Desert Oasis Teff & Grain launching new brand of gluten-free grains

Desert Oasis Teff & Grain will hold an open house on Tuesday to celebrate the launch of their new retail brand of gluten-free grains.

The open house will be from 3-7 p.m. Tuesday at the Desert Oasis cleaning and storage facility, 4977 Golden Circle, Fallon. The event is free and open to the public. Attendees can meet the farmers, take a tour of the seed cleaning facility and enjoy refreshments including dishes made with Desert Oasis teff and sorghum.

Desert Oasis is co-owned by farmers John Getto and Dave Eckert who began growing teff as an experiment in 2008. Since then, they have expanded to building a seed cleaning operation and growing more types of gluten-free grains. The seed cleaning operation took several years to develop as teff is the smallest grain seed in the world, and a custom seed cleaner had to be built to accommodate the small size.

The company specializes in gluten-free grains and flours including brown and ivory teff and sorghum. More gluten-free grains are in developmental stages. With a mild nutty flavor, teff is a versatile and nutritious grain high in fiber, rich in protein, and naturally gluten-free. It has a variety of uses from cereals to baked goods.

For information about Desert Oasis Teff & Grain, visit their website DesertOasisTeff.com.