BEAVERTON, OR, October 6, 2008 - Increasing distribution is evidence of growing demand for gluten-free foods -  Arico Natural Foods, maker of high quality gluten- and dairy-free snacks, today announced that its products are available in Fred Meyer stores in the Pacific Northwest. Arico’s all-natural Cassava Chips and Cookie Bars are being sold in the Nutrition Centers of Fred Meyer stores in Alaska, Washington, Oregon and Idaho. The growing natural foods company now distributes its products to more than 1,500 stores in North America, including Fred Meyer, Whole Foods Market, Sprouts, Raley’s and many natural foods stores.

“We are so pleased that Arico’s ‘mindful snacks’ will be more widely available to shoppers throughout the Pacific Northwest,” said Arico co-founder and CEO Angela Ichwan.

About Arico Natural Foods
Arico Natural Foods was co-founded by husband-and-wife team Hermanto Hidajat and Angela Ichwan in Beaverton, Oregon in 2004. Inspired by Angela’s young niece, Ella, who follows a diet free of gluten and dairy as an alternative treatment for autism, the pair set out to create a line of snacks that would be safe for those with restricted dietary needs, yet delicious enough to share. With an aim to promote “mindful snacking,” the company launched its first line of organic, whole grain, gluten- and dairy-free cookie bars in 2005. It has since followed with a line of cookie pouches and two more cookie flavors, as well as a line of all-natural cassava chips.

A socially and environmentally aware company, Arico partners with Women for Women International to support women survivors of war and invests in wind energy projects through the Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF) to offset the carbon emissions of its business operations. The company plants a tree for every new store that carries its cassava chips and participates in community events and fundraising walks nationwide to support those who live gluten free. For more information, visit Arico’s website at www.aricofoods.com.