OUR STORY
NutFree Gourmet began with a need.
Founder Gillian James, a chef by trade, started developing nut-free recipes after discovering that her young son had a peanut allergy.
At the time, food labels offered far less guidance than they do today, and truly nut-free options were difficult to find. Gillian began making the foods and baked goods she wanted her own family to be able to enjoy safely.
One of those recipes was cookie dough.
What began as a solution for her family would eventually become NutFree Gourmet.
WHERE IT BEGAN
From a home kitchen to 282 pails.
Gillian started baking cookies at home and selling them through local stores, often producing about 100 dozen cookies a week.
With three young children at home, it gave her a way to earn some income while still being there for her family.
Then her sister asked one question that changed everything:
“What would you charge for a pail of your dough?”
Gillian said $10.
They sold 282 pails.
There was no commercial mixer. Gillian made that first large order entirely by hand. It took about five full days, but by the end of it, she knew there was an opportunity worth pursuing.
She contacted the local health inspector, made the changes needed to meet production requirements, and began building NutFree Gourmet into a real food business.
GROWTH
A Canadian Food Brand gets noticed.
From those first batches, NutFree Gourmet continued to grow.
The cookies and cookie dough found their way into stores, fundraising programs and media features, building recognition around a simple idea: nut-free baking made with real ingredients, without compromising on flavour.
Along the way, Gillian even took NutFree Gourmet to CBC’s Dragons’ Den.
What had started in a home kitchen had become a recognized Canadian food brand.
THE NEXT CHAPTER
A new chapter at the Unionville Planing Mill.
Years later, upon retirement, Gillian sold NutFree Gourmet to Jeff Day, beginning a new chapter for the company.
Jeff moved the business to the Unionville Planing Mill, where Gillian helped teach the production process and passed along the recipes, methods and knowledge that had built the brand.
NUTFREE GOURMET TODAY
Same approach. A bigger reach.
Today, NutFree Gourmet operates from Jones Falls, Ontario, continuing the same straightforward approach that started it all.
Six classic flavours. Real butter- never margarine or oils. Real, recognizable ingredients. Nut-free baking.
Our cookie dough is produced for school and community fundraising programs, select retail and foodservice customers, and our own hospitality operations at Hotel Kenney Rideau.
The business has evolved over the years, but the product philosophy has not:
Keep the flavours familiar. Use good ingredients. Don’t overcomplicate the recipe. Make a really good cookie.
All Day. All Butter.