis not a substitute for
professional medical or mentalhealth advice, diagnosis, or
treatment.
If you have any questions aboutyour own medical experience or
(35:55):
mental health needs, pleaseconsult a professional.
I'm Dr.
Amanda White house.
Thanks for joining me.
And until we chat again,remember don't feed the fear.
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