Holmes Mouthwatering Applesauce has a dynamite back story. The project was established in Cleveland almost a decade ago by an upstart 15-year-old high school student named Ethan Holmes. Inspired by stories of successful entrepreneurship, and armed with his grandfather’s unique recipe, he launched an applesauce operation that has grown exponentially from its early days.
Now grown-up, Holmes is still committed to the success of his applesauce project. He now sells his wares far and wide, including Heinen’s grocery stores in Chicago, and the Targets and Whole Foods in the Cleveland area.
Applesauce is applesauce, so the marketing stuff that mentions Holmes’ version is vegan-friendly and gluten free don’t necessarily come as a surprise. The labels that mention it’s made by kids for kids is striking, and it turns out that the entrepreneur has long recruited a crew of volunteer peers to help him in the cooking process.
That said, the applesauce is more than just pureed apples. A colorful sixteen ounce jar holds a mixture of Ohio apples, pears, and apple cider (the latter of which is also Ohio sourced from Patterson Fruit Farms). As a whole, the mix makes for a triple threat of fruitiness.
And beyond the fruit, there is nothing: no weird chemicals, just the three aforementioned ingredients. The end product is definitely applesauce at heart, but the pears give it some bonus smoothness and body. And the cider gives it a little zing. It sure beats the big box versions made with HFCS (high fructose corn syrup).
We took the regular version for a first test drive, but there’s also peach-strawberry, cinnamon, and apple pie versions in the Holmes line-up. He has also introduced single-serve packages of his products (though honestly, the whole biggie jar is only 140 calories, so it’d be easy to polish off). You can find it locally at gourmet grocers such as Lucky’s, and online information is coming here: holmesapplesauce.com.