Makers Series: dalci

Location: Jersey City, NJ | Specialty: Gut Healthy Brownies & Blondies

We’re back again! And this time, with Najwa—gut health advocate and owner of dalci: the place of gluten-free and tummy-sensitive sweet tooths’ DREAMS! These brownies are baked from scratch in small batches by artisanal bakers, then packed to seal in freshness, so you’re getting a just-out-of-the-oven experience every time. Najwa, who believes clean eating is the path to a healthy and happy future, only uses ingredients that are easy to digest, limit inflammation in the gut, are non-GMO, organic, preservative-free, and ethically sourced. Her philosophy is simple: pick the highest-quality gut-friendly ingredients, nourish your body, and treat yourself in moderation. And now, because of her, you can enjoy dalci’s ready-made sweet treats without the hassle of planning, prepping, or baking. Read on for our interview with this expert baker.

Najwa, owner of dalci, mid-bake. © dalci

Abby (Willinglee)
We love that you're so focused on gut health and transparent ingredients. What started you on the journey to create real, healthy treats?

Najwa (dalci)
I had a lot of food sensitivities and lived with chronic stomach pain believing it was my norm and that I had to carry around Pepto and Tums everywhere I went. I also was living with the side effects of a poor gut such as ovarian cysts, thyroid issues, IBS, and many other ailments. It wasn't until I was getting my Masters's in Public Health that I learned about the impact of nutrition and gut health. It all seems quite logical that food impacts our gut, but in reality, I wasn't able to understand how processed foods and certain types of food products reacted in our guts and how in turn, long-term wear and tear led to a lot of the ailments I suffered. Long story short, I was tired of being sick and taking medicine to mask my issues so I decided to do a deeper dive into food, our gut, microbiome, overall health, and how it all came together in our bodies.

That journey led me to live a gut-healthy lifestyle, where I consciously ate organic, non-GMO, real, and non-inflammatory foods. This wasn't a diet, it was a lifestyle where 70%-80% of the time I ate really gut-friendly and the other 30%-20% I ate trigger foods but only the highest-quality version (if I was going to have pasta, it was going to be the best homemade pasta I could get my hands on). Turns out this lifestyle is ridiculously hard to do in America. Most of our food, even produce, is modified with additives, chemicals, sugar alcohols, emulsifiers, and gums. It's even harder to stay the course when you're looking for a ready-made snack.

For the most part, I was able to live a gut-healthy lifestyle but on days I craved a sweet I had the hardest time finding something ready-made that wasn't made with chemicals. Not having a gut-healthy sweet became such a problem that one day I decided I would try and see if I could make a homemade dessert in bulk that felt indulgent and was gut-healthy. That dessert ended up being the dalci brownie. At the time I didn't know it would lead me down the path of starting my business but it was the start of the foundation of how dalci came to be.

Abby
What an amazing origin story! I also live with gut health issues, primarily ovarian cysts and thyroid issues. Alex and I try to eat a balanced and healthy diet, but I know we could always be better about it. That’s why I was so psyched to find your blondies and brownies when searching for products to share with our customers!

Tell us about the process of starting Dalci. How long have you been in business? How did you come up with the name?

Najwa
Once I realized I had formulated an awesome gut-healthy brownie in my kitchen I set out to see if others wanted it. At the time, I knew very little about starting a CPG (consumer packaged goods) brand or even where to begin so I focused on what I knew best, which is research. I developed a few flavors, sent out invites to friends and associates for brownie taste test parties, and started collecting feedback all while researching how to start a CPG business. The feedback that I was getting was so positive that it gave me the courage to really go for it and see if I could make brownies and sell them to consumers looking for a gut-healthy dessert. Currently, we've been in business for 10 months since our soft launch. I was doing about 6 months of research and development prior to our launch.

dalci is a play on a childhood word I would use for cinnamon. I am half South Asian of Bengali descent. As a child, my family would make a lot of halwa (a type of Bengali sweet) on the weekends with cinnamon and other spices. I would help out a lot in the kitchen, especially when making this sweet dish. As a child though, I was unable to pronounce the Bengali word for cinnamon and had my own name for it. Dalchini is the Bengali word for cinnamon. I used to always mess up the pronunciation and say dalci. Over time, my whole family would say dalci instead of dalchini. Even today, dalci represents a sense of warmth and home for me.

