August 3, 2020
Meet The Woman Bringing Black-Owned Plant-Based Desserts To The US Food Market
Vegan food and plant-based diets continue to gain traction within the U.S. as Americans move to become more and more health-conscious. As more people want to try plant-based substitutes to change their eating habits, one woman became inspired by her journey to lose weight and stumbled upon a new recipe to make a dessert that is both healthy and delicious.
Emily D. Edwards is the owner of Paradise Snax, an organic vegan food brand serving sweet protein icings, dips, and snacks to maintain a healthy diet. Edwards took a chance to pivot to vegan foods and decided to sell her mental health business to start her company, Emily’s Foods, in 2018.
“During this time I also went on a weight loss journey and soon discovered that it was hard to find snacks low in sugar and high in protein that satisfied my taste buds,” said Edwards in an email interview with BLACK ENTERPRISE. “As a native of Mississippi, I took what I’d learned from my mother and grandmother and developed my own protein muffins which were 100 calories or less using whey protein powder. I now had this burning desire to help others but from a food perspective.”
After spending time developing her signature recipe, Edwards started to study more about natural ingredients to expand her product options. “I spent several months in my home kitchen developing a prototype,” added Edwards.
“After finally developing the prototype, and acknowledging that I would need help to develop the prototype into a most viable product, I spent a year at Purdue University Department of Food Science Skidmore Lab located in Lafayette, Indiana. My work there consisted of research and product development. The first and most important information I received was regarding food safety. I also learned how icings and frostings are made, and how and why ingredients work together.”