Two sisters who previously served in the Canadian Army named Audrey and Ellie want to bring the 'taste tripping experience' to Toronto with their Nomela Box.
A centuries-old concept called "taste tripping" is when you consume a special fruit that temporarily makes sour foods like citrus fruit, hot sauce and vinegar taste sweet. They have curated this experience into a box using the 'Miracle Berry', paired with fresh fruit assortments, three different droppers -- one being an organic cranberry concentrate, chips and a couple of surprise items.
The miracle berry is what starts the taste tripping experience that turns sour foods sweet. The berry's origin is from West Africa but can be found growing throughout Asia as well. The Nomela Box berries are straight from the Philippines. Audrey's fiancé, who is Filipino, has family back in the Philippines specializing in growing these berries on a farm.
The sisters have wanted to try the miracle berry since first seeing it on Discovery Channel; they showed people trying it on TV who said it made lemons taste like candy. The sisters found it interesting that the berry created a sensory illusion for its consumers. For years the sisters wanted to try the berries out for themselves and when lockdown rolled around, they finally had a chance and fell in love with the experience. This prompted them to plan on how to share this novel experience with the residents of Toronto. They went through lists of sour and bitter foods to curate the most exciting boxes for their customers.
Both sisters, Audrey and Ellie, are veterans of the combat arms. They specialized for a few years in bridge building, demolitions and explosives within the Canadian Army as Combat Engineers. They are really proud of what they've accomplished working in a male-dominated area and hope to flourish in the food and hospitality industry as women.
These taste tripping experience kits are $35 and are available for delivery across the GTA. They're currently running a promo of a free delivery bubble (20 kilometre radius from Mimico) -- deliveries outside of the radius will cost $5. To learn more about this veteran and women-owned business, follow their social media.
