Popular east Idaho gluten-free store is closing soon and relocating to Utah
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IDAHO FALLS – One of eastern Idaho’s premier shops for all things gluten-free is closing its doors and expanding out of state in a new location.
Mom’s Place Gluten-Free first opened in Ammon in 2013, but owner Jann Craig tells EastIdahoNews.com they’ve outgrown their current location and have partnered with investors in Spanish Fork, Utah.
“Most of what we do is ship. We ship all over the U.S. and to 16 different countries,” Craig says. “Right now, we aren’t as efficient as we could be because of our confined space. We found a facility in Spanish Fork that will give us greater distribution potential. It’s three times the size (of our Ammon store).”
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The new investors are Greg and Richele Cook. They looked at over 100 companies to invest in, but they fell in love with the mission of Mom’s Place and decided it had the most growth potential.
“We started working together in August. We started talking to determine what would work for our family and what would work for hers, and how do we expand this (and we’re excited for this venture going forward),” Greg Cook says.
The last day of business at the Ammon store will be Saturday, Jan. 4. But just because the business is going away doesn’t mean the products are. Craig is working with local retailers to offer more of the products sold at Mom’s Place. Many of the products will continue to be available at Broulim’s, Natural Grocers, Wealth of Health and others that will be announced at a later date.
“Other retailers are going to carry a broader line of our product so that our customers can still get the exact same thing, but it will probably be a little more convenient because they can go to their grocery store (rather than drive all the way to our specialty store),” Craig says.
Craig was diagnosed with Celiac more than 20 years ago when there were hardly any gluten-free food options. Back then, she says everything tasted terrible and wanted to be able to offer something better for other people in similar circumstances.
“We cook like mom did (just like our name suggests), so we have excellent recipes that help people eat like mom did,” she says. “We have everything to substitute what someone used to eat and it’s affordable, delicious and simple to make.”
Many of the products only require you to add a few ingredients before cooking it and the prices are comparable to any product with gluten.
And if you think the number of people who are Celiac or gluten-free is small, think again. Since opening six years ago, the products offered at Mom’s Place has had a positive impact on thousands of customers throughout eastern Idaho.
“Everyone is on different degrees of developing an intolerance or an allergy to gluten,” she says. “Everyone is on that spectrum, it’s just a matter of when.”
Craig believes the molecular structure of our food has evolved over time, and what our grandparents ate and what we’re eating today is completely different.
“Well-intended growers and producers over the years have worried about the food supply running out, so they’ve looked at ways to genetically modify different grains to produce them in greater volumes,” she says.
Changes in our food have made it unrecognizable to our bodies, she believes, which has hindered our body’s ability to process the food or absorb nutrients.
If you are interested in going gluten-free, Craig says Mom’s Place has a variety of classes and instructional videos on YouTube showing people how to make gradual changes so it doesn’t feel so overwhelming.
“I look at this company as an opportunity to help people,” Cook says. “We’re doing everything we can to make sure when people look at our products, they say ‘I think I’ll give that a try.’ And we try to make it easy for them to access it over and over again.”
Mom’s Place Gluten-Free is at 3160 East 17th Street in Ammon. It’s open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, with a 5 p.m. closing time Friday and Saturday.
Products will always be available for purchase online, but the Spanish Fork, Utah location will open Jan. 6 at 1056 Expressway Lane. A grand opening is in the works Jan. 10 and 11.