The Paleo Diet
What is Paleo?
Paleo eating is based on the idea that we evolved for over 2.5 million years to eat a certain way (meats, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds) and it’s only in the last 10,000 years that we’ve started eating processed and cultivated food (wheat, corn, gluten, sugar, and the wide assortment of chemicals in most supermarket food aisles.)
Modern Paleo is a diet of ingredients vs a diet of proportions so there’s a lot of freedom to blend and mix many different foods that cavemen normally wouldn’t have had sustained and/or combined access to (i.e. eating almonds which are harvested only in the fall with cacao which is harvested year-round) not to mention geographical constraints such as different foods growing in different climates.
Truly strict Paleo eaters hunt and gather their own food and we dig that. At certain times of the year we go out and enjoy practicing those skills in the mountains and on the sea. However, we also live in modern times with computers and cars and bad-ass rifles and we really dig enjoying modern conveniences like balanced weight bars and bumper plates, so for Paleo Treats stuff we go with Modern Paleo rules.
Well, what about the cookies? I mean, $4 a cookie is really expensive!
Part of the Paleo diet is eating the cleanest ingredients you can find, not the factory farmed processed and cheap plastic bullshit that you can get in any chain grocery store. As a company, we think it’s important to provide the highest quality ingredients possible, and that is our first priority.
All our ingredients are natural and most of them are certified organic and that quality costs more to make. Each cookie is hand poured of farmed, we don’t have a huge processing plant cranking out 400,000 cookies an hour, and we make sure to pay our workers a living wage. All that translates into a cookie that costs more than a Chip’s Ahoy, but if that’s what you want then eat the hell out of ’em and don’t look in the mirror when you get out of the shower.
Are your Treats really “Paleo”?
Yes and no. Cavemen didn’t have access to ovens (we bake our Mac Attacks instead of putting them on hot rocks) and they didn’t pound out cacao beans and then mix ’em with cacao butter and nuts and honey, so in the purist’s sense, no, they’re not Paleo.
In the sense of Paleo as a diet of ingredients then yes, they are Paleo. If a caveman or woman could have found and eaten an ingredient more than 10,000 years ago, then it’s Paleo. You can find quite a few Internet Einsteins who will debate this endlessly, but that’s our take on it.
What about all the (insert “fat” or “carbs” etc.) in your Treats? That CAN’T be Paleo!
If you start with the idea that these are cookies, not meals (Pete’s Paleo, Eatology and Meals for SEALS make great meals) or snacks (Paleokits make great snacks) you’ll get “it” pretty quick.
Paleo Treats are designed for modern Paleo people who want something sweet but don’t want to spoon up a pint of Haagen Daaz or wolf down a pack of Nutter-Butters and feel like crap the next day because of all the chemicals and artificial garbage that’s in those products.
Should I eat these at room temp? It says on the box to “Freeze before eating.” Should I let them thaw first?
We find the Paleo Treats taste the best straight out of the freezer. Because they don’t have a bunch of water in them (it’s more coconut oil and good fat) they didn’t actually freeze, they just get really firm. The Brownie Bomb especially tastes A-mazing straight out of the freezer. Of course, you can eat ’em anyway you want, we’ve even heard of folks microwaving them. Making Paleo Treats awesome is our job, enjoying the hell out of ’em is yours. Make it so, Paleo warriors.
Shipping
Do you ship to APO/FPO?
Absolutely! Make sure you enter “United States” as the country in the shipping address, then choose what part of the world you’re in (Armed Forces Africa/Middle East etc.) for “state.” APO/FPO shipping is a flat rate of $14. If you choose a country other than “United States” you will fall under international shipping, which is significantly more expensive.
Do you ship to PO boxes?
No. You would not believe how much of a PITA it is to ship to PO boxes. PO boxes do not give one tiny little f*$k about Paleo and shelf life.
Do you ship international?
Yes. Now, let us clearly warn you: For international shipping we will not guarantee any kind of delivery. I’m sorry, it sucks, but there are just too many variables. Having said that, we’ve successfully shipped all over the world including a mining camp in Australia, LCLA runs in Afghanistan, bases in Iraq, and people in Switzerland, the UK, Ireland, and Brazil. We’ve got one customer in New Zealand who has received multiple shipments with no problem and is a Paleo Treats fanatic. Mark Neems, that’s you.
Why is shipping so expensive?
This is something that we don’t have much control over. We’ve gone back and forth with FedEx & UPS, the rates are the by the time we factor in the software needed to process either one. We ship enough boxes out to get a better rate than if you walked into the UPS or FedEx store, and we pass that savings on to you. We know that many stores on the internet offer “free” shipping. If we did that we’d have to raise our cookie prices to cover it. Rather than BS you with a “free” rate, we just pass on our cost to ship. That saves you the most money and keeps everything honest.
What days do you ship?
We normally ship Mon-Thurs between 3-5 p.m. We don’t ship on Fridays or holidays (in order to prevent Paleo Treats™ from sitting in a shipping facility any longer than they have to.) If you have any questions about your shipment, don’t hesitate to write or call 619.403.5424
What is the optimum way to store Paleo Treats?
