iSSEI'S MOCHI GUMMIES ARE A DELICIOUSLY HEALTHY SNACK FOR YOUR CHILD'S EASTER BASKET NEXT WEEK

Thank you to Issei for the Mochi Gummies for review. The opinions within are 100% my own.

Issei Mochi Gummies was seeking to create a healthier alternative to the various gummy snacks and candies her children often asked for, the founder of Issei, Mika, created Mochi Gummies.

Issei is a mission-driven, innovation-forward, woman-owned and minority-owned company. They create innovative, beautiful, healthy, delicious foods that can make people happy, honor their heritage, and garner a community through their core values.

The more Mika learned about gelatin (the foundation of most chewy snacks) and its origins (Boiled animal skin), the more she was convinced that there had to be better options - something without excessive sugar, artificial flavors, chemical stabilizers, and animal products. This led Mika to explore the idea of using mochi.

Mochi is made from pure rice grains and mountain spring water, mochi is likely one of the cleanest snacks ever created. These gummies are soft and chewy, with a pillowy texture, somewhere between a gummy bear and a marshmallow. They are small, bite-sized versions of mochi desserts in Japan - infused with diverse natural flavors.

Mochi Gummies contains zero gluten, nuts, dairy, and soy, is non-GMO, and is 100% vegan. It is a shelf-stable, chewy, natural candy rivaling the best-selling gummy candies made with animal-derived gelatin and artificial flavors.

About Mika

Mika’s dream is to create better alternatives for food, providing people with great food and a happier, healthier life. Mika attended Le Cordon Bleu Cooking School in Paris, published a cookbook “Smart Bites for Baby” (Perseus Press, 2011), and completed her Bachelor's Degree from New York University, and her Master’s Degree and qualifying exams for her Ph.D at both the London School of Economics (London_ and Le Sorbonne University (Paris) in Philosophy. A painter, a music producer, and an avid cook, she firmly believes in the cross-section of the arts - how they are all linked and foster a depth of appreciation of all that is beautiful in life. She lives in Washington D.C. with her husband and two boys.

WHAT IS MOCHI?

Mochi is an ancient Japanese snack and has been in the food culture of Japan since 14,000-300 B.C. It is possibly the cleanest confection ever created, traditionally made with pounded rice and spring water, and often filled with red Azuki bean paste. It is a food for celebrations, gatherings, and expressions of gratitude. It was and still is a celebratory event of communities gathering folks to watch the quick, rhythmic pounding of rice into warm, soft pillows of chewy dough. Mochi is a sacred food for the gods, with people bringing neatly piled mounds of decorated mochi to shrines as offerings to the Shinto Gods for the New Year. It symbolizes longevity, well-being, and prosperity.

My kids and I enjoyed the gummies. It made me happy to know how much healthier they are versus the gummies available in the grocery stores. We had the opportunity to try the vanilla, mango, and strawberry gummies. The gummy flavors we enjoyed most of the ones we tried were mango and strawberry. I put them in my overnight oatmeal and they were yummy! I could see them easily used as an ice cream topping or in cookies. They are not as chewy as other gummies and dissolve easily as you chew them. We loved that - less of a choking hazard.