Summer 2024

Partners Miguel Gutierrez and Blaine Helton are bringing healthy, organic snacks and gifts to Carmel-by-the-Sea with their new venture, the Nut Hut. Photo: Kelli Uldall D esigned to resemble a Parisian bou- tique in Carmel’s charming Court of the Fountains, The Nut Hut was created by business partners Blaine Helton and Miguel +utierrez. In the light-filled space, organic treats like nuts, dried fruit, tea, olive oil, honey and sea salt are artfully displayed amongst organic room sprays and candles, delightful kitchen decor and more. Helton describes the business as “a fun pas- sion project” that was inspired by a challenge from Gutierrez to eat organic and non-GMO. “When I wanted a snack, there was nothing healthy to grab,” Helton says. “We started experimenting with roasting nuts and friends said, ‘You can sell this.’” After trial and error, and moving to a com- mercial kitchen, The Nut Hut was born, with 30 varieties of nuts, including raw, roasted, unsalted, salted, flavored and mi\ed in trail mi\. Dried fruits are offered seasonally, prepared just after they are harvested. Everything is packed air tight in compostable, biodegradable packaging. What sets the business apart, besides the certified organic products, is the attention to detail and the high level of customer service. Custom baskets, meticulously packaged, are very well received. “Consumable gifting is so popular now,” Shelton says. The Nut Hut is located in the Court of the Fountains, NW corner of Mission Street and 7th in Carmel. For more information, call 831/574-9594 or visit www.thenuthut.com . The Nut Hut Offers Organic and Delicious Treats B Y B R E T T WI L BUR SHORT CUTS BUSINESS 92 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • S U M M E R 2 0 2 4