Seaton and Jill Smith’s celiac journey began in 1990 when their young son was diagnosed with celiac disease. Soon after, they discovered they had celiac disease, too. With gluten-free options nearly nonexistent, the family leaned on a local support group for help—but they didn’t stop there.
Their experience inspired GF Harvest, the first certified gluten-free oats produced under strict purity protocols, setting a new benchmark for safe oats. Along the way, they mastered building a brand from scratch and educating families about what “gluten-free” truly means.
Retirement didn’t last long. Meeting Dr. Leo during their journey led them to create LEO Verification Systems, a portable gluten tester, sparking both excitement and debate in the gluten-free community.
In this episode, we dive into:
- The Smith family’s personal celiac journey
- How their passion pulled them out of retirement
- Lessons from building GF Harvest—and a gluten-free oat brand—from scratch
- Why oats have long been a tricky ingredient in the gluten-free world
- The promises and challenges of the LEO gluten tester and why it’s controversial
- Navigating the hope and criticism around at-home gluten-testing technology
From purity oats to portable gluten testers, we dive into the challenges, controversies, and triumphs of the Smiths’ journey.
Listen to the full episode on Gluten Free Unwrapped wherever you get your podcasts.
About Seaton & Jill Smith and LEO Verification Systems,
- Visit leoverified.com
- Instagram: @leo2verified
- Facebook: @leoverified
About the Host
Jenny Finke is the host of Gluten Free Unwrapped. She’s a longtime blogger at Good For You Gluten Free and founder of the popular gluten-free subscription boxes, Love Me Gluten Free.
You can follow Jenny on Instagram at @goodforyouglutenfree or subscribe to her newsletter at welcome.goodforyouglutenfree.com.
You can snag a Love Me Gluten Free subscription box at lovemeglutenfree.com and follow on Instagram (@lovemeglutenfree) or Facebook (@lovemeglutenfreebox).
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