Don't Feed the Fear: Food Allergy Anxiety & Trauma
Welcome to "Don't Feed the Fear," where licensed psychologist Dr. Amanda Whitehouse offers expert guidance on managing the social and emotional challenges of food allergies and related conditions. Tune in for compassionate advice, practical strategies, and inspiring stories to help you navigate anxiety and trauma with confidence and resilience.
For more info on resources from Dr. Whitehouse, go to www.thefoodallergypsychologist.com
Theme song: The Doghouse by Kyle Dine, www.kyledine.com
Used with permission from the artist
Don't Feed the Fear: Food Allergy Anxiety & Trauma
The Sweet Relief of Safe Chocolate: Mark Elvidge, CEO of Vermont Nut Free
Mark Elvidge, the founder of Vermont Nut Free Chocolates shares his journey in creating delicious, allergy-friendly chocolate. From the inspiration behind the brand to the challenges of ensuring safety in manufacturing, Mark shares insights into what it takes to make sweet treats accessible to those with food allergies.
They also explore the emotional side of food allergies—how access to safe, enjoyable foods can impact mental health, social experiences, and quality of life. Plus, they discuss the importance of advocacy, ingredient transparency, and what consumers should look for when choosing allergy-friendly products.
Whether you’re managing food allergies yourself, supporting a loved one, or simply interested in the intersection of food, safety, and inclusion, this episode is packed with inspiration and practical takeaways. Tune in to learn how one company is making the world a little sweeter for the allergy community!
Safe Snack Guide | SnackSafely.com
Meet the FARE PACT Alliance - FoodAllergy.org
Special thanks to Kyle Dine for permission to use his song The Doghouse for the podcast theme
www.kyledine.com
You can find Dr. Whitehouse at thefoodallergypsychologist.com and on Instagram (@thefoodallergypsychologist) and Facebook (Dr. Amanda Whitehouse, Food Allergy Anxiety Psychologist)
Email: welcome@dramandawhitehouse.com
To walk into a store like that and be told you can buy anything that you want, everything here is safe for you, is just an unbelievable experience for kids with allergies.
Mark Elvidge:Yeah, because usually there can't be a kid in a candy shop,
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse:right? That's the only time he ever really could, yeah.
Mark Elvidge:Yeah, yeah, it's, that's, that's pretty cool. That's, that's gratifying.
Speaker:Welcome to the Don't Feed the Fear podcast, where we dive into the complex world of food allergy anxiety. I'm your host, Dr. Amanda Whitehouse, food allergy anxiety psychologist and food allergy mom. Whether you're dealing with allergies yourself or supporting someone who is, join us for an empathetic and informative journey toward food allergy calm and confidence.
Welcome to our Valentine's Day episode for season three of Don't Feed the Fear. This winter season we're talking about expanding and strengthening our support systems and the resources that we have around us. And who with food allergies doesn't need to have a company that they can trust for their go to treats and foods that they enjoy. That's why I've invited Mark Elvidge, co founder of Vermont Nut Free Chocolates, to be on the show today. Mark and his wife Gail are pioneers in the allergen free confectionery space co founding Vermont Nut Free Chocolates over 27 years ago. Mark has served as the president and CEO of the company since 2012 and together they transformed their personal need as allergy parents into a thriving brand. They create. Premium quality chocolates that cater to both allergy conscious consumers and all chocolate lovers. And the name is a bit deceiving because in addition to being peanut and tree nut free, Vermont nut free chocolates are also sesame and egg free. Under his leadership, Vermont Nut Free Chocolates has built a dedicated long term Customer base within the allergy community. I know we're among that. And many of you listeners here today are as well.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse:Thank you so much for coming to join me, Mark. I'm really excited. I've been a customer for over a decade now, and it's nice to meet you and have you here on the podcast.
