Happy International Women’s Day!
We are proud to feature lots of products by women-owned businesses here at Eastside. Read about them below:
Hoyo Sambusa “Hoyo” means “mother” in Somali. This company hires mothers to make hand-folded sambusas. These savory fried pastries are a staple in Somali homes, and this company uses their products to connect Somali culture with the Twin Cities community.
Indian as Apple Pie was started by Anupy Singla, who is a cookbook author and journalist. Her three cookbooks are among the top-selling Indian cookbooks in North America. She was inspired to start her company from the cooking education she received from her grandfather while visiting his childhood village in Punjab. Indian as Apple Pie’s offerings now include recipes, cookbooks, and shoppable sauces, spices and more.
Love You Cookie is a women & Black owned business local to Minneapolis. They offer delicious handmade cookies shipped anywhere in the US and Canada. They also started the Defiant Optimist Program which “brings awareness to mental health issues and access to therapy resources for immigrants and people of color”. The title of the program, “Defiant Optimism” is a call to work together and find joy.
Maazah means “flavor” in Farsi, and this company was started by the Sajady family as a way to honor their Afghan roots. Maazah is known for their delicious chutneys , which is a condiment that was originally made by grinding fresh ingredients together. Nowadays, chutneys can look and taste like many different things. You can give their chutneys a try right here at Eastside!
MinnTofu was started by Yan Small in 2018 as she was motivated to fill the void of locally made fresh tofu in Minnesota. MinnTofu’s goal is to make wholesome and environmentally sustainable plant based foods. The soybeans that are used to produce the tofu are also locally grown.
Nature’s Path is a family owned business making organic breakfast and snack foods. The company started in Vancouver BC in 1985, and is now North America’s largest certified organic breakfast and snack food company. Their products include cereal, granola, oatmeal, waffles, bars, and cookies.
Nutpods was started by Madeline Haydon after she was frustrated with the lack of plant-based creamers available to her. Since then, Nutpods were named the first Whole30 approved creamer, and Madeline won the EY Entrepreneurship of the Year Award in 2019. Give nutpods a try in your next cup of coffee!
Romi Apothecary offers luxury skincare products made from fresh ingredients. Started by Romina Takimoto, all of Romi Apothecary’s products are made locally in St. Paul, MN from local, organic and sustainably sourced ingredients. Romi Apothecary donates a portion of their proceeds to organizations that support communities of Black, Indigenous and People of Color.
Roots Essential was founded by Evangeline Stacy, a sports massage therapist who originally created a customized bath soak for athletes she was working with. This original formula became Roots Essential’s Recovery Bath Soak. This company is women owned and local to Plymouth, MN, and aims to promote natural healing via clean and pure ingredients.
Seasnax uses sourced seaweed from Korea to make delicious seaweed snacks. Founded Jin Jun gained an interest in nutrition while in school, and after having her daughter, this interest only increased. They donate 10% of their annual net profit to non-profit organizations focusing on children and the environment.