New Products - December 2022 through March 2023

Another few months have gone by, and Rifuzl has added a nice little selection of goodies you didn’t even know you had to try right away. ?

If you want to brush up on what you learned in the previous article, you can find it here; otherwise, let’s go check out what’s new. ?️‍♂️

Personal Care

There’s always something happening in our beauty section! And that’s especially true for the soap corner, where Manca is constantly mixing and restocking ?. That’s how Kupala soaps ended up on our shelves—they won us over with their natural ingredients and the fact that they’re palm oil-free (we try to avoid it as much as possible, since oil palm plantations are causing massive deforestation and threatening numerous animal species). Your little slice of pure happiness is available in a variety of scents: zesty sage, lavender and currant, hemp and mint, sunny lemon, and calendula and lemon balm. ?

We’ve been searching for a long time for that perfect face cream that will care for your skin, nourish it without weighing it down, and at the same time meet all our minimalist requirements. We found the answer in a wonderful cream from the Timus brand, crafted by Irena and Marija ?. The cream, infused with chamomile and sweet wormwood, contains herbs grown in their own garden, as well as certified organic nourishing oils and butters. Originally, the cream was intended for drier skin, but customers discovered that it’s actually a universal miracle in a jar that will improve even oilier skin ?‍♂️.

We couldn’t help but also add industrial hemp ointment and calendula ointment to the lineup — they’re your go-to SOS remedies when your skin won’t cooperate and does its own thing. The industrial hemp ointment provides intensive care for your skin and helps alleviate problems such as atopic dermatitis or fungal infections, and it’s also great in the winter, while the calendula ointment is excellent for caring for damaged skin, as it accelerates healing.

With this set, you’ll ensure your skin stays healthy and radiant all year round, and our planet will glow too, since you’ve chosen a natural, eco-friendly cream made from local ingredients, produced with minimal waste, and you can bring the packaging back so that Irena and Marija can reuse it.

Last month, Manca discovered that Comme Avant now also makes toothpaste. The rest of us fell in love with them instantly, too, since they’re natural toothpastes made with white clay (and fluoride); in addition to the classic mint flavor, you can also treat yourself to a zesty lemon variety with activated charcoal. They haven’t forgotten about kids either—they’ve created a toothpaste for your little one with a lower fluoride content and a strawberry flavor. They come in really chic little jars that are sure to brighten up your bathroom, and once you’ve used them up, they’re perfect for storing spices and other small items.

Last but certainly not least, let us show you the new AllMatters menstrual panties. These have become a hit very quickly, as they’re made from truly durable materials produced as sustainably as possible. It’s also immediately clear that the team at AllMatters really understands what kind of panties women want—their cut is slightly higher, making them incredibly comfortable and flattering. You can use them INSTEAD of tampons, pads, or menstrual cups, which makes them truly special—and after use, you simply wash them and reuse them over and over and over again.

Home Care

Let me introduce you to our old-new addition. “Old” because these are laundry detergents from Terra Gaia, which you’re already familiar with. “New” because they’re now concentrated laundry detergents. This means you use less of them per load (just one tablespoon per wash?). Why is this more eco-friendly? Because the weight of the gel that Tina from Green Earth brings us is lower, which means she can transport more of it at once, thereby reducing the environmental impact. As you can imagine, transporting products is a major hurdle in addressing environmental issues, and by reducing the weight of the product itself, we can have a significant impact on this. But if the new gel dosage just doesn’t work for you, you can simply dilute it with water at home.

Stomach Care

Drink

I already mentioned the new eco-friendly cocoa-flavored oat drink in my previous article, but it’s already been discontinued. Well, well—wipe away your tears; we’ve put its little brother, which contains ground almonds, in the fridge . It’ll be a great addition to your morning cereal or instant Mul’ca, and you can even use it in baking.

Do you have any celebrations coming up in the next few months? Then be sure to check out the new product the Šoster family has added to our shelves—it’s the organic sparkling wine Rumeni muškat PET NAT. It’s a dry sparkling wine, and the abbreviation “pet-nat” comes from the French term “étillant-naturelle,” which translates to “naturally sparkling” in Slovenian. It’s the oldest officially recorded method of producing sparkling wines, and it’s also the most natural method, since nothing is added to the wine or sparkling wine.

While we’re on the subject of bubbles, let me introduce you to something we’ve actually had on our menu since winter. Nives, who loves to whisper excellent suggestions for expanding our selection into Manca’s ear, has arranged for us to carry Guarana Colo, a healthy alternative to that well-known fizzy drink that Santa is supposedly crazy about. We’re betting, though, that Santa just hasn’t tried anything smarter yet—otherwise, he might reconsider his sponsorship. Anyway, our Cola is made with mineral water, with added sugar, caramel, herbs, and guarana. Refreshing and quite a bit healthier (or “healthy”). And of course, it comes in a returnable bottle—how could it be any other way?

Food

As a responsible adult, let me first introduce you to a little glass of health— a winter salad from the Pri Dolencu Organic Farm. It’s packed with carrots, onions, bell peppers, and plenty more. Two tablespoons with lunch every day will make sure your digestion works as it should ⏰.