Mark Elvidge:It's a pleasure to be here, and I appreciate you inviting me.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse:Absolutely. I, I was doing this season, all about building our support systems and who do you need on your team when you're managing allergies. And of course, I was thinking of the different people on your team, but one of the first things that I felt like I had in my back pocket when allergy started for us was a go to safe treat that I could give our son That was Vermont Nut Free Chocolate. So I thought of you and you've been on my team even though you didn't know it. I know there's a lot of us out there who feel that way, too.
Mark Elvidge:No, that's great. And, and that's usually how, people discover us initially is through, another family member or a child that has an allergy. And then, they, they discover us for, for that reason. And then, kind of just start buying the product. And it, it kind of snowballs into everybody in the household liking it. So it's, we're happy to be there for those people that need a solution.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse:Absolutely. that is what happens. It just becomes, the chocolate we buy now, because we know it's safe and, and it's delicious too. So why don't you start by telling our listeners a little bit about you and how you got started with this business?
Mark Elvidge:Yeah. I'm the co founder of Vermont Nut Free Chocolates. it was actually my wife Gail's idea. she started the company. And, I helped her way back in 1998 when we, when we first got going. So we've been doing this now for a little over 27 years. And, how we actually had the idea to start the company was she was having an English muffin with some peanut butter on it one Sunday morning. And my Then eight month old son Tanner was teasing for it and, she just basically put it up to his lips and he immediately turned red and started screaming and got hives and, you know, and she didn't know what to do and, and basically called the pediatrician and it was a Sunday morning so it was an on call, they called back and said, Oh, I bet you he's allergic to peanuts, keep him away from, peanuts and nuts for a while and he was eight months and they said we can test him at one year old, which I'm not sure if today the testing is, is done at a younger age, but, back then in, in, that was in 94, when he was 8 months old. So, we basically kept away from Peanuts, for, for a few months and then had him tested and, and he did have, a peanut allergy. And we didn't know anybody growing up or any household members or family that had gone through that, so it was all new to us. And, um, So we had to learn a lot about, uh, about peanut allergies and again back then it was kind of not as prevalent, not as much, uh, diagnosis, there was basically no, food safety departments and companies when you would call and ask about what else they made in that facility or what else was packaged on that same line or is there any possible cross contact, issue that could cause somebody with a nut allergy or a peanut allergy to have, have a reaction. so it was kind of pioneering, through, through all of those questions and answers and lack thereof answers from, from major manufacturers that led Gail to, kind of start making things at home, uh, that we could be sure of, what was in it for Tanner. And, and it basically, the toughest. category of product that she found to find that was, or find that was, safe for a peanut allergic, consumer was, was confectionery and chocolate, right? It was the toughest one because most people use peanuts and almonds and hazelnuts and, you know, all kinds of, fillings that, that could, could cause a problem if you had this allergy. So, She made him, a bunch of, items throughout, the three or four years before we started the company from when he was, a year old till four years old. And, uh, we would eat it and bring it to parties and family gatherings and give it away as gifts and people would rave about it. I mean, she was making truffles and caramels and fruit creams and all that stuff that we still offer. but only, much smaller, kind of. consumption kind of a scale. So, one day she came downstairs and said, we, we should start a nut free chocolate company. There's gotta be, I think she used hundreds of families, in the same predicament as we are. And, uh, you know, so I challenged her and said, yeah, let's, let's do it. And so, uh, she's the creative one and came up with, all of these, confections and, and, and truffles and things over the years, over the three or four years that she was, she was making them for us. And, and I helped her with the business end of it. So we, we put up a website and, and incorporated and, started selling, nut free chocolate online in January of 90, 98. So in 1998 and, I think the first thing ever sold online, Amanda, on the internet at all was in 94. And it was probably Jeff Bezos, right? Some of the book. Um, Yeah, you're really ahead of the times with that. It was really early, uh, for, for being online. And then, and even way earlier for being a free from brand. online. So, so that's what we did. we started online in, in January of 98. And, um people would, Discover us and, then go to a support group People would, you know, go and say, Oh, I discovered this chocolate company in Vermont and they're nut free and peanut free. And, the owners have a son who has a allergy to peanuts. And, the next day we'd get 20 calls from Chicago or Philadelphia or Denver or wherever, the. the support group happened to have taken place. Um, so it, the early days of the business was basically that. It was word of mouth and just organic, um, growth with, people discovering us and then telling, you know, kind of their, their friends and, and, their families. So, it wasn't that long until they would tell their allergist and then the allergist, would kind of talk to us and make sure that we were okay. We were, uh, legitimate and knew what we were talking about the Boston Children's Hospital Allergy Department was putting our information and all the newly diagnosed, patient packets as a resource, Um, so that was kind of the, the start of the company, the why. Uh, and, and, you know, we've kind of grown, grown from those early days.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse:I can see how that would happen so naturally because I, I found myself just like Gail, like in the kitchen. Okay. I bought this candy mold. Let me see if I can figure out what to do. And you know, you just figure it out as allergy parents, but that's gotta be why so many people trusted you because we know. that you are living it and you understand the level of concern, not just trying to market and use this as a, as a marketing device.
