Frequently Asked Questions
Index of FAQ’s – Click the Links Below to Explore |
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What are the Nutritional Facts and Allergen Information
about Cheri’s HazelCream?
Cheri’s HazelCream is made with Oregon Hazelnuts, specially prepared to our specifications by a certified nut processor adhering to all applicable laws and regulations for quality. However, Hazelnuts are tree nuts that can cause allergic reactions in some individuals. Under FDA regulations we must advise consumers of this risk.
We are a small company just starting out, so today we use a leased licensed commercial kitchen to perform our “HazelCream magic”. Every effort is made to isolate our production from other product made in the facility and our workspace is regularly cleaned and sanitized to avoid other major allergens. However, it is impossible to completely eliminate the possibility of cross contamination.
As we grow, we expect to eventually move to a dedicated facility where we can truly eliminate the possibility of cross contamination, but until then if you are highly sensitive to any of the FDA major allergens, you may wish to avoid our product for now.
CONTAINS: TREE NUTS
(Hazelnuts)
ALLERGY STATEMENT:
Made in a facility that also processes wheat flour and other possible allergens
Using Cheri’s HazelCream for Baby Formula?
With the current nationwide issue regarding Baby Formula, some may have considered our product as an ingredient or replacement.
Unfortunately, we simply do not have any data regarding the use of our product as part of baby formula.
Therefore, unless you are following specific instructions from your child’s doctor, Please DO NOT USE Cheri’s HazelCream as an ingredient in or as a replacement for Baby Formula.
CONTAINS: TREE NUTS
(Hazelnuts)
ALLERGY STATEMENT:
Made in a facility that also processes wheat flour and other possible allergens
How does Cheri’s HazelCream stack up vs. real dairy and almond milks?
Comparing Cheri’s HazelCream to whole dairy milk, we see that we have much lower sodium, carbohydrates, and total sugar while we have slightly lower calories per serving. Most of our calories come from the healthy plant based fat in the hazelnut.
When compared to Almond milks made from mostly water, we have twice the protein, and a lot less salt. If it weren’t for a lot of added supplements, the almond milk would have nearly no nutritional value at all .
Whole Milk
Almond Milk
Cheri’s HazelCream
What’s up with “Non-Dairy” vs. “Dairy-Free” and “Alternatives”?
When we started out, we thought we needed to explain what Cheri’s HazelCream was based on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rules for product naming conventions. Based on our research at the time the description “Hazelnut Non-Dairy Substitute” was the technically correct term.
We have since learned that FARE, the largest private funder dedicated to food allergy research and education has been promoting the term “Dairy-Free” to distinguish between certain products that may contain milk by-products such as caseins but legally can be called “Non-Dairy” and products like ours that have absolutely no dairy by-products which FARE calls “Dairy-Free“. That makes sense to us.
Now more recently, the FDA is being lobbied by dairy producing folks who don’t want anyone to use “Milk” or “Dairy” in their name for fear it will confuse some people who can’t tell the difference between milk from an animal like a cow or goat, vs. products like ours that derive their properties from a plant. We would like to think people are smart enough to figure that out for themselves, but nonetheless, that’s why words like “Substitute” and more recently “Alternative” have come into use. There’s even rumors out there saying the FDA wants to make all the non-dairy producers put the dreaded word “Imitation” in our names. YUCK! Only time will tell.
Upon reflection, we kinda like “Alternative” because “Subsitute” makes people think of things like substitute teachers or products you have to settle for which couldn’t be further from the truth with our product.
Please rest assured our product is truly is made from Hazelnut, is Dairy Free and is a great Alternative for Milk, Cream or Buttermilk in any recipe you can imagine.
Down the road when we have the next opportunity to adjust our labels, (or the FDA forces the industry) we will update our description.
RCP Foods LLC, makers of Cheri’s HazelCream™ Non-Dairy Milk Substitute, and FARE, the largest private funder dedicated to Food Allergy Research & Education, have partnered in a new Market Shaker partnership. FARE is a 501 (c) 3 charitable organization. FARE’s mission is to improve the quality of life and the health of individuals with food allergies, and to provide them hope through the promise of new treatments.
The FARE Market Shakers Community provides unique programming for small businesses, start-ups, entrepreneurs, and new market companies that are working to innovate the food allergy space and improve the lives of the food allergy community. It is our hope that through this partnership we can help FARE make a difference in the lives of people suffering from food allergies. A portion of every sale of Cheri’s HazelCream helps us support FARE in their efforts.
What are the environmental and health impacts of Hazelnut-based milks compared to other plant-based milks?
For many seeking a plant based diet, they may have questions about the impact of their choices.
The good news is that by consuming Cheri’s HazelCream you are being kinder to the planet than most other plant-based milks while gaining a number of nutritional advantages.
Almond milk is the market leader by volume. However, almonds require a lot of water to grow. Almonds also require high quality farmland and industrial scale bee keeping, and issues have been raised about the effect of pesticides on those bees (not to mention the milk). Hazelnut trees tend to prosper in poor soil, require 1/3 less water than almonds and are self-pollinating so bees are not affected.
