The Story Behind ZaZa Raw Desserts

Boulder resident Elisabeth Saucier never imagined she would make a business out of high-demand organic treats. Having worked at many restaurants in her native Canada, the ZaZa Raw Desserts founder is familiar with the culinary world—but this isn’t what inspired her creations. Saucier began experimenting with raw food recipes when her son and daughter first developed food allergies. “It could be as little as a teaspoon of something that had gluten or dairy and my son would curl up in bed for up to 48 hours. It’s never easy to see your kids in pain.” says Saucier.

She started out making raw tortillas that were later picked up by Whole Foods, but Saucier saw a different need in the market.“There was nobody really making raw foods for dessert,” says Saucier. She headed back to the drawing board and came up with ingredients for a variety of  desserts that her allergy prone kids could enjoy. Saucier’s tasty treats include hits such as chocolate ganache, strawberry cheesecake and brownies.

Each dessert is free of dairy, soy, and gluten, and the ingredients are simple! The brownie, for example, is made with a nut base and sweetened with agave nectar and cocoa powder. Click here for a full list of ingredients.Determination and a personal network with the food industry helped Saucier gain ground. She received support from several friends, including the creator of Colorado-based Noosa Yoghurt as well as some of the people who helped start Alfalfa supermarkets. Justin of Justin’s Nut Butter also helped Saucier’s after she reached out via email. “I thought, ‘This will get lost in the cyber world,’ but he wrote back right away! I was so excited. We went for coffee and he gave me some good feedback,” she shares. Justin suggested she cut down proton sizes to lessen cost, and with that Saucier was prepared to bring a new product to store shelves.

As with any new project, Saucier still faces some obstacles. Expansion of product location as well as getting enough people to demand it in stores can be challenging. Of course, convincing guys to try a natural dessert isn’t always easy either. “It’s so fun to see guys question what they are about to eat and then tell me they love it,”says Saucier. “Girls are totally different. Their minds realize right away how healthy it is.”

Business is still growing despite any setbacks. Saucier, who used to make deliveries from the back of her car, now has a national distributor.

More on Elisabeth Saucier:

1. She prefers markets and grocery stores to shopping malls.

2. She misses the city of Montreal, where she grew up, but says she loves seeing Denver and its “pockets of neighborhoods and their own flare.”

3. Between Boulder and Denver, she has quite a few favorite restaurants that include Linger, Rootdown,The Kitchen and Oak.