If you love chocolate but feel guilty when you indulge that craving, I have the remedy for you! Blissfully Better has created healthy, organic chocolates in luscious flavors that will have you craving more! I recently interviewed Bonnie Boroian, the founder and CEO of Blissfully Better.
YA. Give us a brief bio of you.
BB. I have been a dancer from a young age and eventually became a professional performer. At age 27 I transitioned from a professional performer to a Mom, eventually having five children. My focus turned to caring for my family while teaching dance on the side, and later yoga. In 2015, the first Blissfully Better product was born, Dark Chocolate Almond Toffee Thins, putting my own twist on my Mom’s famous holiday toffee recipe. I live in Boca Raton, Florida and when I am not taking care of my children and grandchildren, volunteering with Place of Hope, taking walks on the beach or working on Blissfully Better, I am usually traveling to visit friends and family around the country.
YA. What prompted you to create your products?
BB. I always looked for ways to provide high levels of nutrition for my family to sustain them in their various activities, including school, hockey, soccer, dance, and gymnastics. When my nine-year-old daughter was diagnosed with prediabetes, it gave me more urgency to find foods she would enjoy that wouldn’t harm her. In 2007 I stumbled upon an article about a global pioneer of coconut nectar, Big Tree Farms, that was based in Indonesia and harvesting nectar from coconut flowers to use as a sweetener. I was intrigued to learn about the health properties the nectar contained- rich in potassium, magnesium, zinc, and iron; comprised of 16 amino acids; and with a low glycemic index (GI) of 35. This was the start to what would become Blissfully Better.
YA. Walk us through the steps of creating your business.
BB. I needed to see for myself how coconut nectar was manufactured, so in 2010 I journeyed halfway around the world to Bali to tour the coconut plantations to learn more about the nectar’s health benefits, the sustainability, and organic practices of the farmers. After a fascinating and educational week in Bali, I realized that the benefits of the nectar and the purity of the organic production was what I had been searching for. Upon returning back home, I began to look for products that incorporated coconut nectar, but found few with the same desirable benefits that it provides. To fill this void, I decided to establish Blissfully Better, and for my first product I adapted my mother’s famous recipe to create the world’s first Toffee Thins—made with organic coconut nectar and heart healthy almonds.
YA. Tell us about the ingredients and health benefits of your product.
BB. See all of our ingredients and benefits listed here. https://www.blissfullybetter.com/ingredients
YA. Please talk about Place of Hope and your involvement in the organization.
BB. I have been an “Angel Mom” for 10 years at Place of Hope, serving on the Leadership Board. As an official sponsor, Blissfully Better is committed to support and raise awareness as we proudly display Place of Hope’s logo on each and every package of Blissfully Better Almond Toffee, Crunchy Quinoa Toffee, Caramel, Coconut, and Mint Thins. This past year we were also able to donate a portion of sales on a seasonal gifting project to Place of Hope and have utilized our different partner relationships over the years to help build awareness and fundraise to further support Place of Hope.
YA. What is Bean to Bar?
BB. Bean to Bar is a phrase that denotes the way that our chocolate is sustainably produced from the “bean” all the way through the final product, the “bar”. That page on our website details the care that is taken in each step. This was also intentional when I first chose who would make our chocolate. At the time fairtrade wasn’t as well known as it is today and the company we source our chocolate from had created the Equal Partner Direct Buying Program. While it is not a third party certification, it is an initiative that predates even the oldest formal fair trade certification. This system of direct trade generates social, economic and environmental benefits for cocoa growers while producing high quality beans for finished chocolate.
YA. How do people get your products?
BB. Our products are available for sale on our website, on amazon, and also in select specialty retailers.
YA. Is there anything else you would like us to know about you?
BB. I have practiced yoga for 25 years and got certified to teach in 2005. My family, Blissfully Better, and supporting Place of Hope are close to my heart.
Listen to the full interview on the podcast here.