Our Story

Welcome to GF Naturals. I would like to welcome you and share our story.  First, I am a self-proclaimed  “foodie”. I grew up in a large Italian family where cooking was the sport of kings. Everyone took part in preparing family meals and everything was prepared from scratch. When asked, my uncles would reluctantly share recipes but you could count on them to leave out a few key ingredients so your version was never quite the same as theirs.

I recently took a family vacation with my 3 small children.  Each meal was the same; 3 paper menus and 12 crayons – and a choice of 5 unhealthy options that I would not think to serve my family at home. On the last night, all we craved was "real" food. For my children, we ordered an adult meal and divided it in thirds. I think even the kids were relieved although they weren’t quick to admit it.

After reflecting on my experience and sharing it with a few friends, I realized that there was a better way to eat as well as set a pattern for my children’s food decisions. As I shared this experience with some of my other “Foodie” friends, we decided that we not only could make a difference; but we needed to make a difference.

So the journey began – choice without sacrifice. Could we create healthy food choices with outstanding taste? 

We quickly realized we absolutely could – and we have. 

Our executive team has a diverse range of professional talents that set the foundation for building a brand you can trust. We have years of proven experience in the food industry, education, nutrition, manufacturing, product development, retail and food service distribution, and food safety and handling procedures. Welcome to GF Naturals.

Executive Team

Robert Hapanowicz - COO
Joan Panepinto - RN, RD, VP
Scott Horn - VP