La Purita: the history of the first Peruvian brand of healthy snacks

The history

Adriana Antúnez de Mayolo has spent much of her life studying the impact of diet on people’s health. This is one of the activities that she enjoys the most, in addition to being with her family and creating recipes for her two children, and consequently for the clients of her La Purita brand. Her family eats a whole plant-based diet, because after much reading and interpreting studies, she came to the conclusion that it is the healthiest.

“I began the first tests and formulating products for the company in 2013 and we went to market in 2014. At that time, my oldest son was two years old and when he started the nest, I had the need to provide him with healthy snacks for his lunchbox, since There was nothing similar on the market at that time.”tells about how the idea for this project was born.

Being a biologist by profession, she explains that she was curious about how food played an important role in the prevention and promotion of health, as well as the impact it has on our bodies.

“Before starting (with La Purita) one of my jobs had been developing products for an American company based on fruits and vegetables, and natural products; and that is where this love for developing products and starting to promote health is born. “So, having my little son in the nest, I start making snacks for him that have all my scientific knowledge,” Add.

Adriana affirms that La Purita is a “living brand” because it is always training and researching to be able to offer the best to its customers. “We always try to look for improvements in the products we offer”Add.

This Peruvian brand started with only four products and remembers that the first diners were the nestmates of its son Luigi. They started with chocolate, vanilla, animal and peanut cookies.

Grow looking for health

Currently, the portfolio of products they handle is twelve times larger, and of course they follow the favorite cookies of many, however, they now have cereals, granolas, snacks, vegan yogurt, vegan cheese, breads, kekes, brownies, cupcakes , nut butters, vegetable drinks, and among other products, but always maintaining the original idea of ​​providing health through products.

Adriana explains that no La Purita product goes on sale unless it is safe for human consumption. She refers to the fact that nothing in her brand has additives, colorings or sweeteners that have not been sufficiently studied. That is why she prefers to cook with a little panela (less processed sugar) than to use some sweetener that is still under investigation and that perhaps in a few years can be identified as something dangerous to health.

To make her products more inclusive, Adriana explains that currently everything in her brand is gluten-free. Before they used organic wheat but he had clients who asked him to produce gluten-free products, and after some tests, he decided to modify all the recipes and make them with oats (certified) that do not contain gluten, thus being an alternative for people with celiac disease, allergies or sensitivities. to gluten.

By following a whole food plant-based diet in English, Adriana prefers to use inputs in their most complete way, for example, she chooses to use sources of healthy fats such as nuts instead of oils; and that information can be seen by customers on the packaging. Additionally, to provide them with more nutritional value, she uses peas and other legumes, thus providing a greater amount of fiber and nutrients; and thus achieve something deliciously nutritious.