In the crowded healthy-bar space--think Larabar, Clif Bar, Luna, and dozens of others--a new competitor has sprouted from local roots.
Pashen, created by siblings Wendy Sorquist, Pol Sorquist, and Lisa Wilson, aims to bring superfood-level nutrition into the marketplace, and give consumers a taste of delicious, raw, sprouted ingredients.
The small food company was started when Wilson, a health and wellness counselor, came up with a recipe for the bar while teaching raw food classes. The response was overwhelming, and the trio decided to see if they could make them on a commercial scale.
They rented space at
Kindred Kitchen, a food incubator in North Minneapolis that's geared toward food entrepreneurs. Within a month, they'd figured out how to make the bars in a cost-effective, efficient way, and ended up selling some to
Seward Co-op and
Golden Fig, as well as four other locations.
The bars are unique because they incorporate sprouted ingredients that are easier to digest than other raw foods, says Wendy Sorquist. They use items like buckwheat and pumpkin seed and soak them so that key nutrients are maintained, she notes. That helps to promote good bacteria in the digestive system. It doesn't hurt that the bars are also very tasty, too.
The siblings decided on the phonetic spelling of "passion" as a name because of their enthusiasm about the venture, and they're still motivated for what they see ahead: larger sales opportunities, their own commercial kitchen, and eventually, national distribution and expanding the team.
"We're really excited to be spreading the word, and getting these out to stores," says Sorquist. "We want to branch into other categories, maybe do trail mixes, and more flavors. We don't think our product is a good fit for really big supermarkets, but with so many stores focusing on whole food and healthy options, we think we're a great fit for those, and that we have a great start."
Source: Wendy Sorquist, Pashen
Writer: Elizabeth Millard