By Lori Fredrich Senior Food Writer, Dining Editor, Podcast Host Published Jan 13, 2020 at 2:01 PM Photography: Lori Fredrich

Just in time for National Gluten free day, Colectivo has rolled out a new line-up of gluten-free, vegan bakery items at all of its Wisconsin cafes.

"This is a continuation of our reimagined food menu rollout last year that introduced more options of plant-based, protein-rich, gluten- and dairy-free products," notes Scott Schwebel, VP of Brand, Marketing, and Retail. "This new category has allowed our group to have fun with decadent ingredients, alternative sweeteners, oat and nut flours, and recipe innovation,"

New items which are both gluten-free and vegan include tahini caramel squares, a ginger orange cream cookie sandwich and two new protein bites (oatmeal blueberry and chocolate almond). Meanwhile, existing favorites like the Morning Glory Muffin and Cranberry Almond Date Bar have been updated to omit dairy and eggs and are now made using almond flour instead of wheat.

A variety of additional non-vegan gluten-free items have also been introduced including chocolate almond cake, a choco Rice Krispie bar, flourless peanut butter cookies, a double chocolate toffee cookie, chocolate-dipped macaroons and a protein-packed sesame bar.

All items are made by Troubadour Bakery with a focus on high-quality ingredients and made-from-scratch techniques. However, guests with allergies should note that the items are prepared on shared equipment, where known allergens (including wheat, eggs, dairy, soy, fish, peanuts and tree nuts) are present. So, no products can be assured to be 100 percent allergen-free.

"These new bakery items reflect emerging food trends that have become more mainstream. We want to offer delicious treats for all, so we continually expand our use of progressive ingredients to make products we believe will delight our customers."

New wellness-focused beverages

In addition to the new bakery offerings, guests will find a number of new wellness-focused drink options developed by Colectivo’s lead baristas. For instance, the El Dorado Latte features turmeric and cayenne honey in a spicy ginger chai latte with a shot of signature Espresso Toro.

Meanwhile, the Chaga Chai Charger blends superfood chaga mushrooms with roasted dandelion root, chicory, adaptogenic astragalus root, cocoa nibs, soy milk, honey and ginger.

Lori Fredrich Senior Food Writer, Dining Editor, Podcast Host

Lori is an avid cook whose accrual of condiments and spices is rivaled only by her cookbook collection. Her passion for the culinary industry was birthed while balancing A&W root beer mugs as a teenage carhop, fed by insatiable curiosity and fueled by the people whose stories entwine with each and every dish. She’s had the privilege of chronicling these tales via numerous media, including OnMilwaukee and in her book “Milwaukee Food.” Her work has garnered journalism awards from entities including the Milwaukee Press Club. 

When she’s not eating, photographing food, writing or recording the FoodCrush podcast, you’ll find Lori seeking out adventures with her husband Paul, traveling, cooking, reading, learning, snuggling with her cats and looking for ways to make a difference.