Naperville woman opens non-dairy, frozen dessert business in Lombard
It's only been three weeks since Gina Klafeta of Naperville launched her new frozen dessert business in Lombard, but she's already on her way to some sweet success.
The 23-year-old said she got the idea to create an allergy-friendly, nondairy, vegan food product after studying baking and pastry-making at College of DuPage and nutrition at Northern Illinois University.
Her education combined with her niece's struggle with food allergies inspired Klafeta to create Nana Creme — a banana-based treat that is also free of genetically modified ingredients.
“Seeing a little kid's face when they can't eat with their friends is so sad, especially with sweets,” she said, adding that her product has a consistency and taste that is very similar to ice cream. “I wanted to create something that not only vegans and people with allergens can like, but something everyone could eat.”
Nana Creme's four flavors — vanilla, strawberry, cookie dough and chocolate-covered banana — are all being made for wholesale in a commercial space at 67 Eisenhower Lane.
“I was really lucky that this space was used by someone before who was prepping for a food truck,” Klafeta said, adding that she couldn't move into an old bakery or similar retail space because her business is strictly wholesale for now.
The ingredients are simple, Klafeta said. They include water, frozen banana, sugar, oil and fresh, organic fruit.
Frozen banana acts as a natural thickener and eliminates the need to use xanthan or guar gums, which may upset the stomachs of some customers, Klafeta said.
The amount of banana is so small, however, that none of the flavors, except chocolate-covered banana, taste like it, she said.
The product is also free of the top eight food allergens, including dairy, nuts, soy and eggs. It already can be found at several Chicago locations, including Plenty Grocery and Green Grocer, and Klafeta is in talks with other stores to get her product introduced in more places.
“It's been selling like crazy just with these two stores,” she said. “It's looking good.”