Posted Jan 27, 2010
When customers taste bread made at Jenny Simmons’ bakery, they may hug her or break into tears.
It’s not just the taste that causes the reaction — all the products at the bakery are free of gluten, proteins that are found in wheat, rye and barley.
Simmons, owner of Jenny Mae’s Gluten-Free Goodies, often listens to customers share their struggles in finding food to match their dietary needs.
Simmons can empathize.
Simmons, 38, spent years experimenting and learning techniques to bake bread and other food items for family members dealing with gluten intolerance.
“You can’t grasp the challenges of eating gluten-free until it’s gone,” Simmons said.
Gluten-free diets are the only treatment option for those with celiac disease, a genetic disorder where destruction of the small intestine lining is triggered by the consumption of gluten.
About one in 133 people in the United States are affected by the disease, according to the University of Maryland Center for Celiac Research.
If not treated, celiac disease can be life-threatening, as those with the disease may be more likely to be afflicted with other health problems such as osteoporosis, central and peripheral nervous system disease and organ disorders.
“It’s all about changing the diet,” said Deborah Ceizler, director of marketing for the Celiac Disease Foundation. “There’s no medication.”
The gluten-free diet has also become necessary for those who have a sensitivity to gluten and has been used as a treatment for autism.
As a result, demand has grown for gluten-free products.
Between 2004 and 2008, retail sales in the United States for such products increased 28 percent to $1.6 billion, according to a report by Packaged Facts, a publication on market research in food, beverage, and consumer packaged goods.
Small family-owned companies make up much of the industry, but big food producers have started to jump in as well.
General Mills, for example, has started advertising several products, like its Chex cereals, as gluten-free.
And several national-chain restaurants, such as Olive Garden and Outback Steakhouse, offer gluten-free entrees.
The market for gluten-free food products is expected to reach $2.6 billion by 2012, according to the same report from Packaged Facts.
“Many have said they see the gluten-free market as a fad that will come and go like many other ‘diets’ have in recent years,” said Channon Quinn, director of industry programs for the Gluten Intolerance Group, a national organization that provides support to persons with gluten intolerances. “What they fail to include is the fact that a majority of the people eating this diet do so out of necessity, not for weight loss reasons or other motivations.”
Just a few years ago, it was common for a family on a gluten-free diet to drive hours to a major metropolitan area to find foods that met their needs, Ceizler said.
“When a place opens up that is offering gluten-free options for the people in the community, they’re just so thrilled,” she said.
Simmons, who has a finance degree from Washington State University, never considered opening a business. But she ultimately made the jump as friends encouraged her to offer her bread to the public. One friend even scouted a location on Ahtanum Road for a potential bakery.
By mid-October, Simmons opened the bakery at 8308 Ahtanum Road, in the back of a seasonal produce shop.
Besides bread, the bakery sells pre-made pie crusts and pizza rounds, muffins, sandwich rounds and ready-to-bake cookie dough.
“Convenience is a big part,” she said. “Gluten-free baking is difficult.”
Beem’s Nutrition, which has two locations in the Yakima Valley, has long offered gluten-free products.
The store isn’t only stocking more products — the store offers more than 500 gluten-free products in different categories — there are more products that are ready-to-eat or come in easy to use mixes, something that was less available a few years ago.
“It just matches the lifestyle of the general public,” said general manager Mark Hall.
Despite market changes, those dealing with gluten intolerance still struggle to find solutions.
Geppetto’s has offered gluten-free spaghetti since it open last summer.
Co-owner Craig Paddock estimates that about 5 percent to 7 percent of his customers order the gluten-free pasta.
“It seems there’s a larger and larger population that is gluten-sensitive,” he said. “It would be horrible to have a group of people in and somebody there (is) stuck with a salad and can’t eat an entree.”
While Paddock desires to expand that selection, only the spaghetti has passed the taste test. He’s tried 10 different products so far.
“I think gluten-free items have come a long way because there’s more of a market there, but there’s still a lot of items out there that basically taste like cardboard,” Paddock said.
Keri Wells, owner of Sixth Street Coffee in Prosser, faces a similar challenge. The coffee shop has been offering gluten-free muffins and breads from Seattle and Portland since it opened a year ago.
“There’s a huge lag in a product that is edible and (has) any shelf life,” she said.
Unlike other food categories, such as organic, there are no federal standards required for a product to designate itself as gluten-free.
Several nonprofit groups, such as the Gluten Intolerance Group, have taken on this task and offer programs to certify products as gluten-free.
It appears that companies are willing to go through certification.
The Gluten Intolerance Group reported that the number of companies with certified gluten-free products nearly doubled in 2009.
And local restaurant owners understand the extra work it takes to offer the products.
At Sixth Street Coffee, all sandwiches made with gluten-free bread are cut and made on a separate cutting board and all the baked goods remain wrapped and separate from other products until they are served to customers.
“We got a separate pot that we boil only gluten-free pasta and separate utensils,” Paddock said about the kitchen at Geppetto’s. “You just have to be aware of it.”
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Despite no advertising and an out-of-the way location, Simmons has managed to sell all the bread she makes for Jenny Mae’s Gluten-Free Goodies.
Some customers have come from as far as the Tri-Cities only to be turned away because she ran out of bread. Simmons has learned to have those customers call ahead or place an order over e-mail or the phone.
“I can’t bake the bread fast enough,” she said.
She expects to make up the $15,000 initial investment and then some by the spring. She credits much of her success to her customers, who have been responsible for much of the bakery’s publicity.
“They want you to survive because they need you,” she said. “They don’t want you to go away. It’s an emotional connection for people.”
–Mai Hoang can be reached at 509-577-7685 or mhoang@yakimaherald.com.
For more information
About celiac disease: Visit www.celiac.org or call 1-818-990-2354 for a brochure. A list of certified gluten-free products: www.gfco.org/
A list of restaurants offering gluten-free entrees: www.glutenfreerestaurants.org/
Date: Jan 26, 2010
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