Maui-based Farm to Fudge offers a ‘healthier, cleaner dessert alternative’

Janice Leilani LaFontaine said her company, Farm to Fudge, was born out of her own health challenges as she battled an autoimmune disease.

Discovering “the power of food as medicine” allowed her to get to the root of her health issues and reverse her condition, she said.

“One of the most significant changes that led to my renewed health was the removal of gluten and dairy from my diet, in addition to the many chemicals, additives and stabilizers prevalent in the standard American diet,” LaFontaine said.

LaFontaine, a nutritional therapy practitioner and certified health coach, learned a new way of cooking based on those principles, and one of the items she started making was fudge that she describes as a “healthier, cleaner dessert alternative.”

LaFontaine launched the Maui-based Farm to Fudge in November 2023. The brand features gluten-free and diary-free fudge made from simple ingredients including pure cacao, organic coconut milk, smoked sea salt and macadamia nuts. It can be found in a couple of Maui retailers so far, with more in the works.

“The mission of Farm to Fudge is to raise awareness about how the quality of food we put into our bodies impacts our overall health and that good-for-you food can also taste amazing,” she said. “My passion lies in helping support the health of people and the planet for future generations to come, and that starts with sourcing locally as much as possible from producers and farmers practicing regenerative and ethical growing methods producing good quality ingredients for us to eat.”

As a member of Mana Up’s Cohort 9, LaFontaine looks forward to learning from her fellow cohort members, and making connections with professionals across various fields — including human resources and accounting — that can help her company grow. She also said she’s looking to expand her product line.

“My main goal of being a member of Cohort 9 is to learn how to successfully scale my business to provide the world with Hawaii’s premier dark chocolate coconut fudge while contributing to a thriving local economy that provides well-paying jobs and supports other local businesses,” she said.

“In a year from now, I would like to see Farm to Fudge available for sale on all the Hawaiian Islands, with the ability to ship across the U.S. and a growing number of flavors to choose from.”

PBN is partnering with Mana Up to announce the 10 newest entrepreneurs joining Cohort 9 of its product business accelerator program, with profiles on each company slated to roll out one at a time through June 4. Stay tuned to pacificbusinessnews.com, and check out the June 7 print edition for the full roundup.