The seeds for Wholly Wholesome were planted in 1972 in Morristown, New Jersey when Bob Wintz began a company to bring baked goods to consumers. As the years passed and the company prospered, the Wintz family expanded their business and founded the Run-A-Ton Group, which focuses on niche and point-of-difference baked foods for the Natural Food and supermarket industry.
Wholly Wholesome™ was born in 1996, founded by Bob’s son, Doon Wintz. It is a company dedicated to both quality and taste for the ingredient conscious consumer, with products “that taste as good or better than any other baked product in both the natural foods and conventional market”. As part of the Run-A-Ton Group, Doon Wintz along with his corporate team, combine their passion for natural foods and great baked goods with a commitment to wholesome, yet delicious, baked foods and ready to bake products.
KosherEye tested Wholly Wholesome™ pie shells by making both cheese quiche and fresh fruit pies. The shells baked beautifully and taste quite good. But, the best news is that the shells are certified OU parve, have no preservatives, no artificial flavors, no hydrogenated or trans fats, and no bleached flour. We also tasted the packaged blueberry and apple pies. These ready-to-bake pies are stocked in the freezer section of the supermarket. We followed instructions on the boxes, which call for approximately one hour of baking, and in both cases with minimal effort we had created delicious desserts. (OK, yes, we topped ours with homemade vanilla ice cream!)
KosherEye had the pleasure of interviewing Doon Wintz, president and founder of Wholly Wholesome™.
When and why did you decide to enter the kosher market?
Wholly Wholesome was kosher certified from the beginning. From a marketing standpoint, kosher certification is like the icing on the cake…why wouldn’t you? Our mission was to meet the ingredients standards of the natural food consumer and the taste standards of all; Kosher is a standard for many in the consumer base. Why not? It was “No duh” for us. People buy natural foods for many reasons, including clarity of ingredients... some due to food allergies; celiac; diabetic conditions; some kosher.
How did Wholly Wholesome begin? What were your first products?
We produced cookies and pies for in-store bakeries. We started with two flavors of” bake and sell” pies, and chocolate chip cookies. However, we listened to the voice of the customers…and received a melting pot of information.
What is your bestselling product?
Our Organic Pie Shells
(A KosherEye note: Wholly Wholesome™ 9” Organic Pie Shells were named "Best Pie Crust" in the November 2008 issue of Real Simple Magazine.)
Which Wholly Wholesome product is your personal favorite?
What a question to ask! In the pies- Blueberry. But I also really enjoy our Cheesecake Bites.
What’s in the pipeline for Wholly Wholesome?
Certified Organic rolled pie dough – This product is parve and kosher and will be introduced at the Natural Products Expo West in March.
Is there a particular homemade family pie recipe that you would like to share with our readers? (Doon loves to cook but he is intuitive and creative in the kitchen – and rarely makes the same thing twice in the same way. Doon has shared two of his favorites; both easy, both delicious – but, yes, few measurements):
Doon’s Easy Apple Pie
Core peel and slice fresh apples; toss with sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg. Place in a Wholly Wholesome pie shell with a few pats of butter or margarine. Invert another shell on top. Crimp edges, slit and bake at 375 for about 50 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. For a shiny finish, brush on a mixture of beaten egg and milk or one part boiling water and 3 parts sugar prior to baking.
Doon’s Easiest Ever Ice Cream Pie
Pour a bit less than 1/2 jar butterscotch, chocolate fudge or caramel sauce in a Wholly Wholesome chocolate or graham crust, fill halfway up with your favorite ice cream; crumble brownies or Oreos on top; add almost all of the rest of the sauce then more ice cream; drizzle balance of sauce on top. Remove label from crust lid, invert and put over pie, freeze for at least 30 minutes. “People go gaga over it.”