The Dutch, they've given us so much: Dutch doors. Proto-expressionism. Hardcore techno. Wi-Fi.
And now, thanks to a father-daughter team in Boston, the Swoffle – their interpretation of the popular traditional Dutch treat, the Stroopwafel.
There's a lack of good Stroopwafel in the states.
After a friend from Holland got to complaining about the lack of good Stroopwafel in the states (tell us about it, dude), Julia and John Paino went through more than 500 different recipes to get theirs just right. The result is a cookie-like snack with a caramel filling, originally designed to be nestled atop a hot cup of coffee or tea in order to warm the filling.
The beauty of theirs, Julia told me, is it's not overly sweet, as other American versions tend to be, meaning it can be enjoyed all day long.
"When we were first tinkering with different recipes, we were aiming for a less sweet formulation. We knew that we wanted to create a Stroopwafel that was light enough to be consumed as a snack rather than another dessert type item or cookie," she said. "There was truly no brand of American Stroopwafels doing any justice to this great Dutch treat."
John has a history in the food industry. His first company, Nasoya, is now the largest tofu company in North America. Julia is currently a member at NextGen Angels in Boston, where she attends monthly pitch events and remains active in the local investor community. Both, that is, know how to hustle, a skill that proved invaluable to their latest milestone: landing a deal with Whole Foods.
"The Whole Foods deal came about through our persistence," said Julia. "Whole Foods has an abundance of healthy items, and it was important for us to pitch the Swoffle in a way that made it stand out from all other snack items."
The Swoffle is gluten free, organic and non-GMO. "It is often difficult to find an individually wrapped snack such as the Swoffle that can be shelf stable for over nine months without any bad preservatives," Julia added, another major selling point with accounts like Whole Foods.
The Swoffle comes in two flavors, original caramel and the newly launched french vanilla.
"We have customers sending us emails all of the time saying that it is their favorite breakfast snack, while others prefer to grab a Swoffle at their desk/workplace and enjoy it with a cup of coffee. Personally," Julia told me, "I like to grab a Swoffle before doing a long workout or as a snack to hold me over between meals."
Images provided.
