sweet tooth

Photo courtesy of Bloom Caramel.

**This piece was originally written for Citizen Fare online magazine — it’s quite a bit longer than usual, but I promise it’s a good story! **

First of all, I should probably offer a confession: I have a slight addiction to caramel. Maybe a bit more than slight. Sweet, sticky, scrumptiously rich and oozy — what’s not to like? As ubiquitous a flavor as it is, though, most people probably don’t think much about what’s actually in caramel (or maybe that’s exactly what you spend your days pondering — whatever floats your boat). News flash or not, these are the facts: most caramel is made with butter, cream, sugar, and a bucket-load of other additives, which sadly lands it on the no-no list for vegans and those with non-dairy and other diet restrictions. Or at least, in today’s buzz of the all-natural and plant-based, this reality is food for thought.

Better than simply thinking about food, though, is eating it, which is where Bloom caramel comes into this picture. An organic, dairy- and gluten-free, vegan caramel sauce, Bloom caramel contains exactly five easy-to-pronounce ingredients: pure cane sugar, coconut milk, vanilla, salt, and spices. Currently, you can find it in vanilla, salted, cardamom, ancho chili, matcha, salted coffee crackle, chili cinnamon, and even stout beer flavors.

The sweet concoction is the brainchild of Chris Bailey, a Portland chef and food entrepreneur. With a background in food research and product development at the Food Innovation Center at Oregon State University, Bailey was familiar with the process of launching edible endeavors and had previously created a line of vegan, gluten- and dairy-free soup starters. The leap to caramel, borne from the same principles, hit a sweet spot.

“For me the root came from the desire to offer options that serve the vegan/vegetarian community,” Bailey says. “I think it’s important to have a vegan-friendly, lactose-free caramel alternative.”

Coconut might not be the first ingredient to pop to mind when thinking of caramel. Yet there’s no denying that coconut’s star is rising on the buzzy health and wellness scene, and Bailey spotted a perfect time and environment to launch his vegan caramel recipe.

“We see [coconut] being utilized more, whether it’s coconut milk, coconut oil, coconut water, so having primarily coconut-based caramel fits that growing awareness of coconut and also alternative milks.”

That said, don’t be fooled into thinking you have to say farewell to any of the sugary goodness of traditional caramel in order to make it vegan. Just the opposite, in fact.

“With products like Bloom, I don’t consider [it] a substitute,” Bailey explains. “I mentioned ‘alternative’ — this is something that people who aren’t vegans can enjoy, too, because there’s such a different flavor profile to it. It’s just as satisfying as a traditional cream- or butter-based caramel.”

“The name Bloom was meant to evoke [a] healthy, alive feel, something always growing and buzzing to it.”

In addition to the vegan, non-dairy factor, a key aspect that sets Bloom apart is the actual making of the caramel. Bloom is clearly a labor of love of its creators, and its production speaks to the attention and conscientiousness of the philosophy behind the brand. Every jar is handcrafted in Portland, Oregon, produced on a limited scale in roughly 30-gallon kettles in the Bloom test kitchens — which may seem large but is practically home baking compared to the massive mechanized production of most mainstream brands. That personalized approach and care is at the heart of the Bloom identity.

“Right now it’s still a very small-batch, localized process,” Bailey says. “We have more control [and] quality assurance — we see what’s going in, we taste every batch here in North Portland. We’re actively overseeing the process [so] we have control over the ingredients that go into it and make sure everything is as consistent as possible every step of the way.”

Let’s not forget, the ingredients are the key to a product — at least, if you care about that sort of thing (which Bloom clearly does). The recipe seems almost laughably simple, which is exactly the beauty of it. They slowly caramelize pure cane sugar, then add in coconut milk, double-fold vanilla extract, a hint of sea salt, and organic spices. Voilà: creamy caramel goodness. On top of that, almost all of the ingredients are local, sourced from suppliers in and around Portland and the Pacific Northwest region. Circling back to the authentic and hands-on core of the Bloom character, the caramel is very much a product of and linked to the community it originated in, to which Bailey gives a generous slice of credit for its quality.

