Five St. Louis food-based companies among Arch Grants recipients

Core and Rind: Using cashews and other plant-based ingredients, St. Louis-based founders Candi Haas and Rita Childers have created a variety of cheese sauces that don’t actually have any cheese in them at all. Available for sale at Whole Foods and some local shops, the Cashew Cheesy Sauce is ideal for those looking to avoid dairy.

Halo + Cleaver: A condiment company producing such items as ketchup and barbecue sauces from St. Louis-based Rob Garwitz and Denver-based Matthew Richard, the company aims to create healthier dips and sauce alternatives for French fries and chicken nuggets. The sauces are keto-friendly and remove certain aspects found in many brand-name condiments, such as high-fructose corn syrup, gluten, dairy, soy, and added sugars. It’s available at Schnucks and the company’s website.

Honeymoon Chocolates: St. Louisans Haley and Cam Loyet began making chocolate as a hobby in college. It eventually turned into a business, intended to bring awareness to the decreasing supply of cacao and declining honeybee population. The company  produces chocolate with transparently sourced cacao and by replacing refined sugar with honey. A portion of the proceeds go to honeybee research.

Mighty Cricket: As the company’s name implies, St. Louisan Sarah Schlafly offers cricket-based cuisine, with an emphasis on global sustainability and lessening environmental impact. (In 2019, SLM wrote about the fledgling company.) Oatmeal, protein powder, waffle and pancake mix, and flour are available on Mighty Cricket’s site.

Mississippi Mud Coffee: The St. Louis-based small-batch coffee roaster specializes in producing organic coffee beans with carbon-neutral roasting technology. The coffee is currently served at such restaurants such as Molly’s in Soulard and Avenue in Clayton, and the company offers a number of products online.

For more details about Arch Grants, visit archgrants.org.