Mark Elvidge:Right. We have a, we have a really, compelling reason, for starting and starting a business and, and, and being available to, the tens of thousands of customers that we now have and, and, regular long time loyal fan base, is I guess how I would describe it.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse:Absolutely. Once you've earned our trust in the allergy world, we're in, right? as you expanded, what goes into making sure that you continue to, to keep that trust. Because anyone outside of our world would say, oh, it's a nut free facility, so obviously it's fine. But I know there's so much more behind the scenes that goes into ensuring that, right?
Mark Elvidge:Yeah, there, there's a lot behind the scenes. I mean, everything from, sourcing your, your raw ingredients, right, that you're using in your processes, we, we make sure that all of those, uh, ingredients come from peanut free and tree nut free facilities, as well, so there's no possible, you know, kind of cross contact before we get a raw ingredient. Uh, we have a pretty rigorous, supplier, kind of approval process,, that we go through before we'll bring in, a new ingredient. many of the ingredients that we use come from, like single source suppliers. So like they, that's all they make, right? They just make this product and that's all they do. And, uh, where possible we buy direct as opposed to through, distribution or, repacking or anything like that. It's, it's pretty, uh, pretty key. So, our facility obviously is peanut free and tree nut free. Employees are not allowed to bring anything with peanuts or tree nuts or even, the shared equipment warnings that you see on most consumer packaged goods today are processed on shared equipment or made in the same facility as. I mean, that's just prohibited from being in our, in our building or on our premises. equipment, we've always bought brand new equipment. We don't buy, uh, used equipment, right? Cause you, it's just, there's a lot involved. to kind of maintain, um, the integrity, of our brand because that's pretty much, what we do and, and why we do it. I think we were the, well, I, I know we were the first ones to be nut free and peanut free on purpose. way back in the day. We haven't deviated from that at all. we've always been coconut free. We've always been sesame free. we now in August, last year we went egg free as well, Which opened up our candy kitchen then to, uh, more, more customers who could, could, could enjoy, a wider range of our products as opposed to being kind of siloed into certain things that were in a separate production room from where the egg was and things like that. So. Again, we're not everything, free, we're not, top nine or anything like that, but we do have a, a very good core, range of products that meet the peanut free, tree nut free, coconut free, sesame free, egg free, dietary restrictions.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse:That's great. What about for people who have some of the other allergens that you do have in the facility? I know you do pretzels, so obviously there's wheat.
