New product showcase 2021: Celebrating AAPI month with jackfruit chips, superfood granola and roasted edamame beans

By Gill Hyslop

- Last updated on GMT

Pic: GettyImages/dolgachov
Pic: GettyImages/dolgachov

Related tags Good Food Brands Asia Snacks Jackfruit edemame Turmeric Granola superfood Functional foods cashews

May is Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) month and Good Food Brands is offering a Discovery Box that highlights Asian-owned snack entrepreneurs.

Good Food Brands is an online subscription platform founded by Jordan Buckner with the aim to highlight up-and-coming snack startups​ to allow consumers to discover unique treats that might not have as yet found their way onto the shelves of retail outlets like Whole Foods. The subscription box  – which can be shipped to snack explorers in the US – contains eight products specifically chosen for the free from and health conscious consumer.

Functional oatmeal cups

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Yishi turns nourishment into a ceremonious moment. Inspired by the founder’s Chinese heritage and love of the nation’s cuisine, Yishi Oatmeal turns a snack into a moment of unsullied reflectional sustenance.

Using meaningful ingredients that produce healthy, purposeful functions, this is oatmeal that helps you glow, focus, energise and relax from the inside out, while providing your body with the compassion it deserves.

Celebrate each day as a new beginning, with functional foods that are energising, clarifying, radiant or calming.

Superfood granola

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Founded by Olympic Trials Swimmer and ex-techie Erica Liu Williams, gr8nola is low-sugar granola made with functional superfoods.

gr8nola was born in Williams’ kitchen; tested at a farmer’s market; and voted into the pantries of Silicon Valley’s biggest companies like Google, Twitter and Facebook.

“I came up with the idea for gr8nola when I was craving a tasty, yet healthy snack during a post-Super Bowl ‘cleanse’ my hubby and I do each year,”​ said Williams.

“Stuck with few options that weren’t loaded with refined sugars and inflammatory oils, I created my own granola recipe using clean ingredients, lower sugar and infusing them with unique and functional superfoods like matcha, turmeric, activated charcoal, ashwagandha and more.”

The range features seven variants – The Original, Cacao Crisp, Cinnamon Chai, Black Coco Chia, Matcha Vibes, Golden Spice and Peanut Butter – that are free of soy, dairy and refined sugars and have only 5g sugar per serving. Available online, on Amazon Prime and in over 100+ grocery stores across the US.

Wrapped cashews

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Karma Nuts’ signature ‘wrapped’ cashews not only pack an extra crunch but have the bonus of added nutritional value – there’s twice as much fibre in a cashew with the skin on than without. A wrapped cashew also boasts significant amounts of antioxidants like catechins and epicatechins (the polyphenols also found in green tea).

To preserve these skins, each cashew nut is carefully removed from its shell. Because more of the nut is used in the final product, there is also less wastage overall – another win.

The idea to produce the cashew snack like this was developed by Karma Nuts’ founder Ganesh Nair, who combined his family’s expertise in the cashew business with his own background in health and diabetes care. Created as an alternative to the oil-fried cashews that typically abound, Karma Nuts’ wrapped cashews deliver lower net carbs, thus making them an even more healthful choice.

Immunity supporting drink mix

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Resilience was created by Bija Bhar founder Anjali Bhargava for her own health needs. Growing up in an Indian household, turmeric was the magical answer to most ailments.

Turmeric is known to be a powerful anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and antiviral. It is used to detox, is a natural blood thinner and even helps release serotonin and dopamine in the brain. With both short and long term benefits, turmeric is most effective when small amounts are ingested daily.

Resilience makes that easy and enjoyable.

Resilience Turmeric Elixir is a different kind of turmeric drink mix. It’s made with three varieties of organic, Hawaiian turmeric that is ground fresh for every batch. It’s not boiled – like most turmeric – so it tastes fresher and offers tangible benefit (with 7% curcumin).

The turmeric is dried in slices at the farm, then ground and sifted before being blended with ginger, lemon, lemon peel, maple syrup and black pepper to provide flavour, and maximise absorption and bioavailability. It works well in golden milks/turmeric lattes, smoothies and cocktails alike.

Roasted edamame beans

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The Only Bean is a plant-based food company on a mission to unlock the potential of beans through innovative food products that are healthy, delicious and sustainable.

It debuted with a pasta made 100% from bean in 2018, and has recently introduced a line of Crunchy Roasted Edamame Beans. The snacks are organic, non-GMP, gluten-free, high protein, low-carb, keto-friendly and kosher.

Brian Lai and Kristine Yang are cofounders of The Only Bean; Lai a first-generation Asian American who embraced the entrepreneurial spirit at an early age while helping his parents run their family business; and Yang growing up in a family of food scientists. Together, they were inspired to build an impactful food company with sustainable ingredients that are better-for-you.

Jackfruit chips

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Tings Jackfruit Chips are made with only two ingredients – jackfruit and vegetable oil.

The chips are gluten-free and contain no added sugar or preservatives, and have 70% less oil than regular chips.

The female-founded PoC-owned producer harvests jackfruit at peak ripeness and uses a low-temperature cooking method to create slightly sweet chips that have a distinctive crunch, while preserving the fruit’s high vitamin content.

Founded by Tiffany Wang who trade in her office desk for a one-way ticket to Beijing in 2017, Ting’s does its part in the fight against world hunger, by allocating 2% of its profits to support the lunches of students at Trakiat School, a K-8 located in Puok, a rural village outside of Siem Reap in Cambodia.

Better-for-you milk tea

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Pauline Ang is the founder and CT(ea)O of Twrl M!lk Tea.

After a friend introduced her to milk tea (aka bubble tea or boba) in college, she was hooked, but quickly realised that not all milk tea was created equal. There were no decent plant-based options, most were loaded with sugar and some even used powder instead of real tea.

After a career in branding and packaging design, Ang decided to follow her entrepreneurial spirit and create a better-for-you milk tea that she would not feel guilty in drinking.

The result is a great tasting m!lk tea that doesn’t compromise on quality. Made with premium organic brewed tea, plant-based milk, less sugar, the tea is nitro-infused for an even creamier taste.

It’s also shelf-stable, so it’s ready to drink anytime, anywhere. Now that’s something to twrl about.

Chilli oil

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Ada Yarungsee started Wander Foods to create pantry staples made without any mysterious ingredients – believing that good food starts from good ingredients.

On this premise, she created an all-purpose chilli oil made from an organic extra virgin olive oil from olives grown in Calabria in southern Italy, and organic Thai chilli peppers grown on a Certified Organic farm in Sutherland, Massachusetts.

The oil can be used for dipping, drizzling, marinading or just adding that ‘wow’ factor to a dish. While it packs a punch with spicy and tangy notes, it’s savoury and smooth at the same time.

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