Soy milks have been around for a long time, especially in Asia but require large acreages of cultivated land relative to Hazelnuts. Imported soy has been linked to deforestation of the Amazon. Soy also has a distinct aftertaste. Cheri’s HazelCream is specially formulated to have a balanced neutral flavor, more like dairy milk.
Rice milks have also been around for a long time but while less thirsty than almonds, rice also requires a lot of water to prosper and GMO rice may be of concern to some. Oregon hazelnut varieties are non-GMO developed in traditional breeding methods combine with genetic analysis to select trees that produce sustainable and nutritional nuts.
While Oat milks are generally OK for the environment, because they are a grain, the calories derived from oats are largely from carbohydrates which may not be what you are looking for. They also usually require fortification as very few nutrients in oatmilk survive processing in to milk. Hazelnut milk calories come largely from the healthy fats in the hazelnut and are naturally loaded with anti-oxidants.
What is Cheri’s HazelCream doing about plastics in our packaging?
The packaging we are using today, is recyclable, albeit most of it uses plastics.
- Our lids are highly recyclable aluminum foil based using soy based inks.
- Our portion cups are made from thin wall polypropylene (#5) which can be accepted by most recycling facilities.
- Our outer packaging is PET(#1), one of the most successfully re-cycled plastics in the world
- Mailing packages are 100% recyclable cardboard.
Having said all that, we are fully aware of the issues surrounding recycling of plastics in America and the world. We are looking to a future where new and innovative packages can be used that are fully compostable or more easily recycled.
While there are some new compostable materials on the market today, unfortunately most find themselves in the landfill today because processing centers are not yet able (or willing) to sort these new materials, Also some of the compostables we have looked at recently actually degrade faster than our product shelf life. So for now, we watch the industry and when the time is right, we will migrate to these newer materials.
I see some stuff separating to the bottom
of the container after a few days- what’s up with that?
Like most non dairy milks, and even some dairy milks, Cheri’s HazelCream is an emulsion of the natural hazelnut oil, and finely ground nut meat in water. Some separation is normal and natural based on the weight of the various ingredients.
Simply shake or stir your container and your HazelCream will go back into solution.
Why is there sugar in Cheri’s HazelCream?
We know some have concerns about added sugars. But we also know you want a great milk substitute. One of our main goals in making Cheri’s HazelCream was to create a taste and mouthfeel that is as close as we can get to Dairy Milks and Creams.
The dairy milk flavor profile has a certain slightly sweet taste that people expect. As a result we used a very small amount of sugar in our processing today to get there. Without it, the taste just wouldn’t be the right.
But before you run away screaming, consider this. For every 8 fl. oz. serving:
Whole Dairy Milk | has 12g of sugars (added by the cow!) |
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Cheri’s HazelCream | has ONLY 1g of sugar |
It is small enough that by the formula required by the government when producing nutritional fact labels, the added sugar calculation rounds down to 0%
During our development phase, we tried several fruit based sugars but one requirement we have is mouthfeel and there were always undissolved small particles that took away from the smoothness we wanted.
We continue to evaluate alternative sweeteners, ranging from stevia to natural sugar alcohols and we may introduce a version of the product with a different sweeter in the future.
What if I see a small darker flake of something in my HazelCream?
Occasionally you may see a few very small dark flakes within the paste or milk itself. These are completely normal.
Hazelnuts have a natural “pellicle” or outer skin that surrounds the nut meat. After roasting, these pellicles darken, crumble and fall off the nut. Our special process minimizes the amount of small pellicle flakes, but occasionally a few small pieces make their way into the final product. They are natural, edible, and completely safe.
What is Cheri’s HazelCream Giving Policy?
We are a small company just starting out, but we think it is important to everyone for Cheri’s HazelCream to look for ways of giving back for the abundance that surrounds us, and to nurture other organizations that benefit our customers and society at large.
in 2021, we entered into a Market Shakers Partnership with FARE, the largest private funder dedicated to food allergy research and education. They are a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization. The partnership provides unique programming for small businesses, start-ups, entrepreneurs, and new market companies that are working to innovate the food allergy space and improve the lives of the food allergy community.
RCP Foods LLC, makers of Cheri’s HazelCream™ Non-Dairy Milk Substitute, and FARE, the largest private funder dedicated to Food Allergy Research & Education, have partnered in a new Market Shaker partnership. FARE is a 501 (c) 3 charitable organization. FARE’s mission is to improve the quality of life and the health of individuals with food allergies, and to provide them hope through the promise of new treatments.
The FARE Market Shakers Community provides unique programming for small businesses, start-ups, entrepreneurs, and new market companies that are working to innovate the food allergy space and improve the lives of the food allergy community. It is our hope that through this partnership we can help FARE make a difference in the lives of people suffering from food allergies. A portion of every sale of Cheri’s HazelCream helps us support FARE in their efforts.
Do you have a product flyer to share with my friends?
Why, yes we do!
If you would like to download a copy of our product flyer to share with others,
