Yummari

The name Yummari comes from the word Yumari from the Rarámuri culture. Yumari is a dance that the Rarámuri people do to ward off evil and bring in good luck. Founded by a husband-and-wife team, Yummari started selling their products in 2011 to independent stores around the NYC area. Catherine had been working as an underwriter in the marine insurance industry while Jason was working as a graphic designer in the pharmaceutical industry, but they wanted to make delicious and nutritious food for people who are on-the-go. Their first product line was Chia Charger Energy bites which they first made by hand in a kitchen incubator in Queens, NY. It was important to them that they make healthy gluten-free foods since Catherine was diagnosed with celiacs disease several years ago. One superfood that especially intrigued us was the chia seed (Salvia hispanica). We learned about the chia seed from Christopher McDougall’s book Born to Run, which is about a hidden tribe of “superathletes” from Copper Canyon in Mexico. By definition, superfoods are calorie sparse and nutrient rich. They are typically superior sources of antioxidants and other essential nutrients, an example is Omega-3. Your body can't produce it, but it is required for normal body functioning.