PistachiOats Goes Green with Orange

New Packaging for the Environment

Sano Villa is dedicated to making environemntally friendly choices in all its endeavours, which is why deciding on an earth-friendly package is so important. For those who have been with us from the beginning, you'll remember our original bags were of a silver color and had stickers affixed to the front and back. To save on resources and to use fewer materials, we decided to go with a pre-printed version of our stand up pouches. Stand-up pouches are the ideal "go green" packaging as they use 75% less material than most traditional packaging.

The new orange package still has a resealable zipper for those of us who have the will-power to keep from finishing a bag in one sitting. Our bags are also made with a plastic polylaminate material, which keeps our cookies fresh for long periods of time and without contamination. The resealable zipper lets us reuse our beautiful bags as reliable storage containers for cereal, granola, nuts, and more.

Of course, we are keeping an eye out for packaging that is not only made efficiently and can be reused, but also for ones made with biodegradeable materials. If you have any suggestions, please let us know. Until then, keep on reusing your PistachiOats bags instead of buying new ziploc bags.

No Really, It's There Part II

PistachiOats now available at Whole Foods - Chelsea

When we got a call from Whole Foods on 7th Ave, requesting 3 cases of PistachiOats, the feeling was bittersweet. Sweet, because of our product's growth; bitter, because it still hadn't seen the shelves of Whole Foods Columbus Circle, who are still battling an internal systems failure. (For the full story, read "No Really, It's There" at, http://pistachioats.blogspot.com/2008/05/no-really-its-there.html)

Aware of the glitch, we closely monitored our product's tracks at its new Chelsea location. Thanks to the staff at Whole Foods on 7th Ave, the problem has been rectified and is now, finally, available on its shelves. We'll be sure to share this news with our friends at Whole Foods Columbus Circle, in an effort to shed some light on the problem.

Stay tuned to find out when PistachiOats will finally have its place on shelves at Whole Foods Columbus Circle.

PistachiOats Second Debut at NASFT Summer Fancy Food Show in New York

If ever you want to visit a museum of food, plan to attend the NASFT Summer Fancy Food Show in New York. Imagine a shopping mall filled with nothing but food and you would see what the Jacob Javits Center in New York looked like during the NASFT Summer Fancy Food Show this past June. My brother and I set out to visit each and every booth that filled the 4 story, 675000 square foot venue, and soon found the feat to be futile. One would need the 3 full days allotted visitors to the Food Show in order to see and taste everything. And it’s nearly impossible to try everything! By the time we finished the first floor of the Show, our tummies were brimming with sweets from Taiwan to curries from India.

Sano Villa was glad to have the extra help from Jeffrey and Grandpa in servicing and acquainting ourselves with the thousands of gracious visitors, vendors, and food enthusiasts who visited us at our booth. Nestled in between an organic honey vendor and a high fiber pasta company, Sano Villa presented its cornerstone, PistachiOats®, at its second NASFT Fancy Food Show. At our last show, we debuted in the “What’s New, What’s Hot,” pavilion. This time, though, we showcased our product in the Natural & Organic Foods Pavilion. We also partook in the Diversity Showcase, which supports minority and women-owned businesses.

Our three days at the show were long and required a lot of hard-work and it was nice to have each other there for the support. (We also were fortunate to have an all-natural energy drink across from us.)
At the Summer Fancy Food Show, we took everything that we learned from the show in Chicago this past spring and brought it to a whole new level. Not only did we have extra help (thanks Jeffrey and Grandpa!) we also debuted our new and improved, bolder, and brighter packaging. We’ve replaced the silver exterior with a cascade of orange, which makes each bag take on the appearance of a nugget of sunshine. Don’t worry, though, it’s the same recipe.

Since the show’s end, we’ve been following up with the many representatives of markets and distributors on bringing our product to their markets. For all of our fans outside of the Manhattan area, hold tight, our product is sure to come!

To see more pictures from our Summer Fancy Food Show album, follow the link to: http://picasaweb.google.com/PistachiOats/SummerFancyFoodShow

Good Canola, Bad Canola

When creating PistachiOats, my mother thought to use only those ingredients she knew to be nutritious and healthy, since it was originally to be consumed by her and her family and friends.

And so when people say that we shouldn't use canola oil in our product because it's unhealthy, we take this to heart. It seems that there is no general consensus on the effects of canola oil. Some people insist it to be unhealthy, while others insist it to be the healthiest of all oils.

Well, we believe canola oil to be an excellent oil as it is:

• very low in saturated fats


• a source of omega-3 fatty acids


• cholesterol and trans-fat free.

But, it's up to you to decide for yourself. A comprehensive source of information on canola oil is available on the U.S. Canola Association's website, which can be found at http://www.uscanola.com/. Although their information may carry the bias in favor of canola oil as it is their mission to "increase U.S. canola production", the information has been substantiated by the FDA.

We welcome and appreciate any input you may have on canola.

One Bowl of Cookie, Please

Question: How many ingredients does it take to make a tasty and nutritious bowl of oatmeal?

Answer: How many ingredients does it take to make a good cookie?

PistachiOats® is proud to boast its just 15 ingredients, all of which are in their purest form.

