Hearts and bones

No value assignedKimberly and Van Martin have no professional culinary background. Van is a digital and design project manager, while Kimberly is an accountant. Married in 2006, the pair moved to Decatur two years later and have been there ever since.

Always fond of all things organic, Kimberly began cooking seriously in the late ‘90s while in college. “For me, it was all about starting from scratch,” she says. “Everything about that was not only exciting, but seemed like the healthiest option for myself then and especially now.”

It was 2012 when Van began to experience near-constant fatigue and abdominal discomfort. His doctors pointed to his digestive system as the main culprit for his body’s inability to absorb key nutrients and minerals within the breakdown process of certain foods. Unable to properly digest most of what he was eating resulted in Van’s experiences of intense inflammation and an eventual presence of painful stones in his intestines.

After years of pain, a holistic doctor diagnosed Van with leaky-gut syndrome. It took just a few consultations for his doctor to introduce and highly recommend bone marrow broth into his diet. Within a few months, Van says his symptoms became almost nonexistent.

The Martins point out that bone broth and its benefits have been around for centuries. The key is what goes inside. Digging all the way down and building a transparent relationship with the source of their products has set a high standard for Bone & Co.’s beef and chicken broths. Revitalizing centuries-old recipes with fresh, local and truly organic ingredients is the company’s backbone.

In 2015, the couple launched Bone & Co. as a passion project. Their broth recipes came to fruition after nearly nine months of experimenting. The proteins that go into them are sourced locally from places like Darby Farms, Tink’s Grass Fed Beef, Hunter Cattle Company, and Heritage Farm. Cows are grass-fed and chickens are pasture-free. “We’re really passionate about simple food, things that you really know where they come from,” says Van. “To know that we can make sure who we’re trusting our vision with is pertinent to its success.”

The Martins began building relationships with farms in early 2015 before their launch a few months later. A vital component of their cooking process includes the upkeep of the animals and vegetables provided by the farms. Basically, what goes in is exactly what you get out. “We have close relationships with the farmers themselves,” says Kimberly. “That was really important to us for supplying that transparency to our consumers because we sell to people like me who want to know where everything comes from. If my customer wants to visit the farm, they can go do that because it’s accessible.”

No value assignedGeorgia farms have been eager to team up with the Martins but they’re picky when it comes to selecting their meats. The couple uses every single part of the animals they receive, so instead of ridding themselves of these otherwise useless and unwanted parts, Bone & Co. asks for absolutely everything. The collagen, marrow and gelatin in those discards is just too much to miss and plays an essential role in the overall nourishment of their finished products.

Van says there’s a lot of “greenwashing” going on these days in the food industry, with products in supermarkets incorrectly labeling their food for consumers. “What happens is they say that the cows live in a pasture, but then they’re moved to a feedlot at some point where they stay until it’s time to go,” says Kimberly, “and that’s not grass-fed beef anymore.”

Bone & Co’s beef and chicken broths are created with care, ensuring that every ingredient meets the highest standard. The resulting product can be used as a base for a recipe, or eaten like a soup; the benefits are all the same. “I like to heat up the chicken broth and eat it as is,” says Kimberly. “Our daughter is three years old and she is constantly reaching for my mug. She knows there’s something good in there, and can smell it pretty much coming off the stove.”

Downtown’s PREP Kitchen, a commercialized kitchen space supporting numerous operations for small companies, is their office. Here, the Martins do all of their prepping, simmering, cooking and packaging. The main difference in the beef and chicken broths is the flavor. The chicken is mild with kombu seaweed minerals infused for an extra boost of nutrients, while the beef has a shiitake mushroom concentrate to amp it up. The broths come frozen, so it is best to thaw and heat on the stove or in a crockpot. Neither of the broths contain salt, preservatives or gluten, and like the animals, all vegetables and herbs are 100 percent organic. “This all began as a sort of happy accident after Van’s diagnosis,” says Kimberly. “I literally started from a crockpot and now we’re cooking in these giant stockpots, and it’s just great because it went from our own comfort food to a healing food for anyone.”

Adds Van, “People … say there’s just a nourishing feeling that you feel deep down inside of you while a lot of things you drink just don’t do that.”

It was the Peachtree Road Farmers Market that gave the Martins their big break in April 2016. Bone & Co. was registered for a vendor spot with another company, but became so popular the first weekend that within a couple of weeks they were given their own space. Chefs, like Jenny Levison of Souper Jenny and the (owners of the Watershed), are among the big names of local chefs who purchased the broth last market season.

Van says that while being used in big name restaurants is exciting, some of the biggest rewards come from individual customers. “In just the past couple of weeks alone, I’ve had a few or more people email me in regards to some broth they bought themselves, or someone else who is drinking it during cancer treatment, because the doctors are telling them it’s one of the best things,” he adds. “It makes us feel really great about it, because that’s the purpose of this: trying to help somebody.

Kimberly nods. “It’s beyond rewarding.”

www.boneandcompany.com