Mark Elvidge:We do have, uh, two production rooms, with, separate HVAC systems and, and one of the production rooms is completely wheat free. If somebody is celiac or needs to really, uh, not have any kind of risk of, anything that could have been in close proximity to a pretzel, a wheat pretzel, right, or gluten, then, we can steer them to certain products that we have within our facility that are made in a totally separate environment. we have our own kind of crew in that room, and then we have our other crew in our, in our bigger production room that does have the wheat. and again, we're not, we're not mixing wheat and baking pretzels, right? Those are coming from a nut free, peanut free facility here, and we're placing them on, conveyor belts, and they're being enrobed in chocolate. So it's not like we're creating. pretzel bested even in the room that has the product that does contain the wheat. Currently the only thing run on those enrobing lines is the wheat pretzels. So, there's no other products that, if there was, obviously it would be shared, shared equipment and may contain. Um, but there's some, you know, where there are shared areas, then it is indicated from in that room.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse:Picturing it the way you're describing helps me to understand why so many of us do have a hard time finding other products, why it probably would be difficult to produce any kind of a chocolate or candy item that doesn't have exposure to any of those other allergens. It seems like it would be really complicated.
Mark Elvidge:Yeah, it is. And again, you know, there's um, Pretty much soy, lecithin, and everything that we do. And, you know, dairy is a big component of milk, right? We probably sell 80 percent milk chocolate to 20 percent dark. Um, and even the dark, the raw ingredients in many cases come to you on shared, with a shared dairy equipment warning on it. And as careful as you are when you're producing these items, it's really tough if it's in the facility, and again, we're extremely diligent because we live this every day. We have a huge customer base that, you know, kind of, we can steer to serve. products that they've trusted for years and then many times we'll call up and, verify that we haven't changed any processes or the way we do it or is it still the same, that kind of stuff too. So it's really tough for a big, a big company, to claim the free from status unless they just don't have it in the
Speaker 2:facility.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse:Well, that's why we're thankful for you. There's so much stuff and it's all so good. Can you talk a little about what some of your best sellers are or what you find people enjoy the most?
Mark Elvidge:Yeah, sure. So, we have, um, Probably way too many skus. we've got milk, chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate, and then we do a crispy as well. and then, all of the filled chocolates like the truffles and the fruit creams and the caramels, the sea salt caramels are a favorite. people love those, pretzel caramel bark, which is, those pretzels with caramel and chocolate. kind of all mixed together in a, in a block, um, is, is, is pretty addictive. our best selling, hands down our best selling items, item, is, is our chocolate covered pretzels. I mean, our chocolate covered pretzels are, really, really good. I mean, they're, they're a crisp, crunchy pretzel that's, obviously peanut and tree nut free, sesame free. they do have wheat in them, uh, but we, we coat them. with, you know, milk, dark, and white, um, premium, coatings, with, these enrobers that run and give them a chocolate bath and then they're hand decorated and bagged and those are our best selling items. that's where, Whole Foods has really taken the milk and dark pretzels and, the North Atlantic region and most recently the, Northeast region, which is all of Connecticut, the New Jersey, New York stores as well, not Harlem. and then, sunblossoms, uh, are an item that, we launched, a little while ago now, the, the, the traditional two cup, sunblossom, which is like a, uh, replacement for like a Reese's peanut butter cup, but it's made with sun butter filling. Um, and again, we, we bring in the sun butter and, and we, make our filling from that, that runs through our, our one shot depositor. We make these cups and they're flow wrap packaged. They're really good. And then in January of 2024, we launched a mini version of those. So the mini sunblossoms and milk and dark chocolate. And those are doing extremely well. There's many, many, retailers that carry them in addition to our own website.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse:That's much appreciated that you thought of that one.
Mark Elvidge:Yeah, no, they're, they're doing really well. And then we've got some, some line extensions planned for the. those cups as well with some different fillings and things on
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse:them too, so. Okay. Yeah. As you mentioned the future, one of the things that always runs through my mind A lot of us worry that a company like yours, that's obviously continued to grow and been so steady. A lot of those companies end up selling to giant corporations and then we lose our faith in them. I'm happy to see that it's still in your hands, original creator and owner. Any changes like that ahead for Vermont Net Free?
