Focus on Coop Suppliers:
Sunshine Burgers

by Suzanne Fisher

Honest Weight has a well-established policy of supporting local growers and producers of foods by offering their products for sale. Sunshine Burgers is one such local company. In addition to being local, the Sunshine Burgers company has had a long history with our Co-op, beginning in the ’80s, when their sunflower seed-and-rice burgers were sold wrapped in plastic wrap with a label scotch-taped onto the package. Sunshine Burgers have come a long way since then, but the burgers themselves still are made out of the same organic, unprocessed ingredients with which Carol Debberman, founder and owner of Sunshine Burgers, began in her kitchen.

Her story is remarkable. Carol grew up on a farm, enjoying the vegetables and herbs raised in her family’s garden and avoiding the meat on the table. She evolved into a vegetarian long before it was common, and as a mother with five young children, searched for nutritious sources of high quality protein to feed her family. She began making nut burgers by grinding nuts together with herbs to make patties that could be used as a vegan substitute for hamburgers, although she was not concerned with mimicking the actual taste of beef hamburgers. Sunflower seeds were inexpensive, full of nutrients and tasted good. When friends came to dinner, they often liked them so much that they would ask Carol to make some for them to take home for later consumption. This gave her the idea of trying to sell them at health food stores in New Jersey, where she was living at the time. At this time, other veggie burgers were not available like they are today, and Carol’s burgers were the first of their kind on the shelves of the health food stores in her area.

Carol decided to move to New York City, where there were health food stores every few blocks. She found a health food bakery that was willing to let her use their kitchen during off hours, in return for some labor and rent.

Carol soon grew tired of the city because of the constraints it put on her children. They moved north by two hours to Ellensville, located about halfway between Albany and NYC. In Ellensville, Carol rented a bakery during the day while it wasn’t busy, and used it to produce her Sunshine Burgers. At trade shows, Carol’s product was picked up by Tree of Life Distributing. She also met John Hiler, who became her partner.

Although today, Sunshine Burgers now look more professionally packaged, their commitment to simple, pure ingredients has not changed. Now available in four varieties, Honest Weight carries the Organic Garden Herb and the Barbecue burgers.

Many food processors purchase their raw materials from whichever supplier has the lowest price, without concern for quality. But Carol uses the same reliable suppliers that she has bought from for years for her sources of organic rice, sunflower seeds and other ingredients. John Hiler points out that one thing that sets Sunshine Burgers apart from the rest of the veggie burgers on the market is that they contain no soy products. Another difference that Carol likes to emphasize is that they are not an imitation of hamburgers, but a vegan alternative meant to taste like what they are. Sunshine burgers are now distributed nationwide as well as in Canada. Carol — who spends more than half of her day working in her factory, along with ten or so workers — says her business is currently growing by 65% a year.

Carol and John’s story of tenaciousness, mixed with gustatory and mechanical know-how and a strong sense of partnership, was inspiring enough for me to sample the Garden Herb burgers. I grilled them briefly on a campfire grate, then paired them with the classic tomato, onion and mustard on a whole wheat bun. They were deliciously nutty in flavor with a pleasant chewy crunch at the edges, and very satisfying. Most importantly, my children liked them a lot and have since been asking for more. (This is one thing that I think I can let them fix on their own!) I recommend that you try them and enjoy the purity of the ingredients and simplicity of preparation — while remembering

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