The Story of How I am Developing a Food Product To DISRUPT the Food Industry

Hi! My name is Steph, and I'm a Food Scientist with two decades of experience in the flavoring, food ingredient, processed foods, dietary supplement, alternative medicine, and consumer packaged goods industries. My focus has always been R&D, Innovation, or Product Development. I believe food is fuel, and you are what you eat. I've witnessed firsthand how different food types and ingredients affect my state of being. As a result, I started to eat what I call "from the earth" in summer 2023 during a period of unexpected unemployment.

Eating "from the earth" consumed a lot of my time, as the premise of my motto here is centered around eating whole or gently processed foods. It could take up to 2.5 hours to prepare dinner, which was fine because I was jobless and my kids were at summer camp. In July 2023, I started making a breakfast food at home to create a meal I could scoop and eat almost instantly. I named it "Alotta Chiatta" because it contains “a lot of chia seeds”. People are going NUTS for Alotta Chiatta (it also contains almonds for additional protein, flavor, and texture).

Chia seeds as a food contain fiber, antioxidants, minerals, Omega-3 fatty acids, and are a good source of plant-based protein. They are the primary ingredient in Alotta Chiatta, which can be eaten to break your fast each day or as your last meal of the day. From my personal experience, eating Alotta Chiatta for dinner typically prevents my late-night snacking, which negatively impacts my sleep.

You might be wondering why we don't see more CPG foods with chia seeds as the main ingredient. Well, good nutrition comes at a cost. In the US, wheat flour, our top grown grain, costs 30-60 cents per pound, while oats cost 30-93 cents per pound. Chia seeds, however, cost a whopping $6.24-$9.36 per pound when purchased at scale. Many available packaged foods utilize the cheapest food ingredients, often grain-based.

What else is in Alotta Chiatta? The second ingredient is ground almonds, which enhance the texture and flavor of Alotta Chiatta. Chia seeds are not typically eaten alone, so the nutty-sweet taste of ground almonds provides plenty of natural flavor. Almonds contain many healthy fats, fiber, protein, magnesium, and Vitamin E.

Alotta Chiatta is designed to tantalize your taste buds and also serve a good, whole food nutrition. Follow along my journey!