Sister River Foods, Parma!CEO, Shannon Schnibbe
Shannon Schnibbe, Founder and CEO of Sister River Foods and its subsidiary, Parma! has been passionate about creating healthy food options for more than twenty five years, when she first realized that food was making her sick. Faced with unknown sensitivities and allergies she ventured out in search of options.
“I just wanted to feel good”
Searching for ways to eat that did not make her feel sick, Shannon first encountered David Frees in Santa Barbara who introduced her to the raw foods movement begun by Ann Wigmore. She began exploring vegan and raw food options. Bolstered by the raw food movement, she sold her pots and pans and moved to Chicago. She stepped off the train and the first place she encountered to her delight was Karyn Calabrese’s first innovative raw food restaurant Karyn’s Fresh Corner. Shannon knew then that she had found the answer to her quest in delicious, nutritious, lovingly prepared and beautifully presented raw food.
“Eat In The Raw” Was Founded
Shannon was not alone in seeking alternative food options. After a trip to Hawaii she was inspired by raw nut delicacies, she founded “Eat In The Raw” and began bottling her delicious cheesy vegan, lactose-free creation. In 2004, supplied with info from HappyCow.net the first shipment of Parma! was sent to a local Ashland co-op from her Oregon facility.
Sister River Foods
Several years after her first shipment, Shannon Schnibbe changed the name of her rapidly growing company to Sister River Foods to respond to market pressures. Sister River was inspired by the Native American story, “The Earth is Our Mother”, and reflects her unrelenting focus on creating a world that works for everyone with grace and ease.
Parma! was the first product line manufactured by Sister River Foods and has expanded from Parma! Original to include three more delicious -flavors in two sizes.
Great Mentors and Growth
Shannon’s friend, mentor and advisor, Founder of Tofurky, Seth Tibbott shares,
“Like Tofurky, Parma! is an authentic, trail blazing brand with deep roots that took hold when the plant-based world was very young. I love that it is a family owned business run by kind, passionate people producing a wholesome vegan food with exceptional flavor”.
It Takes Patience
Like an author who sees one of their books in a library for the first time, Shannon Schnibbe loves visiting food stores and seeing Parma! on the shelves. Eventually, she sees Parma! being offered in movie theatres as a healthy lactose-free alternative to enjoy on top of popcorn. It took over four years for Natural Grocers to add parma! to their shelves, so she is willing to persist in her movie popcorn vision. And the vision continues…Sister River Foods is planning to launch a complimentary product line to Parma! for those with other sensitivities – so stay tuned!
And Passion
Care and passion for people, animals and the environment are the driving forces of Sister River Foods and Parma!. CEO, Shannon Schnibbe works to make the world a better place by continually seeking heart-centered decision makers who want to create a world that works for all as friends, allies and customers. In demonstration of those core values, Parma! supports animal rights groups, vegetarian and vegan efforts and peace-making organizations.
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