Why Melanie Mixes

When Melanie's young boys were diagnosed with gluten intolerance, she rejoiced: finally, she thought, an answer to the mystery and an end to this long and frustrating saga. Little did she know at the time, though, how difficult it would be to provide her family a gluten-free diet they would want to eat without cajoling and wheedling. As she and her family tried all the different gluten-free products available, she began to wonder why taste and texture had to disappear along with the gluten.

So she began to experiment. And experiment. And experiment. In the meantime, her sister Lisa was also directed to cut gluten and dairy from her diet and joined the experimenting. After years of hunting down the best available natural ingredients, testing combinations and proportions, and countless (often hilarious) sampling sessions with husbands and young taste-testers, the sisters have perfected recipes for 10 family staples.

Melanie is a full-time mom, a special education teacher, and an education specialist for the Tourette's Syndrome Association of Texas. She and her boys live in Austin. Lisa lives on a farm in southern Alberta and works as a coach for parents and educators with special-needs children, is a Reservist with the Royal Canadian Navy, and manages all aspects of the Mixes business in Canada.

As they understand the challenges of gluten-free living, the sisters price their Mixes as reasonably as possible. All mixes are made in a dedicated, government-inspected, gluten-free commercial kitchen.