Verve chats to the Co-Founders of Halo & Swoon – a new brand providing bakers (and non bakers alike) decisively tasty and healthy baking mixes that can be enjoyed by all.
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How did Halo & Swoon come to fruition?
Sarah: It was born from the needs of José and I. José was a medical research scientist / pastry chef who turned to developing plant-based recipes for health reasons. And I was a lawyer / mum of a child with severe allergies, who found it hard to find healthy snacks I could trust.
José: We both shared a vision of creating easy-to-bake, delicious treats for those who either have allergies, dietary restrictions or simply choose to eat healthy food as much as possible. We wanted to challenge the baking category norms, with something decisively fresh, “swoonworthy”, but healthy too.
Sarah: As a mother with a child with severe allergies, including Coeliac disease, it was paramount that our products were “lunch box friendly” – meaning they are free from dairy, eggs, nuts, tree nuts, fish, shell fish and soy.
José: It was also important for us to provide products that are lower in sugar than other baking mixes out there. We only use unrefined sugars, in as low quantities as possible without compromising on taste.
How did you come up with your name Halo & Swoon and what does it mean?
José – I had a food blog called Swoon Food, but we wanted to make sure we chose a name that really encapsulated who we are. We went through a naming process and slowly ticked off the names we didn’t like, that didn’t suit or were already taken.
Sarah – We eventually narrowed it down to Halo & Swoon. The name is a metaphor for being saved (the Halo) by food you will “Swoon over.”
José – It describes our mission perfectly. Our brand is about un-compromised taste and integrity, but with the love and fun that home baking should be. We provide you with delicious, healthy, allergy-friendly baking treats – we are the “halo” to your “swoon”.
What have been some of your biggest challenges so far?
Sarah – Definitely finding a safe place to manufacture our products was a challenge. As a food allergy mum, sometimes using ‘safe’ products is not enough. You need to validate your entire supply chain and ensure the product is produced in a safe manufacturing facility. There are a very limited number of manufacturers in New Zealand that can that safely manufacture our products, without the threat of cross contamination.
José – But with a lot of research and perseverance, we managed to find an incredible facility in Auckland. They produce our baking mixes in specific allergen-free rooms, significantly reducing the risk of cross contamination.
Sarah: Another challenge has been sourcing reliable organic ingredients. When it comes to health, the integrity of our ingredients and their quality is crucial. We wanted to present a product that was not only super delicious, but transparent and factual in it’s claims.
José: Luckily we’ve found incredible NZ based suppliers who provide us with traceability of our organic ingredients that we can trust.
Finally, what is your favourite baking mix?
Sarah: This is tough, as they’re all delicious! But if I had to choose it would be the Ginger Cookie. It’s light and crunchy and tastes like the classic Anzac Biscuit.
José: I love them all for different reasons, but the Chocolate Cake is a stand out for me. It’s super rich and fudgey, yet really versatile. We also have a couple of new products in the mix, so what this space!
