DENVILLE, NJ (May 9, 2017) — Chia Star, the low sugar super food snack beverage based on whole seed full soaked chia, is collaborating with Heartland Chia, the first grower of chia seeds in the United States.
“We are really excited to be working with Chris Kummer, the man behind Heartland Chia, who is successfully growing multiple varieties of Early Flowering Chia on his farms in Kentucky,” said Sara Erb, Founder & CEO of Chia Star.
Early Flowering (EF) Chia is a patented plant, is non-GMO and the only chia that can grow to seed fruition in certain regions of the U.S.
Chris Kummer and Sara Erb started talking in 2014 about how their two companies could combine efforts, and since then Chris has worked with farmers in 18 states that have had successful trial growing EF Chia. Farmers in 4 states now have dedicated acreage for chia and just this year, the USDA granted chia a crop code, officially recognizing it as a commercial crop in the U.S.
Chia as a crop, is unrivaled for its sustainability and potent nutrient profile. Chia Star is made in small batches in Vermont and all other ingredients are from long-standing reputable companies in the U.S.
“I want our chia to be grown in this country, I’ve always been an advocate for the American farmer, they have the critically important job of raising our food, this is serious stuff on many levels including supporting our local economies,” Erb said.
The U.S. has some of the best food safety oversight in the world, and Kummer has implemented state of the art sifting, cleaning, testing and storage systems to ensure that only very high quality gets into our food supply.
Chia Star has committed to purchase tonnage of certified organic chia in 2018 and Heartland Chia is in the process of working with a certified organic farm to fulfill this demand.
On the subject of the importance of organic chia, Erb said, “Even though chia is so sustainable on its own merit, not requiring the use of chemical pesticides and herbicides, I think supporting the practice of organic farming is growing in importance and I want to continue to advocate for this as I have for over 25 years.”
This new movement in the food and beverage industry towards smaller, more wholesome, local companies is fueling entrepreneurship, U.S. manufacturing and small family farms. Chia Star is proud to be a part of this wonderful movement.
For more information about Chia Star and our commitment to health, sustainably and organically grown food and delicious super-food beverages go to www.chiastar.com.
About Chia Star
Chia Star is a wildly delicious super-food beverage that supports hydration, energy, digestion and aids in the stabilization of blood sugar through its high fiber attributes. Certified Organic, Verified Non GMO, no preservatives, artificial sweeteners, additives, gums or fillers. Chia Star is under 100 calories and ranges from Zero – 8 grams of sugar per bottle depending on the flavor.
About Heartland Chia
Heartland Chia is a farmer owned company engaged in research, development, growing and marketing of Early Flowering Chia, a chia that is able to be grown in the Midwestern US. Heartland’s objective is to provide new crop opportunity for US farmers while benefiting consumers, food and feed companies with a reliable, local, traceable supply of chia. Heartland Chia holds exclusive license to new patented varieties of chia that can grow in the shorter season of the Midwestern US.