Nut-roaster sets up shop in downtown Sisters

If the tempting aroma of roasted nuts isn't enough to lure you into the new Deez Nutz shop on Hood Avenue in downtown Sisters, then perhaps the warm free samples and spiced apple cider will.

Owner Shannon Rogers hopes locals and tourists will go bonkers for her sweet and salty star attractions, bags and cones of freshly toasted almonds, hazelnuts, pecans, peanuts and cashews glazed in cinnamon sugar.

Occupying a space left empty by Soda Creek Gallery, Rogers opened two weeks ago and already the word is out. As the official nut-roaster for the Oregon Ducks, the bright shop is boldly painted in the university's signature green and yellow colors with tables and shelves ripe with an abundant assortment of nuts for any occasion, from small paper cones to large party trays.

"The response has been slow but steady, and we're still getting settled in," said Rogers. "All the nuts are roasted on-site and served hot from the oven or packaged to take home or send off as gifts. We have two machines that roast and glaze them perfectly."

The seed of the idea to open a nut business came a few years ago on a family trip to Branson, Missouri.

"We saw a few different shows while we were there, and every single theater sold hot fresh-roasted nuts, and we thought it would be a great idea for a local business."

Rogers and her husband, Jason, began hitting the regional fairs and festival circuit, and due to the huge demand expanded into a warehouse in Redmond, where they started wholesaling to stores.

"We had so many people asking where they could buy these nuts directly that we decided to open a retail store in Sisters," she said. "Sisters is a nice community and it gets a lot of tourists and good foot-traffic. We found the economic climate perfect for us and commercial real estate rates fair, especially when compared to Redmond and Sunriver. There was an ample selection of empty storefronts to choose from and we got a fantastic location. Everyone has been so nice and welcoming."

In addition to nuts, Rogers sells thick hunks of hazelnut brittle, candy-coated hazelnuts, and novelty Deez Nutz T-shirts with risqué slogans, nutcracker Christmas ornaments, Big Sky Montana beef jerkies from Highwood, Montana, and Trilby's line of gourmet barbecue sauces and rubs straight out of Ferndale, Washington.

"The sauces are very unique and the taste is amazing," Rogers said. "Since we're just getting started we're still getting inventory built up and adding new items every day. We hope to get some tables in here soon so people can come in and have a mug of coffee or cocoa or cider and relax with some warm nuts."

Rogers' parents, Jimmie and Mary Jane Rogers, are co-owners of Deez Nutz and are very enthusiastic about the venture and planting their nut emporium right in the heart of Sisters.

Deez Nutz is located at 183 E. Hood Ave., Ste. #2, directly across from Eurosports.

For more information visit www.eatdeez.com or call 541-788-7780.