"I didn't know that it was possible to have tasty and delicious products that are good for you and not filled with dairy, sugar and preservatives until I had muun chi."
RETA S
mission
We want to change the way we experience food and, simultaneously, promote a food system that respects our precious Earth.
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Food is medicine for the body. When we consciously choose foods that deliver functional benefits, we support the body's natural drive to maintain its health. We strengthen its chi - vital life force energy. All of muun chi's products are made from real - not processed - foods, and each serves a functional purpose.
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We don't like waste, especially waste that burdens our planet. We think there are many exciting opportunities to upcycle food that might otherwise add to growing landfills. The challenge of turning by-products into ingredients for delicious, nutritious food is an energizing creative force at muun chi. Together with others, we are part of a growing movement to promote a sustainable, circular food system. ​
promise
100% organic and raw
We only use organic ingredients. Our products are raw to maximize nutritional value and function.
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Plant-based
No animal products. No eggs. No dairy.
Real
All of our ingredients are the real foods that nature produces. We don't like preservatives, anything artificial or processed.
Functional
We focus on foods that deliver specific functional health benefits. We believe real food is medicine for the body.
No refined cane sugars, no grains, no soy, no GMOs
These can cause inflammation in the body and lead to chronic disease, including chronic pain. We avoid using them passionately.
Kind to the planet
We love our Earth and strive to have the lightest impact on it. We close the food loop with upcycling wherever possible, and we take advantage of packaging that maximizes opportunities for reusing, composting, and recycling. We'll never use plastic, we promise.
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muun chi is made with love and gratitude.
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my story
muun chi was born from a passion for mindful eating and a love of our planet. When I eliminated refined sugar from my diet to relieve a painful sciatic condition, I could not find commercially packaged snacks that were free of refined sugar. So I set out to create my own. Along the way, I discovered that the pulp - the by-product of juicing and nut milking - is a great source of fiber. Unfortunately, the pulp is often treated as waste. I began a collaboration with a wonderful organic juicer, drying its pulp and peels and using them as ingredients in our products.
I make muun chi because I know people want snacks made from real clean food - snacks that have no fillers, no junk, no GMOs, and nothing processed.
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We begin with the gut, the foundation of health. Our muun chi probiotics - plant-based kefir and kvass - populate the gut with billions of microorganisms that help balance the microbiome and eliminate sugar cravings. Our muun chi prebiotic snacks feed the healthy gut bacteria.
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Experimentation will always be part of the muun chi story, as we challenge ourselves to develop real foods that are delicious, good for you, and kind to our Earth.
Made with love and gratitude, always.
manette, aka mama muun
team
Manette, "mama muun"
FOUNDER AND CREATOR
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Manette is the founder of muun chi and its creative force. Nothing makes her happier than spending time in the kitchen crafting new foods that are delicious and functional and made with upcycled ingredients. Okay, maybe that's second to time spent with her grandchildren.
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Manette has a BA from Williams College and a PhD in Linguistics from Brown University. She is certified by the Institute of Integrative Nutrition as a Health and Wellness Coach. She draws on an understanding of Eastern and Western medicine to design organic, raw foods from real food, that nurture mind, body and soul.
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Bill McCalpin
CEO
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Bill is the left-brain complement to Manette. He runs hard to keep up with her creativity while tending to the infrastructure that enables muun chi to pursue its mission and support a growing community of passionate mindful eaters.
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Bill has a BA from Williams College and a JD from Boston College Law School. Bill's career has focused on advancing solutions to pressing social and environmental challenges, initially with philanthropic interventions and more recently as an impact investor. He has executive management experience at private sector firms and endowed, grantmaking philanthropies. At muun chi, he's excited about the company's potential to contribute to fundamental change in the food system.
partners
community
muun chi is part of a larger movement to encourage mindful eating and a more environmentally sustainable food system. We admire and learn from the work of others, especially other entrepreneurs who are applying their creativity to scalable upcycling opportunities.
muun chi is pleased to be a member of the Upcycled Food Association, an organization dedicated to reducing food waste by growing a food system that creates high quality, nutritious products from nutrients that might otherwise be discarded.
In addition, we are an enthusiastic supporter of organizations that are helping children and adults make healthier food choices, including Growing Great and Crop Swap LA.
