Superstar quarterback Tom Brady had posted a Facebook photo of his wife Gisele Bündchen and their two children, Vivian and Benjamin earlier this year on Halloween. Brady and his spouse decided to wear blue and pink skull masks for the night out for trick or treating. Pay close attention to what their masks were made of.
Typically Brady doesn’t really do a bunch of endorsements but for him, this time was completely different. He was happily endorsing a company that he truly believes in, rather that simply doing it for money.
I bet most of Brady’s 3.4 million Facebook fans didn’t really notice the logo’s that were on their costumes that particular night. The company that Brady and his wife were supporting might actually be their favorite companies, and has the strong potential to completely change the way people in the United States eat candy.
I know what you’re probably wondering. Why would Brady, who just got through speaking out against all processed junk food such as sugary drinks and cereals, would be doing promoting a candy company? The way Brady sees it is that in this case, it is a different type of company, one whose sole mission is to “unjunk” the candy industry by creating favorite foods without the use of GMOs, artificial colors, hydrogenated oils and the other horrible health menaces that plague the candy industry.
This all began when a 15-year-old that lived in a Boston suburb with a highly memorable Halloween story of his own to share.
Starting Completely Scratch
You know as a kid there is nothing more frustrating in life than to have most of your Halloween candy thrown into the trash, and that is exactly what had happened to Nick Bronner. When Nicky was just 13-year-old, his father Michael inspected his child’s candy and after one good look at all the “junk” he had brought home as treats, he simply decided that it would be much better for his son to just skip that Halloween’s candy altogether.
In an episode of the Dr. Oz Show, who is known to big a huge supporter or mandatory GMO labeling, had Bronner on as a guest this summer, and found out that seeing your candy that you enjoy, be so unhealthy for you isn’t something that was an easy thing to accept.
“Five years ago I came back from trick-or-treating and had all my Halloween candy and my parents took it most away, so I wasn’t very happy,” he said. “I decided to do some research on why are these candies so bad for me, and what I learned led me to start this company Unreal.”
Nick who is now listed as the co-founder right alongside his older brother Kris and father Michael, who is a millionaire investor, stated that the horrible disappointment in not being able to enjoy his favorite candies had set him on his quest on creating a candy that isn’t loaded with horrible ingredients. According to their company’s website, Nick set himself on the path to learning all about,
“Stuff like partially hydrogenated oils, corn syrup, artificial colors, flavors, GMOs, chemical preservatives and loads of sugar, aren’t there to make it taste better. They help make it cheaper to produce and last longer on shelves.”
Nicky set out by testing out different recipes with his father and brother, going on a hunch that they could create healthier versions of their favorite treats like Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and Snickers that were completely GMO-free, better tasting with less sugar, and be completely natural. His mission is to catch the eyes of the larger companies and insists that they “pay attention and change their ingredients.”
The brothers created such an amazing team that they decided to seek out help from the very best of the best.
In a 2013 TEDx talk, Kris said that,
“We cold-called chefs and told them we wanted to change the world by reinventing America’s favorite junk foods, starting with candy.” At the end of the day, candy is still candy, but without the GMOs, hydrogenated oils, and other unnecessary additives and processes it can be just as tasty without doing as much damage to your body.”
“We’ve removed up to 40 percent of the sugar, and increased the protein and fiber (with recipe changes),”
At present, the candies are not non-GMO Project Verified, but the boys are currently pursuing the process of obtaining the certification and insisting that all of their ingredients are documented as being non-GMO. Their recipes are always being tweaked and modified for their products to produce more gluten-free, organic, corn and soy free ingredients that also include great vegan options as well.
I also understand that there are already a plethora of healthier chocolate options out there such as organic cacao, coconut oil and raw honey that can be substituted for a healthier sweet treat. This new company called Unreal is impressing an entirely new generation of people who would love to enjoy their favorite candies without all of the unnecessary junk added to them.
Tom Brady, who has been in support of this new candy company from the beginning. Other widely known people are Matt Damon and even John Legend, who have done Youtube spots.
After Tom Brady posted a video about a trip to Whole Foods, leaving a bunch of hidden autographs inside the buckets of Unreal on social, the company states that they have been scrambling to fill store shelves again.
Unfortunately, though, the business had a disappointing 2012 launch which allowed the owners to hone in on a business strategy that works, and now the companies candies are in 2,000 different stores nationwide and even sell their products online. They have hopes that sales spike as more people are looking to stuff their stockings with healthy candies versus ones that are loaded with GMO’s and other unhealthy additives.
Hershey and a few other companies have been removing GMOs and a whole bunch of other additives. It seems that these young business owners have been able to start making a difference after all, if mainly in spirit.
“Our mission is bigger than our product,” Kristopher Bronner said.
