CLEVELAND, Ohio – Sonya Patel’s frustration over not being able to find a healthy, allergen-free snack for her kids motivated her to create one.
So the founder of PUR Spices developed Bold & Airy Bites, a line of freeze-dried fruit and vegetable snacks with allergen-free nutrients and no chemical additives. It launched in June.
Her kids, who have food allergies, play sports and are on the go quite a bit, she said.
“It’s really hard to find healthy snack options – especially what I realized when we’re at a soccer tournament and we’re in the middle of nowhere and fueling up at a rest stop. There’s never any fruit or vegetable options,” she said.
“My passion has been when I see a need I want to fix it,” said Patel, who grew up in Solon, left for 10 years, works in consulting and taught in the Teach for America program in New York. She also is on the board of directors for ZENWorks Yoga, a Cleveland non-profit that promotes yoga and mindfulness.
In 2019 Patel, a home cook with no formal culinary degree, started PUR Spices, which she bills as “a globally inspired sauce and spice line.”
She wanted to create a line of globally inspired products “to expose them (her kids) to all the flavors I grew up with.” Patel found she had “to basically improvise a ton to find things that were safe for them.”
Not bad for a woman who made up for a lack of formal training in the kitchen with a willingness to learn.
Patel went through Central Kitchen’s Incubator program, which helped her understand food business like how to manufacture shelf-ready products. She worked through the program for about three years until she outgrew the space and opened a facility in Bedford Heights in 2023.
“It’s been really interesting. I found a ton of people to learn from,” said Patel, who also is one of the founding members of Wonder Women of Food in Cleveland. The group, which encompasses about 100 women in the food business, yields “a ton of resources available for people like me who may not have the kind of (formal culinary) pedigree.”
The business platform and her inquisitiveness led her to ponder the next thing for PUR spices.
“What if we did these freeze-dried fruits and veggies?” she thought. “People have been doing freeze-dried fruits and some vegetables, but our twist on it is they are seasoned.”
Her Bold & Airy line consists of unique snacks:
Banana Pudding: Ripened banana slices with vanilla bean and cinnamon.
Piña Colada: Pineapple dusted with coconut.
Sweet Beets: Roasted beets with fennel, orange and a touch of sea salt.
Chai Apple Pie: Apples tossed in PUR Spices chai masala and date powder.
Pineapple Mojito: Pineapple with a hint of mint.
“You can still satisfy the crunch, you can still satisfy the flavor,” she said. “You don’t have to go for cookies or chips or candy.”
The freeze-drying process varies based on the item. For instance, juicy pineapple takes more time vs. less ripened ones. And she keeps a close eye on production to ensure safe products free of contamination for potential allergies.
“A lot of companies use a co-packer, someone who makes the food and puts their label or their brand on it,” she said. “We decided to self-manufacture. I joke about this – ‘It was probably the dumbest business move I made.’”
PUR Spices are in Market District, Heinen’s, Fairfax Market and other independent retailers.
For Bold & Airy products, online is the primary purchase place, she said.
She envisions Bold & Airy in convenient distribution points. The product is a grab-and-go option in hotels like TownePlace Suites by Marriott in Solon and Holiday Inn Express near Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. She’s also working on additional flavor options and seasonal drops. That need to solve a problem for her kids remains at her core.
“Everything I have done has been out of seeing the need to do something better,” she said.