Cuisine Noir Magazine. Nov 2019.

A Bohemian entrepreneur has reinvented an American staple with a Caribbean twist. Sanaía Applesauce is not your ordinary applesauce that kids usually snack on. This one has flavors such as tamarind, ginger, hibiscus, lavender, and white pear in a yogurt-cup like packaging. It is also made with all-natural ingredients and is less than 70 calories.

Growing up on the beautiful islands of The Bahamas, founder and CEO Keisha Smith-Jeremie never realized how idyllic her childhood was. “I had 8-9 fruit trees in my backyard and we would help our neighbors pick fruits over the weekends. You almost knew what month it was based on which fruits were in season. That is the deepest connection I have to my roots that led me to start my business,” says Smith-Jeremie about how she founded her company.

When she left The Bahamas at the age of 16 to attend the University of Virginia, it was the first time this island girl experienced winter and snow. She missed the flavors of home — tangy tamarind sauce and sweet guava jam — so she went to the local grocer in the Shenandoah Valley, got some apples and started making her own applesauce; recreating similar textures and flavors.

Over the years, Smith-Jeremie tested her recipe with friends. Her tamarind and applesauce concoction got rave reviews and she decided to commercialize the products. After appearing on the ABC’s “Shark Tank,” she joined hands with businessman Mark Cuban who ultimately did not invest but stayed on as an advisor to Sanaía Applesauce.

Now, Sanaía’s guava and unsweetened applesauce flavors are available at 800 Walmart stores and through Amazon.com.  Flavors hitting the shelves in 2020 will include hibiscus, ginger, tamarind, lavender and pear.

Disrupting the Industry

So what makes Sanaía Applesauce different from the other applesauce brands that have been on the shelves for decades? Smith-Jeremie says everyone from her 10-year-old goddaughter (who she named the brand after) to Millennials and adults love the unusual fruit flavors and texture of the apple wedges in her applesauce. Sanaía is made with whole Granny Smith green apple wedges, as well as all-natural and organic ingredients. No added sugars make the applesauce a healthy, vegan, GMO-free, low-sugar, gluten-free, dairy-free and allergen-free snack that satisfies your sweet tooth craving. She shares, “I created Sanaía because I believe that what we eat provides us with the fuel we need to live the life we want.” She advises to eat the applesauce chilled or poured over warm granola.

As a female immigrant entrepreneur, Smith-Jeremie juggles her personal and professional life while growing her business. She attributes her success to having a great team. “Surround yourself with passionate people who also see your big vision. As a small company, I am closer to my customers and can make decisions much faster. The comfort is in not knowing all the answers, but focusing on all the advantages you have,” she advises.

When asked where she sees the brand going next, Smith-Jeremie responds that her aspirations are to see Sanaía at college campuses and in airplanes and grocery stores. Currently a $900M market with 99% of the spend focused on children, she believes that applesauce is ready for mature and healthy flavors and that Sanaía is the brand that will lead the way as adults reimagine the way they think about applesauce.

~ Written for and published by Cuisine Noir Magazine. All rights reserved.