What “Organic” Really Means at the Modern Stone Age Kitchen

Last week, we shared the exciting news that we’ve switched to 100% organic flour for all of our gluten-containing products—from bread to croissants, pasta to crackers. This week, we want to slow down and talk about what that change really means—and just as importantly, what it doesn’t.

In today’s food world, buzzwords like “organic,” “local,” “scratch-made,” “seasonal,” and “regenerative” are everywhere. While these words carry powerful intentions, they’ve been so overused and misapplied that they’ve lost much of their meaning. At the Modern Stone Age Kitchen, we’re committed to restoring integrity to those terms—starting with complete transparency.

So let’s be clear: our kitchen is not 100% organic. In fact, we’re far from it—and that’s a deliberate choice. Not because we don’t value organic ingredients (we do), but because our focus is different. We’ve chosen to prioritize something that’s often missing from the conversation around food labels: the process.

Bakers pre-shaping our sourdough bagels after a 24+ fermentation process

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Bill nixtamilizing our organic maize

Why the Process Comes First

What makes our approach different is our unwavering commitment to ancestral and traditional techniques—fermentation, nixtamalization, soaking, sprouting, culturing—all time-tested methods developed to make food safer, more nourishing, and more bioavailable. These are the very processes that have allowed humans to thrive across vastly different environments and diets.

This is the heart of what we do. We believe that how we process food—how we treat ingredients with intention, respect, and care—is often more important than what’s written on a package. That’s the piece we’ll never compromise on.

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Why Not Everything We Use Is Organic

There are several reasons for this, and they’re worth breaking down:

1. We support our local community.
Many of the farmers and producers we work with use exceptional practices but aren’t certified organic. Certification can be prohibitively expensive, and sometimes it just doesn’t align with the scale or spirit of their work. Supporting these producers directly helps build a resilient, transparent food system rooted in relationships—not just regulations.

2. The organic label isn’t perfect.
Once USDA organic standards were codified, large-scale operations found ways to meet the letter of the law while bypassing its spirit. Even Joel Salatin—who helped shape the early movement—stepped away in frustration and no longer uses the term to describe his regenerative approach. As he’s said, “Organic is now industrial.”

3. There are tradeoffs.
Take our milk, for example. We use A2/A2, low temperature vat-pasteurized, non-homogenized milk from Nice Family Creamery to make all of our cheeses and yogurt. Is it organic? No. But it’s local, minimally processed, and incredibly nourishing. Bob Miller and his family are doing things the right way—and we’d take their milk any day over ultra-pasteurized, homogenized organic milk from a mega-dairy in another state. The quality, care, and connection matter more to us.

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Why Flour Is Different

That said, there are areas where organic certification is especially important—and flour is one of them. Here’s why:

• Chemical exposure.
  Non-organic wheat is often sprayed with glyphosate (Roundup) just before harvest to speed drying. That means chemical residues may be present even before milling begins.

• Storage fumigants.
  Conventional grains are often treated with chemicals like aluminum phosphide or chlorpyrifos to control pests during storage—chemicals not permitted in organic systems.

• Synthetic fortification.
  Many conventional flours are enriched with synthetic vitamins (like folic acid, niacin, and iron) that aren’t naturally present in wheat. These can pose health risks, particularly for individuals with the MTHFR gene mutation, who may not properly process folic acid.

Choosing organic flour helps us avoid all of this—and gives us the cleanest foundation possible for our wild, long-fermented sourdough process.

Dr. Bill mixing bread flour for a round of sourdough

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So... Is Everything Organic Now?

No. While all of our gluten-containing flours are now organic, not every ingredient in every product is.

For example, our croissants are made with 100% organic flour, but the cultured butter used for lamination is not (yet). The lemons we use in our curd? Also not organic. But that doesn’t mean those ingredients aren’t incredibly high quality—they are.

And it doesn’t mean we won’t keep evolving—we absolutely will.

What you can always count on is this: we’ll tell you the truth. If something is organic, we’ll let you know. If it’s fermented, we’ll explain how and why. Because we make everything from scratch in our kitchen, we know exactly what’s in your food—and we’re happy to share any detail you want to know. Just ask.

What’s Next

As we continue to grow, we’ll keep pushing forward. On the horizon: sprouted grain breads, locally milled flour (pending grant funding), and continued improvements in every aspect of our sourcing and processing.

This is a journey—and we’re honored you’re on it with us. Thank you for your trust and support. It’s what allows us to keep doing what we do best: feeding you food that’s honest, nourishing, and deeply human.

With love & gratitude,
The Schindler Family