It all started when this girl from Southern California moved to Norway in 1997. The lack of fresh seasonal produce and access to her famous smoothies gave her an idea to start her own smoothie shop. Smoothies did not exist in Norway at that time. "How wonderful would it be to be one of the first to introduce this concept in Norway?!" she thought.
Years were spent experimenting and coming up with different smoothie combinations. But due to a lack of confidence and business knowledge, the smoothie idea never left the kitchen.
Fast forward to 2004, smoothies were introduced in Norway and eventually became very popular. Smoothies quickly became a household favorite, available almost everywhere, so the desire to start a smoothie concept became less attractive.
As this California girl continued to live and adjust in Norway, she began studying nutrition and eventually began working. She continued to experiment with recipes and found the nutritional content of (plant) food extremely fascinating. Smoothies, a perfect way to combine fruits, vegetables and almost anything, were a great and easy way to stay healthy. But smoothies were nothing new anymore. It had to be something more inventive.
At this point I started working at least an hour away from home and left home quite early. I needed something I could easily eat on the go. Not being a big bread eater, I started experimenting with different waffle recipes and wow! Waffles were just like smoothies – you could blend almost anything together. Even better, waffles are solid food, so they're even more filling than liquid smoothies! (This was important for someone who is always hungry 😅). This, my friends, was when the "Smaffle - the Smart Waffle" was born! Make a batch and freeze them, so all you have to do before you leave the house is take one out, pop it in the toaster, and voilà, a hot, nutritious meal on the go!
But again, due to a lack of self-confidence and business knowledge, Smaffels remained in the kitchen.
The years went by, but not a day went by without Smaffels being part of the day. This was my passion, so one day I decided to do something about it and get out of the kitchen! What was I so afraid of? Being criticized? Yes, I was, but you know what? I feel so confident in this and truly believe in it, that I can handle and defend any criticism directed at me. So let's do this… but where do I start? I know it! I will organize a get to know me and my Smaffel concept gathering! I planned and created information that I distributed (mostly to people I knew), but also to the very nice and polite Sultan and Paolla, who at the time worked in a grocery store I often shopped at. They liked the concept.
A handful of people came to my event and this is where I received feedback, which thankfully was mostly positive. This was the recognition I needed, and from that day I thought outside my kitchen 👍.
A few more years passed, still in touch with Sultan and Paolla, but the timing wasn't right yet.
February 2024 – the time had come! This dream team was ready!