“For the most part, I was able to live a gut-healthy lifestyle but on days I craved a sweet I had the hardest time finding something ready-made that wasn't made with chemicals.”

dalci brownies: almond butter & chocolate (top) and dark chocolate (bottom). © dalci

Abby
I love that! It’s such a beautiful way to honor your roots and childhood. And oh my goodness, y’all are so successful already. I would have never guessed the company was so young—that’s cause for real celebration… congratulations!

How do you source your ingredients?

Najwa
We look for certified non-GMO and organic suppliers. We try, when we can, to work with smaller companies and support small businesses versus going to larger producers.

Abby
You’re speaking our language!

Your branding is lovely. Did you create the visual brand yourself?

Najwa
Thanks! I did it myself and worked with a freelancer to help me put it together.

Abby
How did you decide on the 4 flavors of your brownies and blondies? To catch our readers up, you make dark chocolate brownie (which is the one we carry at Willinglee), Almond Butter Dark Chocolate Blondie, Apple Spice Blondie, and Lemon Coconut Blondie. Were there any other flavors that were contenders?

Najwa
We settled on the 4 flavors after conducting focus groups and taking surveys on flavor options. The other contenders we tested, which I still am excited about and want to test again, are rose pistachio and orange cardamom.

Brownie sundae. © dalci

“I developed a few flavors, sent out invites to friends and associates for brownie taste test parties, and started collecting feedback all while researching how to start a CPG business. ”

Abby
Oh—yes, please! Would love to see those added to your line. What is something unexpected you encountered during your time in business?

Najwa
This is a tough question as everything in CPG has been unexpected for me thus far. I'd say so far the outpouring of support from other founders in the CPG community has been unexpected. The world I came from was very protective over IP (intellectual property) so to be a part of a world where everyone is so helpful and open is unexpected and great.

Abby
Yes, that’s lovely… it must be a breath of fresh air to be a part of that community. What do you think is important for other female entrepreneurs to know when starting a business?

Najwa
To believe in themselves and their vision and not be intimidated by the unknown. No one is an expert on any one business.

Abby
🙌🏼 What would you say is the most rewarding part of owning your business?

Najwa
Hearing positive reviews from customers and getting acknowledgment that I helped someone with a need they had.

Abby
Well, you’ve definitely done that for us (personally) and our business! So thank you 🥰 Besides at Willinglee & dalci.com :), where can customers find your products?

Najwa
We are only in a few specialty retailers such as Erewhon, Foxtrot, and Fairway. We started working with PodFoods this year and can be found by retailers interested in purchasing our brownies wholesale. We are also listed on Faire where other small business owners can purchase our brownies.

Just a few ingredients in each package! © dalci

“Female entrepreneurs need to believe in themselves and their vision and not be intimidated by the unknown. No one is an expert on any one business.”

Abby
Amazing! I’ve always wanted to visit an Erewhon! Without giving any secrets away, any idea about what's next for dalci?

Najwa
We're working on some exciting new desserts and trying to bring exciting South Asian flavors to the mix.

Abby
We’re so excited for those to launch! Lastly, we love small businesses helping out other small businesses. We’d love for you to name 3 small businesses you adore that you believe deserve more press!

Najwa

Fabalish, Jamie's Farm New York, and Candid Noons!

Abby
Thank you for introducing us to three more gut-healthy products. YUM. Aquafaba dips, though!? YAS! Thanks so much for giving us a peek into the dalci world, Najwa. We are obsessed with your brownie and wish you all the best in your CPG future!

Find more Makers Series on our blog, or shop our current pantry products.