Sugar Mountain

The company is home to a family of extraordinary food brands and restaurants, including:

• Beecher's Handmade Cheese (award-winning cheese and related products)
• The Butcher's Table (a swanky steakhouse featuring Mishima Reserve, a luxury American Wagyu beef brand)
• Pasta and Co (specialty prepared foods and pantry items)

Across all of its concepts, Sugar Mountain focuses on real food with absolutely zero artificial ingredients.

Mission

Sugar Mountain describes itself as a team at the forefront of the food revolution, passionate about its mission to "Change the Way America Eats."

The company encourages people to choose wholesome, nutritious foods over highly processed foods that are loaded with additives and lack authentic flavor.

Community and The Beecher's Foundation

Sugar Mountain and its companies donate a percentage of all sales to support The Beecher's Foundation.

Through education and community engagement, The Beecher's Foundation inspires people to eat real food and "vote with every food dollar."

Gift cards purchased through Sugar Mountain cannot be used for e-commerce purchases at beecherscheese.com. They are for in-store purchases only at participating locations.

Where gift cards can be used

Gift cards may be used at the following Sugar Mountain locations:

• The Butcher's Table
• Pasta and Co – Bellevue
• Pasta and Co – University Village
• Beecher's – Pike Place Market
• Beecher's – Bellevue Square
• Beecher's – Paine Field

(For the most current list of participating locations, customers should refer to the gift card information on sugarmtn.net or contact the specific store.)

Purchasing gift cards

Gift cards can be purchased by selecting a specific location from the Gift Cards page on sugarmtn.net.

Checking gift card balances

• A "Check Card Balance" option is available from the Gift Cards page on sugarmtn.net.
• For gift cards issued before January 1, 2021:
• These cards are still valid and can be used at any Sugar Mountain location listed above.
• To check the balance or for help using an older card, customers are asked to call their store location or email thestaff@sugarmtn.net with their card number.

Store phone numbers for gift card assistance

• The Butcher's Table: 206-209-5990
• Pasta and Co – Bellevue: 425-453-8760
• Pasta and Co – University Village: 206-523-8594
• Beecher's – Pike Place Market: 206-956-1964
• Beecher's – Bellevue Square: 425-777-9171
• Beecher's – Paine Field: 425-622-9080

If anything about gift card usage, participating locations, or policies is unclear, customers should contact the specific store directly or email thestaff@sugarmtn.net for assistance.

Lists Mishima, Hannō, and Sugai as a location. Names Mishima, Hannō, and Sugai as a service area. Areas beyond these are not published.

1725 Westlake Ave. N, Suite 200 Seattle, WA 98109 United States

Phone

• Main phone: 206-322-1644

Email

• General inquiries: thestaff@sugarmtn.net

Website

• Main website: https://www.sugarmtn.net

Newsletter

Sugar Mountain offers a newsletter signup through its website for updates and news about its brands and restaurants.

The company looks for people who are food savvy and fun and who share its passion for real food with absolutely zero artificial ingredients.

Current open roles are listed through the "JOIN US" / "AVAILABLE POSITIONS" section on sugarmtn.net.

Employee benefits

Sugar Mountain highlights a comprehensive benefits package for eligible team members, which includes:

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage
• Company-paid basic life insurance
• Company-paid short-term and long-term disability coverage
• Flexible spending accounts for health care and child care
• Employer-matched 401(k) retirement savings plan
• Paid time off
• Paid holidays
• Employee referral program with gift card rewards
• Employee assistance program
• A meal provided each work day
• 35% employee discount at all Sugar Mountain locations
• Family and medical leaves, in accordance with company policies and applicable laws

For current job listings, role requirements, locations, and application instructions, candidates should visit the JOIN US section on https://www.sugarmtn.net.

The company believes that:

• Many common food additives are unhealthy or unsafe.
• Additives often mask a lack of true nutritional value in processed foods.
• Additives (especially in combination, as a "chemical stew") may contribute to a wide range of adverse reactions and health concerns.

