Introducing Sasas Mix, The First West African Banana Bread Baking Mix
There’s a new baking mix in town getting a lot of traction on Instagram and Tik-Tok. With the growing trend of West African flavors, 22-year-old Drexel student, Niaka Porte saw an opportunity to present her family recipe for ricebread. Ricebread – the most popular dessert in Liberia, is a naturally gluten free banana rice cake made with rice and warm spices of ginger and nutmeg. Growing up her mom would make this treat for special occasions in the family. It immediately became Niaka’s favorite dessert. She shared her enthusiasm for banana ricebread by selling them freshly made as loaves and muffins at bake sales and local pop-up shops in the Philadelphia area. Once the pandemic hit, Niaka decided to pivot and transform her family’s recipe into a baking mix. During her junior year, the Charles D. Close School of Entrepreneurship believed in her vision and awarded her a $15,000 grant to jumpstart production. She spent months testing to find the simplest and most authentic ingredients that reminded her of home. Each baking mix is gluten free, vegan, top 8 allergy free and can be prepared in under 10 minutes. Once prepared their banana bread has a moist cake like texture with a sweet banana flavor and a zing of ginger. It is unlike other banana breads as rice is its main ingredient that makes for a rich fluffy texture and vibrant flavor.
Mel Mann, Director of Innovation at Wixom stated, “There is a desire for authenticity and region-specific cuisine, which will continue to drive an appetite for authentic flavors in 2020.” In addition, Whole Foods listed West African cuisine as an emerging food trend. In the same year, Google announced “healthy banana bread” as one of their top 10 google searches. The desire for new global flavors coupled with the popularity of banana bread gave Niaka the idea to present America’s favorite comfort food with a West African twist. It was then that Sasas Mix was born. She embarked on this business endeavor while in college as she saw a lack of ethnic food brands showcasing the delicious foods she grew up with. She wants people to travel in the comfort of their kitchen and experience new and exciting flavors.
About Sasas Mix
A Sassa is a West African instrument played during times of celebration, symbolizes a new beginning. Sasas Mix plans to continue providing newly discovered traditional foods that are easy to make, using only simple ingredients and encapsulates the vibrant bold flavors of Africa. The product was released in May of 2021 and is available in the original and chocolate chip flavor on sasasmix.com, Amazon, and in select stores.
For More Information:
https://www.sasasmix.com
