Choice Partners
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Remember in Jr. High when you had friends, best friends, and bestest friends?
For us, Choice Partners are our bestest friends. Choice Partners are companies and providers which we work with who honor and reflect our own philosophy: real food, sourced locally, created by hands that care.
Some Choice Partners hand craft key ingredients especially for us, such as our artisan breads, and our local salad greens. All understand that what kids eat matters and that if anyone deserves the best, it is our kids. They understand that you can't take short cuts, or use cheap ingredients if you really care about our future and our planet.
Check out some of our Choice Partners:
Annie's Homegrown
Annie's and Choicelunch are quite a match! We both believe that there are connections between how we feed our kids, and how we prioritize the future. Our genuine Annie's Mac and Cheese is made in our kitchens each morning, using Annie's organic pasta and real aged Wisconsin cheddar cheese.
Coleman Natural Foods
Coleman Naturals has over a hundred-year history of working with small family-run ranches whose animals are raised without the use of hormones, antibiotics, nitrates/nitrites, MSG or fillers of any kind. They are leading the way in distributing fresh natural and organic poultry and beef products in America. Ahh, but how does their meat taste? We devoured their hamburgers, drooled, and then put them in front of kids. The next day, the kids begged "can we have another hamburger?" Coleman has joined our gang, naturally. (Get it, naturally...? Bah da ba!)
Dr. Sears
Dr. Sears has long been known as America's pediatric family. They are experts in helping kids thrive, and they understand that real food can be a prescription for health. Found in our snack bin, Dr. Sears tasty snacks won rave reviews in our kids' tasting panels, proving that taste and nutrition can be combined.
Food Recycling Project
Choicelunch has led the way in joining with local waste companies to convert our local food waste into renewable energy. Find out more about the innovative programs in our area!
Gizdich Ranch
Vince Gizdich has spent his life on a 67 acre ranch in Watsonville. With his wife of 20 years, Vince has upheld the Gizdich family tradition of connecting to their local community through the fruits of Mother Nature: 14 varieties of apples and native berries you haven’t even heard of (ollalieberries?). Rather than using heavy pesticides and poisons to kill the predators that can infiltrate the fruits of his labor, Vince uses ‘Integrated Pest Management,’ and seeks to sell only to his neighbors.
Nourish
Nourish is an educational initiative designed to open a meaningful conversation about food and sustainability, particularly in schools and communities. To inform and inspire the largest number of people, Nourish combines PBS television, curriculum resources, web content, short films and teacher and youth seminars. With a distinctly positive vision, Nourish celebrates both food and community, just like Choicelunch!
Parker's Crazy Cookies
Almost 'graham cracker,' in taste, Parker's Crazy Cookies are "packed with fun!" as Dave Parker himself says. Kids love the character designs and parents love these very low sugar, very low-fat, vegan cookies. We love Mr. Parker, who, when we asked, bent over backwards to give us individual cookies in compostable packaging. Dave, will you sign our yearbook?
Popchips
Popchips is known for changing the way people understand the words 'snacks' and 'chips.' Snacking can be good for you! (A little like how we at Choicelunch are transforming the words, 'school lunch.' ) Long a favorite of O Magazine™, Rachel Ray and even Justin, our CEO, popchips aren't baked or fried. The geniuses at popchips apply heat, pressure and a little magic to create something crispy and delicious and we love them for it!
Skipolinis
Skipolinis and Choicelunch are small family businesses that have successfully grown, while keeping their focus on making the very best food possible. Using premium ingredients, Skipolinis is a local pizzeria that provides hot, hand-tossed pizza moments before lunch, to many of our area schools. We have many local pizza providers, who make pizzas from scratch each morning and who deliver right to our schools. Kids and the parents are thrilled to see the community connections we build in order to deliver the best, tastiest lunches possible.
Sprouts
Sprouting all over California, these neighborhood markets emphasize high quality, fresh ingredients at a great value. Especially unique from 'big box stores,' Sprouts Farmers Market offers a bright, cheery grocery shopping experience with the feel of an old fashioned farmers' market. Naturally, Sprouts and Choicelunch make a great pair with our mutual understanding that improving the way we eat at home and at school, starts with one family at a time.
Sukhi's
Sukhi is a Mom who simply wanted to feed her growing kids authentic Indian foods, using natural ingredients. Thousands of years of culinary know-how goes into all of her dishes, and with her success, she can feed Choicelunchers, too! You can smell the toasting spices in the kitchen of Sukhi's busy business, where she works every day with her grown children. Sukhi knows just what kids want and delivers exceptional flavors to our popular Indian lunches.