Mark Elvidge:we're, we're looking at scaling a little bit and, perhaps bringing on a little bit more additional outside capital to do that. But that's for efficiency and marketing and, Getting, getting our distribution pushed out a little bit more so that we're available to more people. but we've been in Vermont for, for 27 years. We started in our house. We, are in our, third commercial location now. and we've this, this last one that we, we moved into just outside of Burlington, Vermont and a town called Colchester is, is big enough to, to scale. And we can do three to four times, our volume in this building. So, it's what we want to try to, try to capitalize on over the next, several years.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse:That's great. I'm happy to hear it. I, you're mentioning Vermont. My in laws live in the Burlington area. as an allergy parent, there's so much, no, you can't have that. We have to check that. Be careful. Double check, triple check. we had gotten care packages before, but he'd never walked into the, the, to shop. To walk into a store like that and be told you can buy anything that you want, everything here is safe for you, is just an unbelievable experience for kids with allergies.
Mark Elvidge:Yeah, because usually there can't be a kid in a candy shop,
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse:right? That's the only time he ever really could, yeah.
Mark Elvidge:Yeah, yeah, it's, that's, that's pretty cool. That's, that's gratifying.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse:I, I was wondering what that's like. I mean, obviously being a parent of a kid with allergies and then being able to do that, not just for your son, but obviously many, many thousands of people.
Mark Elvidge:Yeah, that's, that's probably the most gratifying, aspect of this business is to just get that, feedback and see, see the pictures that people send us. You know, chocolate bunny smeared chin it's just, it's just really, really gratifying. And we've got some of those pictures on our, on our website and stuff too. But, um, it's just, it's just so, uh, you know, makes it all worthwhile. Right? To see that.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse:I would think so. this episode will air on Valentine's Day, and, my kids getting their treats ready. I was just thinking your son must have shown up with the best valentines and the best treats I'm sure he enjoyed, you know, that, that luxury that he had, or didn't he really appreciate it, do you think?
Mark Elvidge:Yeah, yeah, he did. I think the, the, the neat thing was is that, every year, while he was, particularly elementary school, right, when they had the birthday parties and this class celebrations and, uh, Gail provided for the whole class. And it wasn't always, it wasn't always just chocolate, I mean she'd make cupcakes and cookies and, just everything nut free, but, uh, yeah, he was popular. I bet.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse:and that way he's not being left out, he's, he's being even more liked and included because he's. Yeah. The one who brings all that great stuff for everybody.
Speaker 2:Yeah. No. That was, that was, uh, really cool.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse:I was curious if, with the focus of your work being on this, does it feel like allergies and allergy awareness runs your life at a certain point when that's your whole business and catering to that market and your son, you know, is managing his?
Mark Elvidge:Um. So it's, it's a lot of conversations every day about food allergies. And, and we get calls from, from parents who, I don't, in some cases I don't even know how they can feed their kids. They have so many, to kind of deal with. And it's, it's, uh, It's tough. We're, we, and again, we can't be everything to all people. Sometimes I wish, some of these parents, we could say, yes, you can have this, but in some cases we can say, we're sorry, we just don't have anything that's suitable, you know? So, I think, I think the awareness, of, of allergies, from where we started, right. When they didn't have any food, Allergen labeling laws or anything like that. The awareness is more, but there's still a lot, I think. We, we can, I think there's a lot to, to do, in both in, in the industry, like in the manufacturing and the food, food business and, and, the general public. I mean, there's still, people that have the allergy understand or any food allergy, right? You understand it if you're, if you're living it and you're immersed in it every day. But if, if you don't have a child or a family member or know somebody with a food allergy, it's kind of. an educational process every time you run into, somebody with that, right? So we'll do demos in grocery stores, locally and in New England. And I get out there as much as I can to try to, shake hands and kiss babies. And, kinda meet the customers at the point where they're, kind of deciding what to buy and, Many people see the free from label and they're like, Oh, we don't, we don't want that. We don't, you know, it's not going to be good. No, no, no, wait, let me tell you, let me show you.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse:Let you taste it.
