We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Sonia Paryani a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Sonia, thanks for joining us today. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea
Starting a new business in a completely different industry was a challenging but rewarding journey for me. As a retired fine jewelry store owner, getting into the food business was a totally different ball game. But I had a passion for creating delicious and healthy baked goods that are free from gluten, grains, dairy, and refined sugar, and I wanted to share them with others who have dietary restrictions and health issues.
The journey to launch my business was not easy. It took me over a year to perfect my recipes, figure out the optimum sizes, packaging, branding, and labeling. I had to figure out how to scale my recipes, source premium ingredients such as almond flour, organic coconut flour, organic coconut oil, honey, and more, and deal with low-profit margins. But I believed in my products and saw the need in the market, so I persisted.
One of the biggest challenges I faced was finding the right branding and packaging design that aligns with my vision. I went to a local designer, but she was not able to show us the vision we had for our brand. It was a frustrating experience, but thankfully, I had the support of my husband, who encouraged me to keep looking for a designer who understood our vision. I ended up going to a friend’s daughter who was based in New York, and she designed the perfect brand for us. Our brand name, Sincerely, By Paryani, reflects our mindset, ethos, and vision for our products to be sincerely delicious, sincerely clean, and sincerely healthy.
We started selling our baked goods in farmers markets and local stores, and they were well-received. It was a great feeling to see people enjoying our products and knowing that we were making a difference in their lives. I am extremely thankful for the support of my husband, who was there every step of the way, and for the opportunity to share my passion for creating healthy and delicious baked goods with others.
Looking back, the journey was tough, but it was worth it. I learned that determination, passion, and perseverance are essential in starting a new business, and I am proud of what we have achieved so far. I am excited about the future and the opportunity to continue to create delicious and healthy baked goods that bring joy to people’s lives.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
As someone who has personally dealt with an autoimmune condition and its associated dietary restrictions, I understand the challenges that come with trying to find clean, healthy food options that are still delicious. I started this business because I was diagnosed with an autoimmune condition in 2011 and was hospitalized for three weeks in ICU. I was put on biologics and steroids which saved my life but caused side effects. After much research, I found that changing my diet could help me heal and get off the medications. So, after retirement, I decided to share my passion for healthy, clean food and show people that you could still be on a restrictive diet and enjoy delicious, healthy baked goods.
We provide gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, and refined sugar-free baked goods made with premium ingredients such as almond flour, organic coconut flour, organic coconut oil, honey, and more. Our products are celiac-safe and we have paleo and vegan options as well. Our lemon coconut cake is a crowd-pleaser and the chocolate coconut cake is decadent and divine, and people find it hard to believe that they are gluten, grain, dairy, nut, and refined sugar-free. We also offer almond banana bread that is sweetened with just organic bananas and is a treat.
What makes us proud is the feedback we receive from our customers. Our products are especially appreciated by those who have gut issues such as IBS, IBD, UC, Crohn’s, and other autoimmune conditions. It’s been incredibly rewarding to receive messages and emails from customers who are thankful for our baked goods and how they’ve helped improve their quality of life. We get messages thanking us for creating delicious gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, and refined sugar-free baked goods. Mothers thank us as their children who are unable to eat regular foods can now have these goodies and not miss out on anything. We meet countless people every week at the farmers’ markets who are happy to have found us and bring their friends over to share our story and delightful treats with them.
As we continue to grow and expand our business, we’re excited to explore new product offerings, such as birthday and wedding cakes, which have been highly requested by our customers. Overall, our goal is to provide a genuinely healthy and delicious alternative to traditional baked goods, and we’re grateful for the support of our community as we work towards achieving that.
Do you sell on your site, or do you use a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc?
We currently sell our products on our own website, paryanifoods.com, as well as on Etsy. However, we have chosen not to sell on Amazon at the moment due to our inability to meet the high demand on that platform. We may consider expanding to Amazon in the future once we have increased our production capacity.
Selling on our own website has numerous advantages. Firstly, it allows us to have complete control over the customer experience, from the design of the website to the checkout process. We can tailor the user interface and optimize the purchasing journey to enhance customer satisfaction. Additionally, selling on our own website enables us to build and maintain a direct relationship with our customers, fostering loyalty and enabling personalized communication.
On the other hand, selling on platforms like Etsy provides us with access to a different set of buyers. Etsy is known for its vibrant community of handmade, unique, and artisanal products, which aligns well with our brand. By listing our products on Etsy, we can tap into their established customer base and benefit from their marketing efforts. This helps us expand our reach and potentially attract new customers who may not have discovered us otherwise.
Moreover, we also explore other avenues such as partnering with Fresh Harvest, a subscription produce basket company based in Atlanta, GA. This allows us to reach a targeted audience interested in locally sourced and organic food options. Additionally, we utilize Faire, a wholesale business-to-business channel, to connect with retailers and expand our distribution network.
In summary, our current approach of selling on our own website and platforms like Etsy, along with strategic partnerships, works well for us. It provides us with a balance of control over the customer experience, direct customer relationships, access to new customer segments, and diversified distribution channels. As we continue to grow and scale our operations, we may explore additional platforms like Amazon to further expand our reach and cater to the demands of a larger customer base.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
As the founder of our company, I believe that the quality of our products has played a significant role in building our reputation within the market. Our commitment to using only the finest ingredients and never compromising on quality has resulted in consistently delicious and wholesome baked goods that our customers can enjoy with confidence.
We’ve received numerous messages and DMs from customers thanking us for creating something that they can enjoy despite having dietary restrictions. Our baked goods are celiac-safe, as well as paleo and Whole30-friendly, making them accessible to a wide range of customers.
We use only the best ingredients in our baking, such as almond flour, organic coconut flour, honey, organic coconut oil, organic bananas, organic lemon juice, and organic chocolate. We try to source as many organic ingredients as possible and avoid all additives in foods.
By creating products that are both delicious and healthy, we’ve built a reputation as a company that truly cares about the wellbeing of our customers. Our commitment to quality and transparency has helped us establish trust with our customers and has led to repeat business and positive word-of-mouth recommendations.
In addition to our commitment to using high-quality ingredients, we take customer feedback seriously and are always looking for ways to improve our products. This dedication to continuous improvement, coupled with our focus on quality and health, has helped us become a trusted name in the market.
Contact Info:
- Website: paryanifoods.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/paryanifoods
- Facebook: facebook.com/paryanifoods
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/paryani-foods/