We are taking these precautionary measures to ensure the safety of our food, our customers, our employees and our partners:

1. We are monitoring information from the CDC and WHO.
2. We screen all employees before coming on shift for their temperature and their possible exposure to those infected with the coronavirus.
3. We bake our food. Pathogens are killed in the baking process.
4. Employees wear masks in our bakery and always use gloves to package our baked goods. Baked goods are never touched by hand after being baked.
5. Frequent hand washing is required of all employees. It is always essential in a food environment and even more so now.
6. Employees are asked not to touch their face. If they do touch their face, they must immediately wash their hands.
7. Employees may only be on site if they are healthy. If they are sick, they are asked to stay home.
8. Surfaces are sanitized before and after use. Sanitized surfaces are critically important and we regularly sanitize our equipment, tools and benches.
9. We log everything we make and either have a date on it or a lot number so we can trace all of our products, who made them and when they were packed.

Mariposa began in 2004 when founder Patti Furey Crane was craving high-quality sweets while pregnant with her first child. That was 16 years ago. At that time, there were few fresh gluten-free options so Patti decided to bake them herself. And soon after, Mariposa was launched in the summer of 2004.

Yes, everything we bake is made in our 100% dedicated gluten-free bakery located in Oakland, California.

Our artisan bakery also creates products with tree nuts, dairy, eggs and soy. We wash and sanitize tables and bowls between batches of product to reduce the chance of contamination of these allergens in products that do not contain them.

We use non-GMO products as much as we can. We are not certified non-GMO, but all of our flours, our xanthan gum, our beet fiber, our powdered sugar and our organic unrefined cane sugar are non-GMO.

Mariposa baked goods are made with a blend of gluten-free flours, and most blends contain 3 to 4 different kinds of flours. Gluten-free flours are heavier than wheat flour, so we use tapioca and potato starches to lighten up the flours. The only time our flours are not used in a product is when we offer grain-free items, which are typically made from a blend of almond flour and arrowroot starch. Our past grain-free items have included: grain-free fruit cake (holiday item), grain-free morning muffin, and amaretti cookie.

Yes, our baked goods that contain powdered sugar also contain trace amounts of corn starch.  We use non-GMO powdered sugar so the corn starch is non-GMO. All other corn that is found in our products is shown on the ingredient statements -- including corn meal which is found in our cornbread and seeded whole grain bread.  (Our baking powder is grainless baking powder, so it contains potato starch rather than corn starch.)

Unfortunately, no. We do our best to source organic ingredients for our baked goods but some ingredients are not available in an organic option and other ingredients are cost-prohibitive. We aim to create products that contain high quality, pure ingredients that are affordable to our customers. While not every ingredient is organic, many are.

It’s short! First, we don’t use preservatives. Preservatives help extend a shelf-life. Second, gluten-free baked goods lack the protein found in their gluten-based counterparts, so gluten-free products in general have a relatively short shelf-life. Because of this, unless it’s a dry item, like biscotti, we suggest storing our baked goods in airtight containers in the refrigerator or freezer.

No, our products do not contain preservatives or additives. They are also free of hydrogenated oils. Many of our products have been accepted by the Feingold Association, an organization of families and professionals dedicated to helping children and adults apply proven dietary techniques for better behavior, learning and health. Mariposa's products have been featured in the Feingold Association "Food List & Shopping Guide" publication which lists products found to be free of synthetic colors and flavors, as well as preservatives such as BHA, BHT and TBHQ.

Unfortunately, not at this time. Occasionally, we offer sugar-free options or items sweetened with coconut sugar. Alternative items like this are generally classified as our paleo-friendly items. We do not bake with stevia or other alternative sweeteners. We make classic tasting baked goods with the best texture we can achieve and we do that by using the gluten-free flours we use along with organic unrefined cane sugar, much of the time.

Our pizza is sold as par-baked crusts, rather than raw dough. This makes baking our pizza easier – just take crusts from the freezer, top with your favorite ingredients and put right into the oven! They do well being baked on hot pizza stones for about 10 minutes at 425F.

During the holiday season, we try to stock Wholly Wholesome GF Pie Crusts in our Oakland Cafe Freezer. Although we bake pies for the holiday season, we do not sell our own pie crusts.

We know that many people who have gluten-intolerance, a gluten-allergy or Celiac Disease often have other food allergies as well. While we are a dedicated gluten-free baking company and all of our products are gluten-free, each product is different and may contain other allergens. We have these listed along with our ingredients and we try to label our products as clearly as possible so that you are very clear what allergens a product may contain. (Our bakery is also peanut-free, so none of our products contain peanuts.)

Nutritional information for our products can be found on our website's product pages. If a page does not contain nutritional information, it means it has not yet been calculated. We are actively working on updating this information for all our products.

No! Although we are not a certified gluten-free bakery, we are a 100% dedicated gluten-free bakery and as such, we take every precaution to prevent cross-contamination. We have a trust relationship with our mostly local ingredient suppliers. We have strong protocols in place to ensure that employees never bring gluten into our bakery or wear their uniforms outside of work where they may come into contact with gluten. We do everything possible to create a safe environment for making 100% gluten-free baked goods.

Further, we periodically send a sampling of products to the FARRP (Food Allergy Research and Resource) Lab at the University of Nebraska for gluten testing. Our products consistently test under 10ppm.