Puerto Rican Startup to Launch Vegan Cookies in US Stores

Puerto Rican vegan startup Tasty Smart will soon expand to the United States. The company, founded in 2009 by Ailed González-Quintana and Jonelie Vélez-Román, offers boxed vegan and gluten-free cookies in flavors such as guava, almond, and chocolate chip, along with pancake and cake mixes. To avoid cross-contamination, all Tasty Smart products are manufactured in a dedicated gluten-free and vegan facility in Puerto Rico. 

“After developing a high-quality, gluten- and dairy-free product, we decided to make it even healthier [by making it vegan], since we are well oriented and committed to the health and wellbeing of a plant-based diet,” Vélez-Román told VegNews. “In addition to being a vegan product, we also contribute to the environment, which for us is very important because we take care of our future generations.”

Tasty Smart is available in 80 percent of top supermarkets across Puerto Rico. While the company is currently in the research and development phase of expansion to the US, they plan to target Latino communities that are looking for healthier products. “Knowing the importance and significance of entering other markets, we first decided to certify our manufacturing plant with the highest standards of quality and food safety to guarantee a top-notch product in this market,” Vélez-Román said. 

Tasty Smart is receiving support from the Parallel18 accelerator program in Puerto Rico to help it scale to global markets. In addition to offering its products in US supermarkets, the company plans to expand its manufacturing facility to the US with a sister company.