To realistically fit into our work, school or parenting schedules, or while traveling, shopping or sporting, these snacks have to be convenient: small, portable, discreet and easy to eat (i.e. no utensils, refrigeration or napkins required). For a while, granola and sports bars were considered the healthy alternative to other on-the-go foods, but then health-conscious consumers became more savvy. Is that high fructose corn syrup and artificial preservatives on the nutrition label? Tsk, tsk. Off to the health-food stores and co-ops it is, to comb the aisles for an all-natural, healthy snack.
Fekri Zainoba founded Oskri Organics in
1999 as a supplier of organic products that, at the time, weren’t
avail- able in the market. With the creation of the now popular sesame
bars, Zainoba was not only a supplier of organic and natural products,
but a manufacturer too. Operating from Ixonia, Wis. in a
15,000-square-foot facility powered by wind energy, Oskri Organics
sells a wide variety of confections, from chocolate, coffee, granola,
trail mix and dried fruit, to cooking oils, spices, spreads and syrups.
But it’s Zainoba’s Oskri Bars, a collection of great-tasting,
all-natural sesame, coconut, honey, fruit and Jalow snack bars, that
deserve the spotlight. Oskri’s sesame bars, which offer the most
variety, are a great source of protein, calcium and dietary fiber. The
bars (which are actually three thin wafers) are free of gluten, lactose
and refined sugar, and are vegan, as well as U.S.D.A.-certified organic
by Ecocert SA. In addition to sesame seeds, they are made with
ingredients like black sesame seeds, quinoa seeds, fennel and black
cumin, and are mixed with molasses, date syrup and brown rice syrup.
Fifty-nine
percent of an Oskri coconut bar is made with actual coconut; the rest
consists of brown rice syrup and a natural flavor, either mango,
strawberry, cherry, pineapple or almond. These chewy, sweet bars are a
good source of protein and minerals, like iron and zinc. Oskri
Organics’ honey bars are made in seven flavors: cashew, granola,
Turkish delight, desert date, mixed nuts, muesli and flax seed.
“All of
our products have similar success,” Zainoba says. “But the most
promising products are our new low-sugar bars.”
Jalow pecan
raisin, Jalow almond cranberry, and Jalow cashew cranberry were created
with children in mind and contain four grams of sugar or less, which
also makes them suitable for diabetics. Oskri Organics products can be
purchased online at www.oskri.com or at stores such as Outpost Natural Foods, Sendik’s and the Health Hut.
Located at W1240 Elmwood Ave., Ixonia. Call (800) 628- 1110 or e-mail: info@oskri.com.
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