It’s easy to confuse Newman’s Own and Newman’s Own Organics products. Did you even realize there were two products lines? Because until recently I didn’t! Newman’s Own Organics started as a division of Newman’s Own in 1993 by Nell Newman and her business partner, Peter Meehan, but became a separate company in early 2001. The two companies have separate lines of products.

They also have different packaging I’m sure I’ve seen both packaging but never really looked closely enough to notice the difference. I’m guessing some of you have too??

We received a box full of some yummy Newman’s Own Organics products and I swear my girls thought they were in snack heaven when they saw all the yummy goodness! It’s really one of the favorite parts of my job – getting goodies like this in the mail. And of course I’m usually the best mom ever when that happens too!

When Nell Newman and business partner Peter Meehan started Newman’s Own® Organics: The Second Generation® in 1993, they were sure there was a market for organic snack foods, but they couldn’t have anticipated just how fast the demand for their products would grow. What started with pretzels and grew to include other snack foods has now expanded to many other organic items: coffee, tea, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, organic dried fruit, and pet food. The partners anticipate adding a number of new items each year in all these areas.

Because of “Pa” Newman’s love for pretzels, they began with pretzels in fall of 1993 and since then the pretzel line has expanded to ten varieties!! Their focus was on items that they loved as kids but using the highest quality of available organic ingredients. Thanks to Nell’s love of chocolate, organic chocolate bars were next! The company was a pioneer in the natural food industry when it offered its first line of organic chocolate bars in 1995. In 2009 the company took their commitment to a better chocolate bar to the next level with its Signature Chocolate line, which carries the USDA Organic and RainForest Alliance Certified ™ seals on both the bars and chocolate cups.

It wasn’t long before other chocolate items joined the bars. There were Champion Chip Cookies in several varieties; Newman-O’s, a crème filled chocolate cookie in six varieties; Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups, Chocolate Mint Cups and Chocolate Carmel Cups. To a chocolate lover, this all sounds really good right?!

After Paul Newman approached Nabisco (now Kraft) to get some licensing for the name, The popular Fig Newman’s ™ came into being!! This was the first fig bar with organic figs, organic sugar, organic flour, and without hydrogenated oils. The line includes fat-free and low-fat versions, and after several requests, a wheat free, dairy free bar. Other favorites in the cookie line are

• Alphabet Cookies
• Ginger-O’s
• Hermits
• Ginger Snaps
• Oatmeal Chocolate Chip
• Chocolate Chip
• Orange Chocolate Chip
• Double Chocolate Chip

The cookie line uses palm shortening. “People initially confused this ingredient with palm kernel oil,” say Nell. “Palm kernel oil is extracted from a nut and is generally solvent extracted and must be refined before use. Palm oil is extracted only from the fruit, like olive and avocado oil, and is not refined, only filtered and deodorized. Unlike butter, palm shortening is plant derived, so it has no cholesterol and is lower in saturated fat than butter.

And then there is the candy line which includes:

• Organic mints – Wintergreen, Cinnamon, Ginger, and Peppermint
• Licorice Twists – Black, Strawberry, Pomegranate, Tangerine, Sour Cherry, Sour Apple, Sour Strawberry and Sour Mango

The sale of Newman’s Own Organics products generates money for the Newman’s Own Foundation to give away. Since 1982 Paul Newman and the Newman’s Own Foundation have donated more than $350 million dollars to educational and charitable organizations worldwide.

Like I said above, we received a variety of the Newman’s Own Organics and enjoyed trying them all out.  We all had our favorites of course and honestly there was only one thing I didn’t like – yet my children loved them!   But my four favorite products were the Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups, Newman-O’s Mint Cookies, Fig Newman’s and Strawberry Licorice Twists.

I love that the sale of these products help raise money for charitable organizations so not only do you get good quality organic items, but you also help others at the same time…. love when companies do that!

Have you tried any of the Newman’s Own Organics?  If so what are your favorites??

(1) Koupon Karen reader will win some Newman’s Own Organics Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups, Newman-O’s Mint Cookies, Fig Newman’s and Strawberry Licorice Twists!!!

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Disclosure: I received a Free product for review. My opinions are 100% mine.