Welcome to Kid Koncierge of Northwest Michigan! Whether you are a resident, a visitor, or a newcomer to our beautiful region we hope that you will enjoy visiting our site. Our goal is to get you connected to the hundreds of businesses, services, and agencies that provide products or services for our kids.
Kid Koncierge is all about kids! Whether you are browsing the Directory in search of a a specific product or service or looking for local events published in our Calendar you will recognize that our focus is on kids and their families. Ultimately, we seek to be your personal kid "koncierge" so please let us know how we can serve you.
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Sweet (healthy) Success
Local family behind Naturally Nutty Foods
Vegetarian mom of three Katie Kearney was determined to find the perfect peanut butter for her family – so much so that the Traverse City resident ultimately decided she should be the one to create it. “While there are some good peanut butters out there, nothing seemed perfect. I was looking for a healthy alternative to the major brands without compromising taste and texture and without the thick layer of oil on top,” she says.
And did she ever create – 12 different flavors of peanut and almond butters, all made with flax and hemp seed. Naturally Nutty Foods, launched in October 2007 by Kearney and husband Tim, features flavors such as cinnamon cherry, mocha, vanilla, butter toffee and chocolate butter toffee. Naturally Nutty also revealed three organic sunflower butters – chocolate, regular and cinnamon-vanilla – in 2009.
“They are processed by me, in a separate room, on separate equipment and each batch will be tested for peanut and almond proteins so that people with even severe allergies can eat them,” Kearney said.
Naturally Nutty has found its way not only into specialty shops throughout northern Michigan and Whole Foods stores statewide, but also to businesses in more than a dozen states. Online sales – www.naturallynutty.com – are going strong, too, Kearney said.
Kid Koncierge checked in with the Kearney family to learn what’s ahead for Naturally Nutty in 2010. Here’s the scoop:
· “We have come out with a wonderful peanut free/gluten free trail mix that is to die for,” Kearney said. “I have been selling it at the Saturday market in the basement of Building 50 and online. So far that's all, but I'm sure it will be at Oryana soon.”
· Also new: two cashew butters, both 100 percent organic. One is plain and the other is cinnamon.
· Naturally Nutty now is certified organic. “You will see that our labels are all switching over to organic -- we've been using organic since our ninth month of business but a lot of people don't realize that,” she said. The Kearney kids – Shaine, Sielle and Bella – helped design the labels.
· The company is working directly with a co-op of farmers in California to get its almonds.
· Shaine, Sielle and Bella are using Naturally Nutty’s organic, recycled bags to tie-dye and sell. The kids also can be seen helping their mom and dad sell at the Saturday market. “They do a great job and we love it because we are trying to show them what it's like to run and own a business,” Kearney said.
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if you know of a local kid (or kids) with a story to share!
The Children’s House Weaving Project combines art, recycling, and service to the community.
TRAVERSE CITY, MI —Ann Edens, an area mother of two and parent at The Children’s House of Traverse City, was getting a jump on her spring cleaning this year. Going through her children’s old clothes—lots of threadbare t-shirts and frayed pajamas bottoms—she suddenly had an idea.
“Children's art and recycling stuff into art materials are two of my favorite things, so I thought: Why put them together? Why not take all this old, worn fabric and make something wonderful out of them?”
And so, The Children’s House Weaving Project was born.
“Our first job was to collect torn, stained, and discarded fabrics that would otherwise be landfill bound and turn these into weaving fiber,” says Edens. “This assortment included baby clothes, pajama pants, tablecloths, and many t-shirts.”
Woodshop leftovers were used to create a large, simple loom for the students to create a 6' X 4' weaving. The loom was then placed in the elementary wing’s common area where 1st through 6th grade students all worked together on the project this winter and quickly the weaving began to grow.
“The end goal of the project is to raise funds and student awareness of the environmental and social needs here in the Traverse City area,” says Edens. “After the weaving is complete, the students are helping promote a raffle that will raise money for charity.”
Deciding on who should get the money from the raffle has also been a learning experience for the students at The Children’s House,” says Edens.
“Elementary students visited four area charity organizations—Cherryland Humane Society, Child and Family Services, the Watershed Center, and Street Outreach,” she says. “The children interviewed staff to learn more about what these organizations do and also toured these locations to compile reports that they shared with the other students back at school.”
Now it’s time to vote. Edens says one organization will be voted on by the students to receive a cash donation raised from the “weaving raffle” on March 4, 2010.
For more information and/or interviews please contact Missy Russell, Advancement Director at The Children House, by phone 231.929.9325 or via email at
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