Inspired by widespread disease epidemics and the numerous unhealthy snack options available, Jimena Florez created Chaak flour free cakes. The Colombian strongly believes that knowledge and passion are gifts that should be channeled into benefiting others. While living in Colombia, Jimena began working with farmers and teaching them how to grow sustainable food. She created an academic program that has taught over 2000 farmers. She takes the impact of food on the body very seriously and realized that natural healthy products were being used inefficiently. Jimena then consulted food scientists at the Rutgers University Food Innovation Center to create nutrient dense products. Her brownies provide vitamins, minerals, fiber, protein, iron and other nutrients without using flour, fat, or sugar.
Jimena studied Finance and International Relations, and has a vested interest in creating tools to improve the social standard of living. She sees her work as merging the food industry with the health industry and impacting the entire food safety chain to change lives. She innovates for those who are healthy and want to maintain their health and for those who want to change their lives.
We live in a world with a lot of inequality, but with abundant resources to transform that status. Community equity building means to me reducing this kind of differences within the society. Like nutrition, low income communities are directly linked to childhood obesity. This is an inequality: when people that can not afford expensive healthy food and instead the companies do cheap products that they can afford at the expense of their health. This leads to companies working for profits but not purpose. Every single company should be creative enough to just to make people healthier as well work in social problems and contribute to build community equity.
Jimena’s broken family motivated her to rely on her passion and knowledge. She credits the experience of living in many different countries for her creative approach. Although she started off working in a small kitchen, she is proud of the fact that she can manufacture her products in a 5 star facility. Her American Dream is to revolutionize the food industry, encourage people to eat healthy, teach people about the impact of food on their bodies, and create affordable products that can heal and change lives.
In speaking with Enclave she explains how Project American Dreams inspires her:
It inspires me the most, that my invention can make people eat healthier and how nutrition is the ultimate link to our performance. It inspired me that I can make people healthier, knowledgeable, and happy.
Follow Jimena Florez @CrispyFruitsOf
Follow Project American Dreams @DreamersVenture