Sugar Mountain's goal is to help change the way people eat by encouraging them to choose pure, wholesome foods instead of highly processed foods loaded with additives.

Philosophy on food additives

Sugar Mountain's Pure Food statement raises concerns about the potential effects of many additives, including their possible links to:

• Hyperactivity and behavior disorders in children (ADD, ADHD)
• Allergies and asthma
• Obesity and weight gain
• Migraines and headaches
• Mood and sleep disturbances
• Possible increased cancer risk from certain additives

They highlight that while some additives may offer functional benefits to manufacturers (such as extending shelf life, enhancing color, or intensifying flavor), they may still carry health risks.

Examples of additive categories discussed

Sugar Mountain's Pure Food information discusses several types of additives, including:

Flavor enhancers

• High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) – A sweetener derived from cornstarch; associated in the discussion with concerns about weight gain, fatty liver disease, diabetes, heart disease risk, and other potential health impacts.
• Artificial sweeteners (such as aspartame, acesulfame K, saccharin) – Described as controversial and potentially linked to behavioral problems, allergies, kidney and liver concerns, and possible carcinogenicity; not recommended for children, pregnant women, or people with specific conditions like PKU.
• MSG (monosodium glutamate) – A flavor enhancer that may cause reactions in some individuals (for example, headaches, dizziness, or mood changes) and is discussed as a possible neurotoxin.
• Hydrolyzed proteins – Used to enhance flavor and may create free glutamate (similar in effect to MSG), which some people may be sensitive to.

Coloring agents and color fixatives

• Artificial colors – Noted as widely used in processed foods and discussed as potentially contributing to hyperactivity, allergies, asthma, and possible cancer risk.
• Nitrates and nitrites – Used as color fixatives in cured meats; the discussion notes that they can form nitrosamines, which are recognized as cancer-causing compounds.

Preservatives

• Hydrogenated oils / trans fats – Used to increase shelf life and flavor stability; the statement associates them with cardiovascular disease and other serious health concerns.
• Sodium benzoate – A preservative that can form benzoic acid (a known carcinogen) when combined with vitamin C.
• Calcium disodium EDTA – Used to preserve color and texture; described as potentially associated with various adverse effects and flagged for further safety study.
• BHA/BHT (butylated hydroxyanisole / butylated hydroxytoluene) – Antioxidant preservatives; the statement notes concerns about cancer risk, hormone disruption, and hyperactivity in children.

Exception for wine

The Pure Food statement notes that wine is a practical exception to the zero-additives ideal because:

• Sulfites are naturally produced during fermentation.
• Most wines – even organic wines – contain some level of sulfites.

Sugar Mountain expresses opposition to added sulfites but acknowledges that it is difficult to avoid them entirely in wine. The statement notes that sulfites can trigger reactions in a small percentage of people, particularly some individuals with asthma or aspirin sensitivity.

Preferred food choices

The Pure Food information also discusses:

• Natural products – Foods from plant or mineral sources that have not been chemically altered beyond basic processes like chopping, grinding, drying, freezing, heating, or fermenting, and that do not contain chemical additives or preservatives.
• Organically grown foods – Foods produced under ecological management systems that avoid synthetic fertilizers and pesticides and follow organic standards.
• Whole foods – Foods as close to their original form as possible (such as grains, beans, fruits, and vegetables), generally the least processed versions in their category.

Overall guidance

Sugar Mountain encourages people to:

• Purchase, prepare, and eat food with care and consciousness.
• Consider the source of their food and the ingredients used.
• Retrain their taste buds away from heavily processed, additive-laden foods and toward the pure, unadulterated flavors of wholesome foods.

The Pure Food commitment underpins Sugar Mountain's promise that its brands and restaurants focus on real food made without artificial ingredients.

Ask anyway — the agent will say plainly that it is not published rather than guess.