Pistachio Nuts Rolled Oats Honey Wheat Farina 100% Whole Wheat Flour

Pumpkin Puree Canola Oil Oat Bran Wheat Germ Flaxseed Meal

Unsweetened Applesauce Egg Whites Rose Water

Spices Vanilla

Imagine making a bowl of oatmeal with all of the healthiest ingredients you can think of. Now, imagine it actually tasting good! When crafting PistachiOats®, the idea was to receive the healthfulness of a bowl of oatmeal, but with taste and flexibility. You can’t take a bowl of oatmeal on the go and chances are it takes a lot of effort to actually finish the bowl without wishing there were a bit more sugar in it. What’s more is that if you were to create a bowl of oatmeal and put all of the healthy and tasty ingredients found in PistachiOats® in it, you’d end up with a very high calorie breakfast. 3 PistachiOats® cookies equate to a bowl of oatmeal and at less than 200 calories. With PistachiOats®, you can enjoy the “oatmeal” experience in its cookie manifestation. Not to be confused with an oatmeal cookie, though, which is traditionally made with sugar and white flour, PistachiOats® is the oatmeal cookie with an edge, as it includes pistachio nuts and rose water, is sweetened only with honey, and is made with 100% whole wheat flour.

So, the next time you get ready to have a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast, remember PistachiOats®!

Happy Breakfasting!

Harlem Green Foods Festival

June 21, Marcus Garvey Park, New York – As we made our way through the already bustling Marcus Garvey Park and to our allotted space in the Green Foods Festival, we were welcomed by the sound of a trumpet whose rhythmic beats seemed to resonate with the mixed crowds of protestors, vendors, park goers, and children. We found our spot, abut to the children’s playground, and set up camp.

When Whole Foods had selected our product, PistachiOats®, to be featured at the Green Foods Festival, we were honored to be a part of such an important movement. The Green Foods Organization, like Sano Villa, is about supporting healthy living by educating people on the means to leading a healthy life. Aside from the dozen or so healthy food vendors that dotted the northern pathway of the Marcus Garvey Park, visitors had access to free Tai chi lessons in the park and were provided with a variety of literature on healthy living. It was a very supportive and welcoming environment, which is something the Harlem neighborhood is in search of. As we handed out snacks and informed visitors that our product is available at Whole Foods, a number of them responded with elation – “I love Whole Foods! I’m always there!” Unfortunately, many of our visitors wished a Whole Foods was in their area so that they could implement and sustain a healthier way of living.

The event was to last from 12-6pm. We set up our booth at 11:30am and immediately had people come up to us, interested in learning more about PistachiOats®. The response was so overwhelming that we handed out over 500 snack packs and coupons by only 3pm, which was the reason for our early departure (for all of you who just missed us!). We also had a small raffle in play for a free iPod shuffle. All one had to do was sign-in at our booth with their name or email address. We received hundreds of entries and will have our drawing at the end of July; the winner will be announced in our August 1 newsletter.

While the iPod was an incentive for some, the unique appeal of our product intrigued most. Many health-conscious people were excited to know about an all-natural cookie that was not only low in sugar, but also made with the very popular pistachio nut. We had dozens of people return to our booth complimenting our success on the great taste of PistachiOats®, especially kids! One young man, Sharif of Harlem (11 years old), came back to our booth asking for more, saying, “These are really good!”

Thanks to the Green Foods Organization, Whole Foods, and the awesome Harlem Community! We had a wonderful time sharing our special cookie with you all!

Introducing Jeffrey and Grandpa at the NY NASFT Food Show

Shortly after our debut at the Spring Fancy Food Show in Chicago last April, Sano Villa was inducted into the National Association of Specialty Food Trade (NASFT) as Exhibiting Members. As Members, we have been given the opportunity to participate in all future NASFT food shows. Much work is to be done in preparation for NASFT’s largest show this June at the New York City Jacob K. Javits Center. There are cookies to be baked, brochures to be printed, posters to be created; which are just a few of the tasks Sano Villa must fulfill in preparation for our next show.

PistachiOats® will be displayed in the Natural & Organic Pavilion on the 4th floor Booth #6158 and will also be displayed in a special “Focus on Diversity Showcase” booth which is featured in the “What’s New, What’s Hot” area.

At the show, Sano Villa will introduce its son, Jeffrey Winthrop (21), to the business. He will be responsible for manning the PistachiOats® booth while the rest of the team attends meetings, seminars, and interacts with prospective contacts. And there is a lot to manage for our newest member, as the New York NASFT Show is the biggest of its trade shows. The three-day Fancy Food Show will host over 180,000 specialty foods from all around the world to more than 20,000 attendees.

Sano Villa will also introduce its grandfather, Joseph Hajjar, widow to the late Mary Hajjar, the source and inspiration of Sano Villa’s foods. At 78 years of age, this will be Joseph’s first time in the Big Apple. A Lebanese native, Joseph is familiar with the foods and landscapes of the Middle East and Mediterranean. He and Mary prepared a legacy of Mediterranean foods for their children and grandchildren, side by side. After the death of Mary, Elizabeth, creator of PistachiOats®, now turns to her father for new ideas and innovations on recipes passed down to her from her mother. In his dedication to his late wife, Grandpa Joseph is very excited to be a part of the continuing growth of Sano Villa in the marketplace.

Be sure to check back beginning June 29th, the start of the NY Fancy Food Show, as we continue to share and chronicle our experiences with you.

Until then!