Listen to Birch Benders co-founder Lizzi Ackerman talk about how she and LaCasse, now her husband, gripped onto their idea and built their business without knowing anything about food, the piece of advice that rocketed their sales — and disasters in the kitchen along the way.
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A balanced, high-protein breakfast will help you stay energized and satiated well past noon. If you’re sick of omelets and scrambles, check out these eggless options.
Think you need to forgo pancakes if you’re trying to eat healthily? This protein-rich mix from Birch Benders will let you have your (pan)cake and eat it too. After preparing them, which is super easy and only requires water, drizzle one tablespoon of maple syrup and sprinkle ¼ cup of sliced almonds on top for some extra vitamin E and protein.
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While it’s safe to say that cavemen did not eat pumpkin pancakes, that didn’t stop Birch Benders from putting together a paleo pumpkin spice pancake mix, which launched at Whole Foods last month and retails for $5.99.
All you need to do to the mix — made with cassava flour, almond flour, coconut flour, dried pumpkin, eggs and monk fruit — is add water and cook.
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Just add water and you can make delicious pumpkin spice pancakes, made with actual pumpkin and seasonal spices, in addition to almond, coconut and cassava flours. Birch Benders already had a pumpkin spice flavor in its lineup, but this is the first Paleo version, which is grain-free and gluten-free as well as low-glycemic. Per serving are 120 calories, 6 grams of protein and 3 grams of fiber.
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Birch Benders Pumpkin Spice Pancakes
Don’t have time (or, let’s be honest, the energy) to make a batch of pancakes from scratch? Just add water to this mix made with dried pumpkin, buttermilk, cinnamon, and nutmeg for fluffy fall hotcakes or waffles in minutes. There’s even a Paleo version for those looking to stay healthy during the holidays.
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BIRCH BENDERS PUMPKIN SPICE MIX
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Birch Benders Pumpkin Spice is part of the newest class of PSL-flavored natural food and beverages soon coming on the market.
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Two young Colorado food entrepreneurs share how they built a better-for-you pancake mix brand from the ground up.
Matt LaCasse and Lizzi Ackerman love pancakes, but they couldn’t find a “just-add-water” mix without what Ackerman calls “junky ingredients.” So, they set out to make a tasty, healthy and convenient pancake mix. From their home in Boulder, the millennial couple worked to sell their product at Boulder-area local Whole Foods Market stores, then at natural groceries in Colorado and beyond.
In just a few years, Birch Benders Micro-Pancakery has created 15 selections—including four organic options, a paleo blend, a gluten-free choice and a high-protein version—moved to north Denver and made its way onto shelves in 7,000 stores. Here, the two looked back at the beginning of Birch Benders and what they’ve learned along the way.
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Whether you’re ready or not, pumpkin spice season is upon us. And if you’re a pumpkin fan but also livin’ that healthy lifestyle, fear not: there’s tons of stuff for you, too.
It’s true, though — pumpkin spice flavors aren’t just for Oreos and sugary lattes (although we don’t mind those now and then!). From protein powders to flax-and-pumpkin-seed granolas to oatmeals and Greek yogurts, it seems like pumpkin spice has invaded some of our healthiest staples and snacks. We’re not mad about it. ‘Tis the season, right?
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These delicious peanuty pancakes are a cinch to make on crazed mornings and camping trips alike. Just add water, stir and throw the batter on a blazing hot griddle. In addition to wholesome wheat flour, this mix features roasted peanut flour and whey, bringing each serving to 16 grams of protein.
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Six healthy food entrepreneurs share their expert tips
From entrepreneurs launching new healthy food products to food bloggers and vloggers broadcasting their healthy eating ideas to health coaches and healthy food consultants helping people make better eating choices, more and more people seem to be making a career out of healthy food. But while being an entrepreneur sounds sexy, it requires a different skill set than being a chef, dietitian or just a person who’s passionate about food and health.
I, for one, am a registered dietitian, spokeswoman, writer and cookbook author, but may not be the best person to ask about breaking into the business since I was self-guided. So, I turned to six entrepreneurs who have broken into the healthy food biz to get their tips to success. Here’s what they said:
Find a mentor.
