U.S. food processors have long recognized the nutritional advantages of chia seeds, but have always been dependent upon imported product since chia grows in tropical climates. 

Heartland Chia now offers the first and only chia grown in the Midwest. It began at the University of Kentucky, where traditional plant breeding techniques were used to develop the first and only early flowering chia that will grow successfully in the central United States. Even though the chia is 100% non-GMO, the plant is patented and Heartland Chia is the exclusive licensee to grow and market this Early Flowering chia.

“Our seeds are identical in composition and nutritional profile to any chia seeds grown anywhere in the world because they were bred from traditional chia plants,” says Heartland Chia President Chris Kummer. “The difference is that they are grown here in the USA and that brings many unique benefits to U.S. food processors.”

Heartland Chia offers non-GMO chia in both charcoal and white color varieties. The company offers a quality, consistent, food safety-assured supply that’s reliable and traceable. Product comes in commercial packaging with stable pricing.

Kummer is a fourth-generation Kentucky farmer.

“I first became interested in the UK chia research in 2009,” he says. “In 2011 the first Early Flowering Chia ever grown outside the developer’s plots was planted in one of our fields in west Kentucky. Since that first planting, we have developed production standards that have allowed us to market extremely high quality US-grown chia to our expanding customer base.”

Today, farmer-owned Heartland Chia remains actively engaged in research and development as well as growing and marketing domestically produced chia.

“Our objective is to provide a new crop opportunity for US farmers while benefiting consumers, food and feed companies with a reliable, local, traceable supply of chia,” explains Kummer. “Our Early Flowering Chia is equivalent or higher quality than chia grown anywhere else in the world.”

— Heartland Chia, www.heartlandchia.com