A lot of people don’t realize it, but the only place in the U.S. where it’s cool enough year-round to grow flax seed is in North and South Dakota!
That’s why most products you see on the craft show circuit don’t use pure flax seed. It’s far more common to find rice, corn or fruit pits in the look-alike microwavable heating packs, sometimes with a smattering of flax seed. We wanted to use only 100%, top grade flax seed in our products, because we believe in buying once and using for many years. Finding a source for newly harvested, craft-grade flax seed that was available in a large quantity was key for us.
After a lot of research, we were blessed to find a family with a small flax farm in South Dakota willing to ship us 40, 25-pound bags (that’s a half a ton!) of their pure, freshly harvested flax seed on a regular basis. It takes a bit of managing– over-the-road trucking/receiving can be challenging– but it’s well worth it. Over the past year and a half since we launched Flaxie Packs, Wanda and Gene have become an integral part of our business.
If you asked Wanda “Why use flax seed instead of beans, corn or rice?” she’ll tell you: “Flax seeds are very small– about the size of a sesame seed– so the pack is very comfortable and conforming. Since flax seed is 30 to 40% oil, it will retain its special kind of moist, penetrating heat for a long period of time after being heated in the microwave– and it can be heated over and over again. The beans, corn and rice all work for a short time. But because they are all water based, every time you heat them, some of the hydration is lost. Eventually, you have a pack that can’t hold heat anymore. That will not happen with flax seed, because its natural oil base keeps it from dehuydrating. You can heat it hundreds and hundreds of times, and it will still hold the heat as well as the first time you took it out of the microwave.”
Thank you, Gene & Wanda– we appreciate your amazing product and your great customer service!
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