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Rachel
Kruse was inspired to start her own line of organic foods by
her grandmother’s homemade salad dressings.
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You might say that Rachel Kruse is a
homegrown woman. The 33-year-old Milwaukee native is proud to be a
third generation vegetarian. Her roots led her away from the corporate
rat race to follow her passion — organic foods.
Five years ago Kruse started
Organicville, an organic line of foods, specifically salad dressings,
salsas, marinades and ketchup. The company took off and, after six
months in business, went nationwide.
"I used to say when I was growing
up that I wanted to bottle my grandma’s salad dressings. I was just
such a salad girl," laughs Kruse. When she turned 27, she took
that dream and ran with it. She started with seven salad dressings,
but the demand for her products grew quickly. Now Organicville has 11
salad dressings and much more.
Kruse’s goals were to create a line
that would break the myth that organic didn’t taste good and to make
something everyone could enjoy, including people who are diabetic and
gluten or lactose intolerant. All of her products are sugar free. She
replaces sugar with agave nectar as a key ingredient.
At the beginning, Kruse searched
through various recipes and then created her own by blending and using
different ingredients such as tamari instead of soy sauce in her
teriyaki sauce.
These key ingredients are what make her
products palatable for the diabetic, gluten and lactose intolerant
person. "It feels really good to be able to help those segments
of the population," she adds.
She believes the flavor of her foods is
what sent her business to the national level. Her products can be
found locally at Pick ’n Save, Sendik’s and Outpost stores.
Kruse says her mother has been a
helpful resource for her product line. "I have so much wonderful
influence from my mom because she is a wholistic practitioner,"
she explains.
If you’re wondering which dressing
closely resembles her grandmother’s, try the French. She also has a
new dressing in the works made especially for one of her family
members and five to seven new products that will be launched within
the next year.
Kruse now lives in northern California
with husband Adam and daughter Skyler, near UC Berkeley, where she
went to college. The family plans to relocate to Milwaukee in the near
future.
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