There was deliciousness as far as the eye could see at this month’s in-store tasting. From mouth-watering hemp baked delights and chocolates to chewy raw vegan superfood bars, bliss balls galore, water kefir and coconut oil in all its glory.

Thank you to those customers who popped in to the event on Saturday morning and to our suppliers – Vitahemp, Little Zebra Chocolates, Cocolife, Food to Nourish and Love Your Guts- for generously supplying us with a range of wonderful products.

We had some excellent feedback on omega rich Vitahemp hemp seed products which included hemp hearts, flour, protein powder and ‘nature’s perfectly balanced’ hemp seed oil, all grown in Tasmania and processed locally in Coolum. Kristin had whipped up a selection of tasty muffins, crackers, hummus and vegan protein bars to showcase the delicate nutty flavour and rich, moist texture of hemp seed products. Many customers walked away with recipes ready to experiment with hemp in their own kitchens.

People were keen to learn about Cocolife’s high quality coconut oil products including their versatile organic extra virgin coconut oil, MCT Keto tonic endorsed by Luke Hines himself and a very convenient coconut oil spray for easy greasing of those annoying muffin or cake tins. Many were very surprised by the ‘clean’ flavour of the MCT Keto tonic, having expected it to taste ‘greasy’ or to have an overpoweringly coconut flavour; of which it has none. A few were excited to start adding some into their morning coffee or smoothie for a long lasting energy boost.

To complement their ‘morning tea’ of baked goodies, customers were most impressed by the effervescent, flavoursome blends of Love Your Guts water kefir. With flavours such as Elderflower, Raspberry and Mint or Passionfruit, up for sampling, it was hard for people to choose their favourite. It seemed that Elderflower stood out as being both unique and tasty and was generally the all-round winner. It’s great to find another delicious product to help boost our gut health.

Finally there’s no tasting complete without a sweet treat to round this off. We certainly didn’t disappoint with Food to Nourish’ decadent bliss balls filled with activated nuts and seeds, superfoods and good fats. You could see the delight in customers’ eyes as they made their way through all 5 flavours and then gave their verdict on which was the best. Luscious Lemon (with coconut) was a winning combination because clearly they pair together perfectly. But the other flavours all proved popular with Choc Chip Cookie Dough coming in a very close second.

Who doesn’t love chocolate that’s also ridiculously good for you? That’s what you would have found at the end of our tasting table with Little Zebra hemp seed chocolates. We convinced a number of chocoholics to shift over from the dark side to embrace the antioxidant rich bars which were filled with dark cacao, hemp seed oil and hearts and sweetened with tooth friendly xylitol. No more blood sugar spikes thanks!

Once again, thank you to everyone who supported the event. We continue to enjoy sharing our passion for such inspiring companies who make products to nourish our body and soul and support environmental sustainability. See you all on the 22^nd September for our next in store tasting.

written by Emma H for go natural foods