You’ve also let us know that you’d like more organic bread options, and of course we’re all ears ?. I jumped right into action ? and arranged for you to now be able to order organic khorasan bread with corn, as well as organic ciabatta rolls with olives, tomatoes, or onions from Deveta vas, right on the order form. Every now and then, you might get lucky and find them “hanging out” (socializing?) with the bread, but by far the surest way to get them is to reserve them through the weekly order form. ?

If bread isn’t really your thing, you might be tempted by Fruštkova’s Štrudl granola, which was a real hit last December when we first introduced it. Back then, it was packaged in glass gift jars, but now you’ll find it among the other cereals, in a dispenser. ?

For a quick snack, we’ve got two new items for you that are absolutely amazing! On your next visit, be sure to bring an extra jar and fill it to the brim with Fržek’s pizza crackers. ?. Yes, you read that right. PIZZA. CRACKERS. Instead of cheese, they contain sourdough flakes, as well as sun-dried tomatoes, oregano, and salt. Thanks, Tina! ?

If you’re more of a sweet tooth, grab some chia protein bars from Vegana Tortarna. These bars will really fill you up, and I recommend stocking up on them and storing them in the freezer. That way, you’ll be saved the next time you’re in a bind—when you absolutely have to snack but all the cabinets are empty, or when you need a boost of energy for a hike up a nearby hill. You’re welcome. ?

The long-awaited nut mixes and roasted pistachios have just arrived at Rifuzl. Just in time to be included in this article, of course. That means they’re truly brand-new to our selection, and only a few of us know about them yet ?. We decided to include Tarabao’s organic nuts in our selection because they source their ingredients as locally as possible and prioritize fair trade working conditions (= this means that workers are guaranteed fair conditions, including adequate pay, paid overtime, sick leave, workplace safety, and other conditions that ensure a dignified life?). On the shelves, you’ll find:

• Organic roasted and salted pistachios in the shell, sold by weight.
• Organic trail mix sold by weight (a mix of raisins, cashews, hazelnuts, Brazil nuts, almonds, and walnuts).
• An organic mix of nuts and dried fruit in a returnable glass jar (cashews, macadamia nuts, hazelnuts, cranberries, cherries, mulberries, physalis, almonds, and walnuts).

Organic roasted nut mix in a returnable glass jar (roasted and salted cashews, roasted hazelnuts, lightly roasted walnuts, and roasted and salted almonds)

To spice up your meals

Quite some time ago, we posted a photo of Marcela with a whole pile of spices on our social media, and at the time we also asked which ones you’d like to see next. First place went to Sonnentor’s oriental cumin. God forbid you confuse it with regular cumin, just like I did when I was a poor, clueless little girl and made that mistake??. Joking aside, cumin adds a completely different flavor to dishes and is therefore by no means interchangeable with caraway; it’s used primarily in Indian cuisine.

We’ve also had our eye on Česnek—Slovenian garlic powder—for quite some time. PanOrganix is truly the best—they supply it to all stores in bottles—but we’ve gone a step further and now offer it in bulk, just like our other spices.

Manca has nicely rounded out our baking corner with two must-have products: wine stone sold by weight and fair-trade Bourbon vanilla powder. From now on, there’s no excuse—there’s no dessert that can’t be “spiced up.” But if there is, let us know in the comments so we can give Manca a new challenge. ?

To wrap things up, here are a few spreads to enjoy on bread or as the perfect finishing touch to your meal. First, let me introduce you to the pumpkin spread with hemp, made from butternut squash, and the fennel spread. Just like all of Metka’s products, these are also very “straightforward”—a short list of ingredients, a few added spices, and that’s it, with no hidden enhancers or flavorings. Not just on bread—these spreads also work great in pasta dishes. ?

The other is the vegan PUTR? from Fermentarnica, which has taken plant-based eaters—as well as omnivores—by storm all over Slovenia. Unlike other “dairy-style” vegan products you’ll find in regular stores, this Putr isn’t made with coconut oil—it’s made from millet and cashews. What does that mean? It means you don’t have to feel the slightest bit guilty if you spread a generous amount on your bread and go back for seconds. Putr has a slightly tangy flavor due to the fermentation process (what else would you expect from Fermentarnica, right?!) and spreads beautifully. But be careful! It’s intended only for raw consumption or as an addition to dishes at the end of cooking; it’s not recommended for baking or cooking, as you would with classic dairy butter. ⚠

We’re removing the following from our selection

Every story comes to an end, and so we’re saying goodbye to the following items:

• Fržek’s soy drink with hazelnuts. If you’re still really, really eager to have it in your fridge, just give us a nudge and we’ll make it happen for you.
• Odorija’s fireweed ointment.
• Šira Mazi from Veganka.

Conclusion

First off, a big round of applause for you for making it all the way to the end ???. The journey was surprisingly long, but you’re now richer—so much richer—with a treasure trove of ideas on how to enrich your plant-based meal plans and pantry ?.

Thank you for following along, and a warm hello from our last get-together with the team, where we treated ourselves to pizza night. Have you ever tried kimchi on pizza? It’s delicious—you can just add some of the Kis in Kvas brand, which you’ll find in our fridge ?.

See you again soon! ?