Frequently Asked Questions
"Do your foods contain soy? Sugar? Wheat?"
As to the soy and the wheat, absolutely not - and the only place you'll find sugar is in our Almond Shortbread line! Our ingredients lists are short and sweet by design: almonds, butter, cheese, sea salt and spices for our straws and almonds, butter, cane sugar and gluten free vanilla for our shortbread. Isn't it lovely to know exactly what you're eating?!
"Are your foods made in a dedicated gluten-free facility?"
Yes! We have our own commercial kitchen inside historic Norris House in downtown Raleigh. We're the only ones who bake here, and we only bake gluten free. We have a dedicated commercial oven which bakes only gluten free goods. We still live in a world with gluten (like everybody else) but we do all we can to avoid cross-contamination.
"Why do your cheese straws cost more than some of the other straws & crackers on the shelf at my local grocery store?"
Cheese straws are a specialty item rarely cost-competitive with mass-produced crackers. Two key factors drive our costs: ingredients and time. Put simply, almonds and butter cost significantly more than margarine, vegetable oils and wheat flour – and it costs more to make food by hand than cranking it through a series of machines. Check the ingredients list of the products you're comparing – we were shocked by how many other cheese straws use margarine or some combination of oils instead of real butter.
Another factor is our lack of artificial preservatives and shelf stabilizers – since Five Points straws won't sit on the shelf for months at a time our retailers are buying fresh in smaller quantities. Many other producers are selling in huge quantities with bulk discounts because their straws can sit for months (even years!) awaiting purchase. This is particularly disturbing when some don't even bother to provide a "best by" date: who knows how long those boxes have been sitting on the shelf? We think you deserve better!
"I need straws (or shortbread!) for a wedding - bridal shower - baby shower - corporate event. Can you help with something custom?"
Absolutely! We've been tackling special events and custom orders locally and would welcome the opportunity to work with you on something special. Each project is priced according to scope and details. Please see our Custom Orders page for a gallery of prior work, and contact us through the Say Hello page for more information on what we can do for your special event. Please allow ample time for all custom orders, as we will need time to source custom packaging, assemble same and get the finished products to you.