Veronica Bosgraaf owns a successful company that provides food products to grocery stores around the country. But she didn’t originally set out with that ambition.
Her company, Pure, was actually born because of her daughter’s class trip to a local petting zoo. While her family was eating chicken for dinner the night after the field trip, Bosgraaf noticed a pensive look on her daughter’s face. She told The Huffington Post:
“I could see what was happening in her little brain. She was putting it all together, what was on her plate with the experience she’d had at the farm.”
It was then that Bosgraaf’s daughter decided to become a vegetarian. That decision forced Bosgraaf to get a little creative with meal preparation.
One day, when she was working on some new dessert ideas, she created a bar with just some dates, almonds, salt, cinnamon and cocoa powder. While her creation was healthier than most snacks, her kids also voiced their approval. Soon, she was making the bars in higher volumes for her kids’ friends and classmates. She also experimented with adding some new ingredients.
Bosgraaf started thinking that she could have a business on her hands. She spoke to a mentor who encouraged her to get a nutritional breakdown of the bars, buy ingredients in bulk, and find a manufacturer.
A little more than four years after she made that initial batch of bars in her own kitchen, Bosgraaf had her Pure organic bars placed in natural food stores nationwide. Her bars are even sold at major chains like Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods.
Like so many small businesses, Bosgraaf’s success is due to a need she saw in her own life. And filling that need is still the part of her business that she is most proud of. She explains:
“Even if all of this ended tomorrow, knowing that Pure helps people eat better and feel better means the world to me. It’s fun, rewarding, and a huge blessing to grow a business that enriches people’s lives and gives back to the community in a meaningful way.”
I love it when things happen naturally like that, when a business comes about like that. I also like the name of the business: Pure.
Veronica Bosgraaf
Thank you Ebele! It is amazing how children can inspire you to do great things! -Veronica
Annie Pilon
I agree – it’s always great to see businesses form like this. There are so many great entrepreneurs that have formed businesses to fill a need for their own families.
Aira Bongco
It is getting harder to get kids to eat whole foods. With so many options, they always find their way into unhealthy foods no matter how hard you shield them from it. This is a nice way to get them to take the healthy path.
Veronica Bosgraaf
Aira, I totally agree! I love it when children eat the Pure bars instead of junk food. My goal is to make healthy food so delicious that people love to eat it! -Veronica
Annie Pilon
I agree! Eating healthy is important but sometimes difficult, especially for kids. This product seems like it solves that problem pretty well.
Mischa Popoff
What sort of testing do the ingredients in these bars undergo to ensure they’re genuinely organic?
Veronica Bosgraaf
Mischa,
We are certified by the USDA which has very rigorous standards. They trace every ingredient from farm to finished product to be sure it is grown and handled free of dangerous pesticides. Our ingredients are also certified Non GMO which ensures they are not genetically modified in any way. All of our Pure products are also vegan, gluten free and Kosher!
Mischa Popoff
Yes Veronica, you are certified under the USDA NOP. But what sort of testing is done on your ingredients? You didn’t answer that.
Annie Pilon
Thanks for the update, Veronica!