The Spelt Bakery /Aran Foods Inc., had its origins at the East Vancouver Farmer's Market in Vancouver, BC, Canada in the summer of 1998. This was when people first started asking, "How's that Spelt?"

In December of 1998, I, Janet, opened a retail bakery on Nanaimo Street in Vancouver. Less than two years later I moved the bakery to the Commercial Drive neighbourhood where it was for many years. 9 years later, the business had grown considerably. I met my new business partner, Christine, and together we propelled the bakery to the next level. We have moved to a bigger, better and much brighter location. How's that spelt products are now in many stores, restaurants, cafes, etc. in Vancouver. Our famous Breakfast Cookie, after 12 years of loyal followers, is now being distributed by Horizon Distributors all over Western Canada, soon available back east. We constantly write new recipes and develop new products for our customers whom we call Spelties!

New baking workshops and new product lines are coming soon, with great anticipation!! Our newsletters inform the spelties of all news and events at the bakery! The sky is the limit for us at The Spelt Bakery!!

We are proud to promote local, all natural, additive & sulphite free ingredients, free range eggs and pure non-hydrogenated oils GMO free. All our breads are made with organic cane sugar and/or pure honey. We make our famous sourdough breads with a 20 year old spelt sour. None of our products contain conventional wheat! We, Christine & Janet, are both wheat intolerant and we are very adamant on being careful to have ingredients that have no cross contamination with wheat and always educate our customers on product information. We always recommend to our customers to ask merchants the list of their ingredients so everyone knows what they eat. We are constantly striving for the best ingredients for our spelt baked goods, made with 100% Organic & Canadian spelt flour.

OUR MISSION STATEMENT:

• To educate people about the wonder grain "Spelt".
• To provide the widest variety of spelt based products with the most natural & local ingredients possible.
• To consciously provide products with a sustainable energy for sustainable living.
• To create a positive impact on our environment and our community.

OUR PHILOSOPHY:

At The Spelt Bakery we produce only the finest baked goods made with a base of 100% organic & Canadian spelt flour. We also use organic cane sugar, pure honey, free range eggs, sulphite free dry goods, non-hydrogenated & GMO free pure oils, pure butter and as much as possible, local & organic ingredients.

We believe: "You are what you eat." Our philosophy comes from a strong belief that our well being is based on our environment and the food that we eat. Our goal is to educate people about the positive impact that eating spelt and eating well can have.

The Spelt Bakery also uses only "Green" cleaning products, including our dish & laundry soap and the waxing of our floors.

We support small businesses by organizing a "Time share" at our bakery for start-up baking businesses.

We donate our excess bread production and our famous "Breakfast Cookies" to various local organizations and for a variety fundraising events within our community.

Being part of a community is important to us and is an essential reason for our continued success. We believe in sharing resources within the local community and are happy to give back.

Janet Féirín, opened The Spelt Bakery in December 1998 after selling at the East Vancouver Farmer's Market in the summer of 1998. She started baking with spelt in 1990 after discovering that she had a wheat intolerance in 1985. She was determined to make good breads and pastries and discovered that spelt is an amazing grain to bake with, though very different from wheat. Janet, a born and raised first generation Vancouverite of British parents, is considered the best spelt baker in Canada. Janet writes about spelt on her blog http://speltbaker.blogspot.com.

Christine Hedbaut, now owner with Janet since 2007, has been a rebellious chef and a kitchen manager in the food industry for 25 years. She brings a love of flavour and fusion to the recipes, also her exceptional organization skills to the bakery. From French/Italian parents, Christine was born in Québec. Christine also designs all the labels for the bakery's packaging and of course the French translation. Christine has been self-employed for many years and enjoys the challenges & drive that being a business owner brings.