Mark Elvidge:Yeah, exactly. So do the story and tell people about, why we exist and what we do. And Oh, by the way, here, try this. And then they end up, being a customer and coming back and buying that bag of pretzels or, that package of sunblossoms or. You know, that chocolate bar or something at some point in the future.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse:Right.
Mark Elvidge:So that, it's kind of cool when you can actually do that conversion.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse:Absolutely, again, I think that speaks to the stereotypes and the misconceptions of allergies, that they just assume if it's allergen free, if it's free of these allergens, something's been removed, but it's chocolate. It's got sugar. It's got cocoa. It's got milk. it's obviously not dairy free, but, but it, we, we have that conception that anything allergy friendly is, is less than or has been compromised. Yeah.
Mark Elvidge:Yeah, yeah. And we like to, uh, prove, that misconception and all. that, that our, our products, are always, friendly, or not friendly, but certain allergy friendly, but free of peanut and tree nut and coconut and sesame and egg now. But, they also stand up there and taste, flavor, and texture. Uh, and can, be eaten with, you know, the big brands, And actually, in many cases, we, we taste better.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse:Yeah. I was gonna say not just the big brands like the, the commonplace grocery store name brands, but I would say it's a, a gourmet level.
Mark Elvidge:It is, yeah. Gourmet and premium is, is kind of a category we live in. Um, and, and, and then having that free from, reason for being is, is, is why. Uh, but that enables us to sell product to anybody who's a chocolate lover and also, the ones that we were, kind of originally, created the company for.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse:As far as other, Businesses and your corporate experiences in the industry, where do you think there's still room, generally speaking, for growth and for more understanding or education or, or clearing up skepticism, misinformation, things like that?
Mark Elvidge:Um, so I think you're probably familiar with FAIR, and, and I'm on, there's a council, uh, an alliance of manufacturers in the, in the free from space, that meet monthly, bimonthly. And, we're, we're trying to come up with some standards in terms of wording and, talk about precautionary, allergen labeling and, also thresholds in terms of, testing and again, I don't claim free from unless we really are but there's some companies that, you know, have rooms or areas that do testing and validation, that's risky. both for the consumer who has to avoid that and, and the company doing that, right? So, we're trying to kind of create some industry standards to, to, to kind of model and, and, and, and follow along those lines based on the good practices that those of us that are in the free firm and have been for some time are, are doing.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse:Well, I imagine obviously with any business that it comes down to the bottom line as far as profits and to do in a certain way must be more expensive, obviously, but is there misbelief? Is there doubt in the food industry as a whole that that that low level of exposure or potential cross contamination can actually be a problem for people?
Mark Elvidge:Um, I don't know that it's a, I don't know that it's a doubt and I think, I think it's more of, it's a smaller percentage of the total addressable market, right? So if there's 1 percent of the people that need to be peanut free and 99 percent of their customer base wants, pecan rolls or nut rolls or whatever with stuff all rolled together. And then, they're gonna serve that market. A, they weren't started as a free from brand, right? They were that brand and that company and to create a whole different manufacturing environment with different lines and people and, you know, technically should have a different facility. It's really prohibitive to, for them to try to change and satisfy the needs of a very, very small percentage of the population.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse:Yes. Obviously the number of people with allergies is continually increasing. So I hope that will lead to continued awareness and accommodation and, and people understanding that once they get our business, we're, we're loyal. They've got us for life and it's worth achieving.