“The Portland community is really thoughtful and educated around food,” he says. “I think it speaks to the landscape [and] access to good food. Portland is nestled right by the Willamette Valley and these verdant growing regions, so it really starts from the ground up — you have these farmers and a robust presence of accessible fruits and vegetables, which leads to these handmade items. It’s part of a bigger landscape of just good products. From there it encourages more craft artisans who all share a similar value system of [considering] what goes into their products and what they’re making.”

In other words, every step of the way, the caramel is laced with a purity and care rather unique in today’s manufacturing scene. That might seem like a lot of hoopla for a sugar sauce, but it makes for one darn delicious outcome. And in Bailey’s view, this is what truly makes Bloom stand out.

“I think the depth of flavor we get really speaks to the ingredients we use: pure coconut milk, organic cane sugar, double vanilla and Oregon sea salt — the sea salt really makes a difference, too.”

Which brings us to a very crucial point: what does this stuff actually taste like? Sure, we all know what caramel tastes like, but coconut caramel? (Also, it’s worth pointing out that there’s a world of difference between true caramel and caramel-flavored). Despite the recent craze around everything coconut — milk, oil, butter — it can be a somewhat polarizing flavor. Not everyone wants his or her coffee to taste like an Almond Joy or piña colada (spoiler alert: it won’t).

“I think people are surprised by the flavor of the caramel. They think of coconut, and they think it’s going to have that artificial suntan-lotion-y flavor; they appreciate the deep, more nuanced flavor,” Bailey says. “We have a steady vegan community here that’s only growing, but even in the non-vegan community [the feedback] is really positive.”

I don’t pretend to be a food expert (though I am a self-professed caramel-aholic and have a near-infamous sweet tooth). And in the interest of full disclosure, Bailey did send me free “samples” of Bloom caramel — which turned out to be full-size jars of each flavor. Let’s just say the first two jars were half-empty within two days. There is a slight hint of flavor different from typical caramel, but it’s not overtly coconut-y (and certainly not essence of sunscreen). The taste has a lusciously smooth, rich, almost buttery note, followed by a spike of spice depending on the flavor — salted and cardamom are my favorites so far. Best of all, there’s none of that sickly sweet fake taste you get with many caramel-flavored sauces and syrups. And considering that the vanilla caramel won a Good Food Award this month, I’m clearly not the only one hooked on Bloom. If you’re not sure how to use it, Bailey has a few suggestions: in coffee, for dipping, as an ice cream or other dessert topping. Or take a page from my book and just eat it with a spoon from the jar (I highly recommend).

Now that your mouth is presumably watering, how do you get some? Though currently mostly centered in the Pacific Northwest, Bloom’s reach is expanding, and the sauce can also be found in specialty food stores from Atlanta, Georgia, to the greater DC area to Brooklyn, New York, and even Vancouver and Ontario, Canada. A list of stores where it’s available will also soon be posted on the Bloom website, and it can be ordered online. And Bailey doesn’t see an end to the Bloom story anytime soon, with plans for more flavors in the works, as well as a line of syrups perfect for coffee. The company is even exploring a maple caramel made with maple sugar, following requests from outlets in Canada (I’m keeping an eye out for this one — maple is my jam).

“There’s a big coffee culture here [so it’s about] getting more of the product in [café] hands and seeing how they can use it,” Bailey says. “There are a lot of cheap substitutes to caramel, so we’re never going to compete against the $2.99 Smucker’s caramel that’s loaded with substitutes — nor do we want to. [We’re trying to] make people aware of the capability of how far caramel can go.”

If this caramel is anything to go by, that’s pretty far. Whether you’re vegan or dairy-free or not, you’d have to possess a completely AWOL sweet tooth (and/or dead taste buds) to not enjoy this crave-worthy sugary concoction. But don’t take my word for it — there’s enough caramel to go around. And though it’s certainly a sweet treat, you can rest easy knowing there’s nothing artificial or funky in it. That kind of gives it a freebie pass, right? According to Bailey, the Bloom philosophy is all about authenticity and life, which is something we can all get behind — especially when it’s a caramel-icious sweet life.

“The name Bloom was meant to evoke [a] healthy, alive feel, something always growing and buzzing to it.”