Germination, or sprouting, begins with a whole, healthy seed. Raw seeds hold vital nutrients, vitamins and minerals in a dormant state to protect themselves until it can safely grow into a plant.
Unlike highly processed or refined grains, sprouting is a form of positive processing where nothing is removed from the healthy, nutrient-rich seed and only water is added.
At Second Spring, we carefully source all of our organic grains and seeds to ensure they are the highest quality.
Just like in nature, a seed will only germinate and thrive when it has the right moisture, oxygen and temperature. Seeds are exposed to clean, fresh water to kick-start the sprouting process.
While the process is always the same, each variety of grain, seed or bean is unique, so the length of time it needs to be soaked will vary. Once it reaches the optimal soaking time, it is drained and sprouting begins.
Our sprouting process is specially designed to reduce the amount of water we use, giving you a sustainable product you can feel good about.
Once optimal growing conditions are met, the seed bursts into action. Enzymes unlock nutrients that have been safely stowed away, causing many biochemical changes and altering the seed’s nutrient profile.
Raw grains, seeds and beans naturally contain anti-nutrients like phytic acid, and the soaking and sprouting process helps to break these down. Also during this time, enzymes help to convert complex carbohydrates into simple sugars and dense protein into smaller amino acid chains. It’s important to note a nutrition facts panel will not reflect these structural changes.
Vitamin and mineral changes also occur, however this is in varying degrees amongst different seed varieties and sprouting times, making it a vast and complex topic. For more specific information, visit our resources page.
We stop the sprouting process at different times, depending on each seed, in order to maximize nutrition, digestion and function.
Next, the sprouted seeds are carefully dried to preserve their sprouted goodness and make them self stable. The molecular changes that occured within the seed during the sprouting process remain present after it has been dried.
Depending on several factors, including the size of the seed, a large sprout may not always be visible. The important part is that raw grain undergoes a slow soaking and sprouting period. It is the actual sprouted grain, not the sprout itself, that holds all the nutritional goodness.
The sprouted seeds can be left whole or finely milled to create one of our sprouted flours. We mill the entire grain to produce soft, versatile, nutrient-rich, 100% whole grain flours.
Our sprouting and packaging facilities are owned and operated by our family business, Everspring Farms, which sprouts grains, seeds and beans for industrial applications.
Our 75,000 sq ft facility is a dedicated gluten free, dairy free and nut free facility. All production involving wheat and other gluten containing seeds takes place in a separate facility to avoid any cross contamination.
We are BRC Certified with an AA rating as well as Organic and Kosher certified for both facilities. We have a comprehensive food safety plan to ensure that we go above and beyond to produce safe, high quality products.