“It’s hard to learn any industry, and there are a lot of potential pitfalls that a good mentor can help you avoid. Mentorship has been invaluable to me personally, and I think finding mentors and people who have been successful in your industry and are willing to advise you is one of the most important parts of being an entrepreneur and building a successful business. One of the most influential mentors in my life built his company from nothing; he had no prior industry experience getting started, but he became a student of the industry, surrounded himself with the right people and advisors, and ultimately led his company to a very profitable exit. He really understands the difficulties we face on a day-to-day basis because he’s faced them too. It’s wonderful to have people you can count on who have been there, done that, and want to help guide you along to the path to success.”
– Lizzi Ackerman, co-founder and CMO of Birch Benders
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Our take
No, Neanderthals didn’t eat pancakes. But if they had this mix, they might not have hunted mammoths to extinction. Based on a blend of cassava, coconut, and almond flours, these paleo flapjacks are totally gluten-free and boast a respectable 6 grams of protein per two-cake serving. Birch Benders flavors its mix with low-calorie monkfruit, which let us skip loading them up with messy, sugary toppings. “As the chef, I usually eat my pancakes like cookies while I’m making the next round,” says one tester. “These have a really nice texture and little hint of sweetness that doesn’t leave me missing the syrup.” Tip: These don’t bubble in the pan, so they’re easy to overcook.
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Local non-profit organization Urban Peak and Birch Benders have teamed up to create one of the best partnerships of 2017. Birch Benders, a Boulder-launched pancake company now located in Denver, has become the official sponsor for Urban Peaks’ morning breakfast that serves the homeless youth in Denver.
Often considered the “invisible” population, roughly 921 homeless youth are found sleeping on the streets on any given night. Research has shown the jump in rent prices, lack of employment opportunities, chronic homelessness, varying health issues as well as differing environmental circumstances (no, not the legalization of marijuana), all contribute to this number.
“One thing to really note about youth experiencing homelessness is that they have a really unique resilience,” said Joshua Zmroczek, director of development for Urban Peak.
Founded in 1988, Urban Peak provides education, housing and employment opportunities to homeless youth between the ages of 15 to 24. The mission of Urban Peak is to help Denver’s youth overcome real life challenges and become self-sufficient adults through programming and outreach services — including daily meals. Every weekday morning at the local drop-in center, volunteer groups — from church groups, to groups of friends, to corporate volunteer groups — come in and serve a hot breakfast. The menu? Pancakes and waffles provided by Birch Benders, specializing in just add water pancake mix.
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A new generation of entrepreneurs is quickly becoming a driving force in natural foods. Here’s a closer look at a few of the millennials who are innovators in the industry.
Lizzi Ackerman, cofounder and CMO of Birch Benders
Matt La Casse, cofounder and CEO of Birch Benders
“I woke up one morning wanting pancakes and didn’t want to go through the hassle of making pancakes,” and out of that need, Birch Benders was born, La Casse says. Ackerman goes on to explain that there weren’t any just-add-water natural ingredient pancake mixes on the market at that time. So she and then-boyfriend La Casse set out to create a convenient pancake mix out of simple, natural ingredients that was delicious and affordable. They incorporated Birch Benders in 2011. It is a natural and organic brand featuring vegan, paleo, gluten-free, high-protein and more traditional (like buttermilk) pancake mix versions. A lot of time and care goes into the creation of their pancake mixes, as Ackerman recounts their multiple double-blind taste tests to find the best flours to use. Then she explains they replicated those double-blind taste tests for every single other ingredient in their mixes. La Casse and Ackerman, married in 2015, go on to express that they look to make Birch Benders “the number one pancake brand in the country” as it expands into new product categories. “Super exciting ideas that are not what you expect, but still very much a part of our brand,” beams Ackerman.
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Those on high-protein diets that want a tasty way to indulge in a classic breakfast food can make use of the Birch Benders Peanut Butter Protein Pancake Mix. Crafted with all-natural ingredients, the pancake and waffle mix is prepared simply by adding water and offers 16-grams of protein per serving. The mix is free of GMOs and trans fats, while eggs, milk and oil are also not found in the free-from recipe used to craft the easily prepared mix.
The Birch Benders Peanut Butter Protein Pancake Mix comes from the Denver-based brand as a suitable option for those who are on alternative diets such as Paleo, gluten-free and vegan. The mix is focused on convenience but is purported not to disappoint when it comes to offering the distinctly rich flavor of creamy peanut butter.
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