Mark Elvidge:Yeah, and again, that, that is, one of the things we're talking about on, on this Pact Alliance at FAIR is, is, is the, the long term, loyalty that the food allergy consumer, exhibits towards a brand that they trust. and that's, that's really immeasurable, and it's just so, so valuable. I mean, we have We have customers, Amanda, that discovered us, you know, when their children were 3, years old. back when we started, right, in the late 90s, 98, um, 99, 2000 was a big year because we had a People Magazine article that came out about us and, that just kind of blew the doors off, awareness for us. But, Many of those customers have grown up on Vermont Net Free. So every birthday, every, holiday, every season, every, college cram session for exams, right? Sending college gifts and baskets to them from, when they move, move that on their own. And then in, in many cases, we've done several, bride and groom. Truffles, the two piece truffles with the bride and groom's name on it from people that are getting married now that were customers when they were five years old, So that's, that's really, a testament to the long term value of, of a customer in this free from spaves. we've done, not only those wedding favors for people, but then, baby shower and then christening and bar mitzvah gifts and things like that to personalize kind of favors. Uh, so, third generation, uh, coming up on Vermont, not free products, right? Just following them
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse:right through the lifespan.
Mark Elvidge:Yeah, that's gotta be really, really cool.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse:Uh, yeah, that must just be such an amazing feeling You know, it seems like a simple thing, and I think people, again, who don't live the life don't realize what, what does it matter if that kid has a different treat in his classroom, or if that kid, is left out in some way, but I think it really makes a difference to not feel at all times either scared and nervous and afraid to try something or to feel, that what we're having is less than or that we have a restricted choice, which, which we do, but it doesn't feel like it when you log onto your website, and shop for candy. So it's an experience that we don't get often.
Mark Elvidge:Yeah, it's a lot of work, right? There's a lot of pieces to the, to the puzzle.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse:What was it like just being an allergy parent for you?
Mark Elvidge:So it was it was again a learning experience initially. and then you know once once we learned about it I mean, I think I don't think we ever got any pushback from any of the schools or groups that Tanner joined or or was involved with we live in a very small You Uh, community, up in northern Vermont, in the Lake Champlain Islands. And I think, the three, three, the five counties together, I think there's 5, 000 people. And it's five towns, so each one has a little tiny school. And, we were the first ones that we knew of to be, parents. Or, or having a child go through the, the school system where Tanner went through K through 8. And, they were really good. They, He gave us time at each in service every year to do the epinephrine training and, kind of go over the plan. And, you know, they were good about moving, uh, his little, um, medical bag between classrooms if he had to move. It wasn't long until he was able to carry that, between classrooms. Um, so, we had a really, good experience, without pushback. I don't know. I've heard horror stories of, the school refusing, you know, to do stuff. that's, that's just, crazy. but I guess it can happen, so.
Speaker 2:It is. We, we were fortunate.
Mark Elvidge:Um, so He, he's still allergic to peanuts. He actually buys certain brands that he's learned to trust over the years. he's definitely a label reader, and he checks out websites and he, you know, calls consumer lines as well when there's, when there's, you know, real question. Um, but he does find, an array of products that are tasty and good and, suitable for his allergy. there's a couple of subscription services that he uses now that, you can put your allergies in there and they'll just make sure that everything they send you is, you know, kind of excluding those, that you can't have. Um, so, there's definitely, more product and more variety and more, choice, right, than there was when we first started. And when you first probably even started. with your, your child, and navigating this, this, this world.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse:And it's surprising, you know, obviously I'm a little ways behind you in terms of going through the process, but it's shocking to me to hear that he was the first one and that there weren't others. But I forget how rapidly they're growing, how quickly it's increasing.
Mark Elvidge:Yeah. I mean, I think that diagnosis of paediatologist has more than, more than tripled Right. It seems to be a growing, issue, a problem.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse:It's encouraging for all of us whose kids are still younger to be reminded, not that we don't know, but he grew up, he became an adult, he's doing well, he's healthy and, and, well. I
Mark Elvidge:mean, he went to, college in Boston, so he was away, for four and a half years and then lived in Boston after that and lived in London for five years. and is back in the U. S. now, but he's traveled and worked and experienced. it doesn't have to slow you down at all.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse:well, on that note, watching him grow up, I always ask everyone, can you say anything, what's a positive, what's a bonus, or a good thing about food allergies?