The best way to store Paleo Treats is to keep ’em in your freezer. Most people like the consistency best out of the freezer anyway, so although they can be kept in the fridge or for a short time at room temp, we strongly recommend the freezer.
What is the Paleo Treats return policy?
If you’re not happy with Paleo Treats for any reason let us know and we’ll either ship you another box or refund your money, your choice. Life is too short to deal with pissed off customers, we aim to keep everybody stoked.
If I have a suggestion how do I contact you?
You can contact us or call 619.403.5424, or you can get old fashioned and send us snail mail (or visit us) at 1815B Main Street, San Diego CA 92113.
What does Paleo Treats do to reduce its environmental footprint?
We offset our carbon footprint on our shipping. Our bakery generates most of its own electricity with solar power. We use organic, natural, and local products as much as we can and we try and be mindful of our footprint on ole planet Earth.
Our company
Where is Paleo Treats headquartered?
PTHQ is at 1815B Main Street, San Diego CA 92113. Come on by Mon-Thurs from 10-5 or Friday 10-2! Our bakery is up in Miramar, just north of the Marine Corp Air Station.
Who is your target market?
We started PT to cater to folks like us, people who eat Paleo and still enjoy the occasional dessert, and we haven’t changed. As the benefits of the Paleo diet come to light we’re seeing more and more folks find us who are eating gluten-free or who have celiac’s disease or who just want something other than the sugar and preservative loaded “food” that passes for dessert these days.
What is the Paleo Treats Mission statement?
Our mission is to make the best tasting Paleo desserts possible while providing superb customer service. We’ve got a sign up in our office to remind everyone why we’re in business, and in order, it is: 1. Add Quality, Beauty, and Joy to the world. 2. Have fucking fun. 3. Make money.
And vision?
The PT vision is to express our mission guided by the twin lights of strength and creativity. We really dig the many variations of strength, from a strong runner to a strong power lifter to a mentally strong athlete. Strength along isn’t enough though, for us to thrive as a company and as people we feel it’s super important to be creative as well. Whether that’s as straightforward as being creative in the kitchen or as free-form as creating art out of scrap metal and cut-up magazines, that creativity is an essential part of what we see as the essence of Paleo Treats.
How did you start your company?
Three of us (Dave, Nik, and Lee) were sitting around our kitchen after a delicious Paleo dinner and thought, “Man, wouldn’t it be awesome to be able to have a Paleo Treat right now?” We immediately bought the website www.paleotreats.com, and then thought for a few days about what it might entail to actually build a company based on Paleo desserts.
It was May of 2009, so the CrossFit Games (the 3rd ones) were two months away. We spent a month or so putting together our first two recipes (the Mac Attack and the Cacao Now) and then baked up 2,000 cookies at home. We will not do that again; with a 150 sq ft kitchen to work in it was tight!
We took these cookies (1,000 of each) up to the CrossFit Games in Aromas, thinking that we’d sell as many as we could, give away most of the rest, and whatever was left over we’d bring back to San Diego and hand out to local CrossFits. The Games are a three day event, Friday-Sunday. We attracted our first customers early Friday morning as soon as the coffee was set up, and we sold 99% of our Paleo Treats by 10:00 a.m. Saturday morning. That’s when we knew we had a good product. If you want to know way more, check out our blog post about it, here.
How do you eat/live?
We eat Paleo 80-90% of the time, occasionally jumping right the hell off the wagon and into some tiramisu made by Dave or we’ll tear through a batch of our good friend Dennis’ world famous chocolate chip cookies. Other than that we roll with the usual “protein the size of your palm” and the rest of the plate covered with salad. Grass-fed, organic, free range, etc. meat from Farmer’s Market. We grow a vegetable garden out front and usually harvest something out of that for lunch or dinner.
We work out outside, usually drifting within the guidelines of CrossFit although lately Nik’s been training for the Leadville 100 and Lee is working the Convict Conditioning program. We spend time in the mountains and the ocean, occasionally hunt and fish, muck around in the garage and the garden, and generally have as good a time as possible in the time we’ve got here on Planet Earth. We’re usually up for dinner if you come through town, so don’t hesitate to reach out.
Do you ever offer discounts?
Yes. “Like” our Facebook fan page and sign up for our email newsletter to stay in the loop. We try and hook our folks up as much as we can, and of course we take care of our mil/leo/ff communities.
How many gyms & stores are you in?
We’re in a few stores and gyms and we’re watching the demand grow rapidly. Check ’em out here. We’re trying to keep our growth organic and sustainable, so if you’re interested in carrying Paleo Treats write us.
Where do you make Paleo Treats?
Just north of MCAS Miramar, in San Diego.
Who are the Paleo Treats ambassadors?
People who are combining strength and creativity, and who are all around good humans. Shawn Alladio, Chris McCluggage, Dorothy Ainsworth and Ray Tabbita help bring awareness to Paleo Treats for us right now.
Who are the founders of Paleo Treats?
Check out our whole story here.
What are Paleo Treats’ plan for the future?
We’re shooting to come out with 2 to 3 new Paleo desserts every year, to spread the Paleo word as much as possible, and to continue enjoying hanging out with cool Paleo people.
How does Paleo Treats give back to the community?
We donate part of our proceeds to the 1% for the Planet program which you can read about here. We also actively support The Station Foundation.
