“We were so surprised there were no other products in the market incorporating chia seeds into a snack food.”
Meet Catherine Mangan Walsh, the co-founder of New York Superfoods Inc., an artisan health food company based in Manhattan. Catherine and her husband, Jason Walsh, live an active lifestyle. They like sports, they get outdoors, they bike, they run. They never dreamed they’d own a health food business, not until a few years ago, when they started to play around with chia seeds.
Chia seeds are a type of superfood, a special category of natural food said to rich in anti-oxidants and jam-packed with nutrients. They first read about the energy-sustaining power of the chia seed when they first read “Born to Run”, a non-fiction, adventure tale about an elite tribe of world’s greatest long-distance runners: the Tarahumara Indians in Mexico. In the book, the Tarahumara predominately depend on chia seeds to fuel up before and during their 100+ mile runs – a little food fact that got Catherine and Jason curious. They wanted to try it. They wanted to see if chia seeds could power their own active lifestyles. However, their search for chia-based snacks came up empty.
So, they decided to play around in the kitchen and make a few products themselves. After endless testings and encouragement from family and friends, they decided to bring their ideas to market. Now, some of the top endurance athletes in the world use their products…
Enjoy their story!
If you are interested in buying some Chia Chargers or BeKind Chia Butters you can browse their full line of products at their online store here. I really enjoy the Chia Charger “Kick” with a hint of spicy paprika and their Manhattan Mud BeKind Butter with dark chocolate.
The Next Big Small Brand Contest Tasting + Judging Event is March 27th at BAM in Brooklyn. This is the 1st of 6 finalist videos I’m making for the contest. Come out and support small food artisans!
Thanks for watching food. curated.! Happy eating!