Mark Elvidge:Well, I think the biggest thing is that, there's worse things kids could get. and then the other thing is, I think it makes them realize that, not everybody can just eat everything. and even though people may have different allergies, or things that they can and can't eat, understanding it from your point of view and saying, Oh, you know. I got this, let me help you ask, ask this question. I don't wish, wish it on anybody, but, he, he has done well and thrived.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse:That's great to hear. Well, we're all thankful for what came of his allergies. can you Tell everybody where they can find Vermont nut free.
Mark Elvidge:Yeah. So, our website is www.vermontnutfree.com and Vermont is all spelled out. we are available in, many retailers, uh, but a few SKUs here and there. we have a store locator page on our website as well and you can type in where you live and, and, or the city or zip and, and, it can show you the closest stores. we do mail order all over the country and actually, into Canada and, some of the European countries as well. We have, we have some pretty regular customers. So, we can get product to you, no matter where you live.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse:I know one concern that people have mentioned is how do you ship chocolate to hot places in warm weather months?
Mark Elvidge:Yeah, so we use styrofoam shipping containers with ice packs. and then we just make sure that the shipping level is, within, one to three days. we want to do a five day across the country UPS ground right to California from Vermont in, in July. So we just got to make sure that we're watching the weather and, and, adding those warm weather shipping containers when, when needed.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse:is there anything that we didn't get to or that you want to mention?
Mark Elvidge:Just, again. We've got a dedicated team of workers that work super hard every day to, you know, make sure that the products are safe and delicious. And, it's not, uh, it's not just Gail in the kitchen anymore. It's, it's a whole team of people, so.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse:Is Gail still in the kitchen at all?
Mark Elvidge:she does product formulations and flyer design. with our sales marketing coordinator on, packaging and, and new, launches and things like that, but mostly remotely. I'm in the, uh, in the building every day, kind of running operations and, you get 38, 38 people now, working for us. So, it's a little different than when, I think we had two people coming to our house when we decided, It was, yeah, time to, time to move to a bigger space, but, um, yeah, three buildings later we've, we've got a great team of hardworking people who, who really, believe in us and, and, and what we do for our, our customers. So, it's, it's a nice combination.
Dr. Amanda Whitehouse:Well, thank you. Thank you to all of them, and to you, and to Gail, because it seems like it's a small thing that's such a big thing that, that that exists for us as an option, so thank you. Yeah.
Mark Elvidge:Thank you, Amanda, for inviting me on and, letting me tell the story a little bit.
And here are your three action steps that you can take away from today's episode. Number one, if, Peanut, tree nut, sesame, coconut, and egg free treats are safe for you, and you're as hungry as I am after talking about chocolate, go to vermontnutfree. com. You can shop online, you can find the store locator to find a place where you can shop near you. Number two, if that doesn't work for your allergens, take a minute to find something that does. I'm sharing the link in the notes to snacksafely. com. If there are any of you out there who don't know about them yet, you should. You can read on their website about the links that they go to to research and get information from food manufacturers and different brands to determine which items are safe for the top nine allergens. So you can find that at snacksafely. com and click on their safe snack guide. Number three continue building and strengthening your support network and letting yourself lean on the people who want to help you and be there for You by sharing this information Share this episode share the Vermont not free website Share a Snack Safely Guide or even just a specific brand or product with the people who love you and want to buy you a treat once in a while, who want to be able to show up and bring something that you can eat. Make it easier for people to be there for you and support you and understand what your needs are. the content of this podcast is for informational and educational purposes only, and is not a substitute for professional medical or mental health advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have any questions about your own medical experience or mental health needs, please consult a professional. I'm Dr. Amanda White house. Thanks for joining me. And until we chat again, remember don't feed the fear.
