International Women’s Day

Angelica Hollstadt, founder of Angelica’s Garden, got the idea for making kimchi, sauerkraut and other raw fermented foods while interning on a farm in Lake Elmo, Minn. Soon, she was making pickles and relishes on a couple of acres of rented farmland outside of Stillwater, Minn. In 2003, Angelica and her husband, Mike, began selling their fermented products at the St. Paul Farmers Market, and things took off from there. Angelica is a champion of the benefits of fermented foods, which can help lower cholesterol, aid digestion and boost immunity. Her products contain only fresh, organic ingredients and can be found in food co-ops around the Twin Cities and the Upper Midwest.

Marieke Gouda crafts farmstead, artisan, raw milk, authentic Dutch Gouda cheese from their own herd of rGBH-free Holstein cows. Owner Marieke Penterman and her husband, Rolf, come from a background in small-scale dairy farming in the Netherlands. In 2002, the couple moved to central Wisconsin to start their own dairy farm and cheesemaking operation. In 2004, while earning her Wisconsin cheesemaker’s license, Marieke returned to the Netherlands to learn the process of making “boerenkaas,” the authentic farmstead Dutch Gouda cheese. Today, Marieke Gouda is a nationally and internationally recognized cheesemaker.

Misty Fjord owner Fran Kaul hails from the Twin Cities. Years before she graduated from Macalester College, she had an inkling that she may want to do something else with her life. A visit to see her brother in Alaska when she was 14, during which she had the opportunity to go trolling on a friend’s boat, put the love of fishing in her. Today, she is self-employed, captain of her own boat, and running her own direct marketing business, Misty Fjord. Fishing has become a family business for Fran. She has two sons, both of whom are passionate fishermen. Valley Natural Foods carries a line of products from Misty Fjord, including sockeye and lemon pepper, smoked, and maple-smoked salmon—all personally delivered to the store by Fran.

Punk Rawk Labs is a Minnesota-based company owned and operated by three women: a scientist turned raw chef, a record store owner, and a nutritionist. Punk Rawk Labs handcrafts artisanal nutmilk cheese in small batches. The company originated in 2010 when Alissa Barthel, a microbiologist and raw foods chef, met record store owner and fellow vegan-cooking enthusiast Julie Wellman. A few years later, Heidi Oschsner, a registered dietitian from the Seattle area, joined the team. Following a successful Kickstarter campaign, the business quickly grew, with orders coming in from all over the country.

The Salad Girl Organic Dressing Company is committed to bringing healthy, safe and tasty organic products to the table. Owner and founder Pam Powell, along with her husband and son, began bottling their uncooked, fresh, organic dressings in 2007. Originally selling at farmers markets, they soon expanded their operation to begin distributing to Twin Cities-area grocery stores. Pam gained her inspiration for making her salad dressings while working as a dishwasher during the summers at a resort in northern Minnesota. When she wasn’t washing dishes, she assisted the “Salad Girl” preparing produce and creating her original salad dressings. Pam eventually became the “Salad Girl” herself, a name that she would one day give to her company. Salad Girl is now available all over the Midwest and across the country. Their dressings are preservative, gluten, soy, cane sugar and corn syrup free, as well as certified kosher and organic.

Vika’s Essentials Organic Skincare—located right here in Burnsville—was born from a passion for essential oils, nature and a healthy lifestyle. Owner and founder Viktoriya Hopperstad began Vika’s Essentials in 2008 after years of suffering from sensitive skin issues like acne and eczema rashes. When expensive, high-end products failed to provide any relief, Viktoriya looked in an alternative direction to pure essential oils, natural butters and oils. All Vika’s Essentials products are handmade in small batches and “celebrate the heritage of natural medicine from cultures of the world.”