Here's What To Know About Nowhere Bakery From Shark Tank
There's nothing like a great chocolate chip cookie. For people with food sensitivities and gut issues, however, this treat can be more like a trick. That's a problem that Nowhere Bakery is trying to solve with its own line of baked goods. The company offers cookies and brownies that are free from many ingredients that trouble some dessert lovers. All of Nowhere Bakery's plant-based goodies contain no refined sugar, no dairy, and no gluten, making them perfect for those with dietary concerns. They are both vegan and paleo-friendly as well.
Founded in 2020, this Costa Mesa, California-based company was created by Saphira and Maurizio Rasti, a married couple looking to make a healthy impact in the dessert world. The U.S. cookie market alone is currently estimated at more than $12 billion, according to Mordor Intelligence. The couple is hoping that "Shark Tank" will help them reach the next level with their business, but will any of the sharks want to take a bite of this bakery?
Nowhere Bakery makes tasty yet healthy treats
While Nowhere Bakery officially started in 2020, the dream of creating gut-friendly baked goods began much earlier for Saphira Rasti. As she explains on the company's Instagram account, she began experimenting with baking treats because of her own health challenges. "I had gut issues, multiple food intolerances and couldn't really find anything on the shelves to satisfy my sweet tooth without making me feel horrible," she posted.
Saphira, who has a background in nutrition, knew she had a winning product once it passed her husband's taste test. Maurizio wasn't a fan of traditional healthy-style cookies, finding them unpleasantly dry, but she managed to develop a recipe that won him over while still addressing her dietary concerns. At first, she made her cookies part-time in a commercial kitchen. Demand grew rapidly for her treats, and her husband joined her full-time in her efforts about three months after the company launched. After a year, the couple leased their own commercial kitchen space and moved to Orange County from Los Angeles to be closer to work.
A look at Nowhere Bakery's ingredients and costs
Nowhere Bakery now sells several different kinds of treats. Its chocolate chip cookies – the company's best-selling item — won a 2022 Shelfie Award. The cookie's ingredients include almond butter, maple syrup, coconut sugar, cassava flour, and tapioca flour. So not only is it free from gluten and dairy, but the cookie also has no soy, eggs, corn, or seed oils, which are common allergens. It may have peanut traces, though. A 6-pack of these cookies costs $36 plus shipping, or $68 for a 12-pack.
The company also sells candy bar cookies, made in collaboration with dietitian Rachael DeVaux, perhaps better known as @rachaelsgoodeats on Instagram. Brownies and blondies are other popular items sold by Nowhere Bakery. These treats share many of the same ingredients as the chocolate chip cookies, such as almond butter, coconut sugar, and tapioca flour. They also contain unsweetened applesauce as well. All these items are sold in 6-packs for $36 and 12-packs for $70.
If you're hoping to find the products in store, there are a few markets and restaurants that carry Nowhere Bakery products. Most of them, however, are in California. A more cost-effective solution may be to order the chocolate chip cookie mix, available on Amazon and the company's website. A pack of mix makes 15 cookies and costs around $15. A sugar cookie mix is also available.
What reviewers are saying about Nowhere Bakery
Nowhere Bakery seems to be developing a devoted following. So far the products have at least one major celebrity fan. Actress and lifestyle personality Gwyneth Paltrow teamed up with Nowhere Bakery for a special sampler of cookies for the holidays in 2022. Customers are also appreciative of the bakery's efforts, with one reviewer saying, "These are the best cookies ever!" on the company's website.
The company scores an impressive 4.86 out of 5 stars from more than 1,800 reviews on Judge.me. A commenter named Bernadette praised the brownies, saying, "You can't tell they are GF or dairy-free." A reviewer known as AK raved about the candy bar cookies, writing, "The cookie is a perfect balance of sweet, salty, and chewy!" While Nowhere Bakery definitely has a lot of fans, viewers will have to wait and see if the company will be able to win over the tough taste buds of the sharks on "Shark Tank."