It is not Über unless we love it, and it is Über that drives our ingredient choices. To get there we focus on foods that are organic, unprocessed, local family-farmed, naturally raised, sustainable, nutritious, without the use of added hormones or worse antibiotics. Funny enough that is the way farming was done for hundreds of years. Only with the industrial revolution that started in the early part of last century traditional farming methods were replaced with automation and the use of synthetic fertilizers and other chemicals became the norm. It made things easier; food became more widely available for all. Yet it also decreased the taste and flavor in our foods, it drove many small family farms out of business, and it decreased the productivity of the land while also hurting our water supply.

Our objective is to use ingredients that have been grown naturally the way it has been done for hundreds of years, and luckily there are many farmers out there today who also feel this way. One of them is Genesis Farm in St. Anne, Illinois. Genesis Growers' mission is to provide nutritious products to local families and businesses utilizing the natural processes of the land. When Genesis Farms took over the land they use today, it was in bad shape from decades of industrial farming that left it in an almost sterile state. Genesis Farms changed all that by adopting sustainable and natural farming practices without the use of any harsh chemicals. The land uses its own natural devices to nurture what grows. The natural process yields naturally healthy land that provides unmatched crops. We're extremely happy to have found Genesis Farms, and that we are able to use their produce in our sandwiches and other foods. It is all part of our Über Sandwich Maker philosophy that fresh, natural and organic ingredients make for better, more flavorful sandwiches.

OUR DAIRY
When we opened doors one thing was for sure, that we would only use organic dairy and soy milk. The very idea of cows being injected with antibiotics and growth hormones to be more productive than nature made them sounds simply wrong to us.

The same is true for our organic cream cheese and organic butter. The other cheeses we use are free of the recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH) which is legal in the US but banned everywhere else. That is because we use Swiss Gruyere, French Brie, and Spanish Manchego. The white cheddar and mozzarella cheese are both produced from dairy free of antibiotics and rBGH.

OUR MEATS
Just like with our dairy we do not like it when animals are not treated well. The pigs from Parma in Italy are treated like royalty, the same is true for Spanish Serrano ham as well. Our grass fed sirloin and smoked turkey is certified organic. Both are made by responsible farmers who never administer antibiotics or growth hormones. Both grow up on a strict vegetarian diet with no animal feed or animal by-products and they do not contain any nitrates or nitrites. That is the way we like it, minimally processed without any unpronounceable ingredients.

OUR PRODUCE
We work with Genesis Farms in Illinois and we are part of the Organic Restaurant Cooperative working with Testa Produce to ensure a consistent supply of organic and non-sprayed fresh produce. Our first priority is organic, our second priority is local. When we opened our doors back in 2005 we used about 30-40 percent organic produce. Today we use about 60-70 percent organic produce. If the organic market continues to grow in supply and demand we expect to use 90+ percent organic produce by 2012 and 100 percent organic produce by 2015. To ensure complete transparency we introduced the exact guaranteed organic percentage with each lunch and breakfast sandwich. We are the first quick service restaurant to do so, it is part of our Über Sandwich Maker™ philosophy and our first step in providing our customers with as much information as possible about the food we use and our food sources.

OUR HOT BEVERAGES
We are first to serve an all organic coffee, espresso or tea beverage, including organic milk and soy and organic sweeteners, and we have done so since 2005. It has never crossed our mind to compromise on this promise to our customers as we believe that the coffee taste better, the milk is fresher and altogether makes for a tastier, more nutritious beverage.

OUR BOTTLED BEVERAGES
We are the first quick service restaurant to focus on organic bottled beverages. In the beginning we had a hard time selling any of the brands, they were simply unknown. However, over the years and with wider market acceptance this has changed. Today our customers love organic Adina® Holistics, organic Honest Tea®, organic Biotta® (which is the best vegetable juice in the market) and organic Bionaturae® juice, the best fruit juice out there.

OUR PASTRY
In 2009 we decided to produce our entire pastry line organically. Not only is our pastry a great source for whole grain nutrition, but now it is also made with all organic and natural ingredients, from the butter we use, to the organic eggs, raisins, blueberries or chocolate chips. We are proud of our decision and we like the flavor, texture and smell. This is what makes our pastry Über, from our chocolate chip and oatmeal cookies to our apple, banana and blueberry breads, blondies and brownies, and our unique and nut free grain + seeds health bar.

OUR CHOCOLATE
We are famous for our wall of chocolate. And frankly, it is fun. Fact: we carry the largest selection of premium chocolates in Chicago with a focus on unique and high end brands. These include a large selection of organic chocolates, lactose free chocolates, sugar free chocolates, vegan and raw chocolates, and super premium chocolates from around the world. These are some of the brands we carry:

Belgium DOLFIN
Germany RITTER
United States GNOSIS
Germany DALLMAYR
Belgium MICHEL CLUIZEL
United States LAKE CHAMPLAIN
France VALRHONA
Belgium NIRVANA
Germany DEVINE
United Kingdom GREEN + BLACK'S
United States VOSGES
Belgium NEW TREE
United States TAZA
Germany VIVANI
Belgium CAFÉ TASSE
Germany LINDT
Belgium GALLER