One day in 2001, while out cruising in Boulder, Colorado, Trish Kurnick was hit by a car. After her external injuries healed, she was still left with permanent, secondary physical damage—the onset of the trauma-triggered autoimmune condition, celiac disease.
Management consisted of transitioning to a completely gluten-free diet. Challenging, to say the least, for someone who’s favorite snack food had been crackers! Especially since she found the approved alternatives lacking. Made with highly-processed alternative flours, starches, and fillers, they not only fell short in taste and texture, but were full of empty calories and high glycemic carbs.
A lifelong baker, Trish decided that if she couldn’t find a cracker she loved, she might as well make one herself. Which is how the award-winning playground and landscape architect ended up dancing to a whole new beat.
Trish’s quinoa-based crackers are the heart of her gluten-free business. But not having wheat isn’t the only thing that sets her snacks apart. They’re also major allergen-free, and don’t contain starches, flours, gums, or flax of any sort. Oh, and you don’t need to be gluten-free to love them! The music-inspired names evoke the symphony of flavors incorporated into the crackers—think Sesame Swing, the “everything bagel”-inspired Trio, and the 2021 Good Food Award-winning Cranberry Chorus!
Besides quinoa, organic honey is another major staple in Trish’s all-natural recipes, which underscores her passion for bees. She pledges a portion of proceeds to The Pollinator Partnership, the world’s largest non-profit protecting pollinators and their natural habitat. Specifically, Trish helps fund the Bee Farming Program, which encourages the use of best management practices, and reducing or eliminating the use of chemicals on the land.
New Beat continues to build a seriously sweet buzz, by being the best small-batch cracker company it can possibly bee.