TRAVERSE CITY -- One Traverse City man is serving up savory slices of nature with his northern Michigan gourmet apple slice business. 7&4's Kate Fox introduces us to the man behind Nature Treats LLC with this week's Made with Michigan Hands Report.
Owner of Nature Treats LLC Kevin Greene says, "If I’m at the farmers market and they sample them, they kind of way away while their trying them and they stop in their tracks and turn around with a smile on their face and say these are good."
Greene says once you taste his signature dried apple slices, you'll be hooked. He has always worked in a kitchen and loves the creativity it presents. So a year ago when the opportunity came up to buy Nature Treats LLC, he jumped on it.
Greene says, "It was underdeveloped a little bit so spending lots of time in the kitchen, I took my time to try to perfect it as much as possible get it a little bit crisper, and add a little more flavor profile."
He says while the process is somewhat simple, the outcome is anything but… Rather it's a savory slice of nature; crunchy, tasty and sweet!
Greene says, "I core them, I slice them and then I put a little cinnamon and sugar on them and put them in the dehydrator and let them cook."
He uses all northern Michigan ingredients and gets his apples from Friske Orchard.
Greene explains, "Using local agriculture, and keeping the dollar local fore the economy around here, waste is also biodegradable because I don't have much besides apples, those I give to local chicken farmers for feed."
His goal is to not only create a healthy snack alternative but a made in Michigan delectable product that supports the local economy.
Greene says, "If you can stay away from the box stores and support local economy and keep money here, I mean that's going to support us all...let us pay our bills and feed our families."
To visit the Nature Treats LLC website CLICK HERE.
