By Shannon Hazlitt Harts
There’s enough to love about cookies, but imagine if a certain type of cookie started with a love story. It turns out, this is the case for Emmy’s Organics, which is based right in Ithaca.
The company got its start when co-founders Ian Gaffney and Samantha Abrams decided to spend weekend date nights baking in Ian’s mom’s kitchen—The name Emmy’s is a tribute to Ian’s mom for letting them use this space.
They specifically worked on recipes that Ian—who is gluten-free—could enjoy. After many late nights perfecting a rich recipe with high-quality ingredients from a local grocery store, Ian and Samantha knew they had created something that could be enjoyed on a much larger scale: and Emmy’s Organics was born! Specifically, the cookies are made with chewy and satisfying coconut grown on organic farms.
First they brought the cookies to a local farmer’s market, where they quickly sold out.
Today, the cookies can not only be found throughout the Finger Lakes at Wegmans, P&C, GreenStar, Oasis, Rasa Spa, La Tourelle, Sunny Days Ithaca, and Hector Wine Company but also at most grocery stores throughout the country!
As if having a delicious, gluten-free and vegan snack cookie with organic ingredients wasn’t enough, there’s something else that sets Emmy’s Organics apart from many other companies.
“Our entire Ithaca-based production staff are Karen refugees, which we are very honored and proud of,” said Briana Martini, People & Culture Manager for Emmy’s Organics, via email. The company is also a B-corp, which means it meets the highest standards of social, environmental, and transparency standards.
To learn more visit: emmysorganics.com/
Made in the FLX is a weekly column highlighting the small scale food producers of the Finger Lakes. Each week we will feature a locally made food product that is distributed widely throughout the region and beyond, showcasing the strength and quality of our local resources.
