Cake? We're All In: Alyssa Fernandez of Ollin | Trending Tastes

Answers by Alyssa Fernandez, Founder & CEO of Ollin

Intro & Questions by Tina Alhani, HHM Chief of Staff 

Intro

Meet Alyssa Fernandez, founder & CEO of Ollin. Alyssa brings the rodeo to you- celebrate an ordinary day or special occasion with a delicious, incredible-for-you cake mix that will have you all-in on Ollin! 

I got the chance to ask Alyssa about the ingredients behind Ollin and how the product perfectly encapsulates her Texas spirit. 

While you're at it, check out both Ollin flavors- we have "Anyday" Chocolate and "Golden Hour" Yellow! 

YES, finally a product where carbs aren’t the villain! I think that’s a good positive trend we’re starting to see. A couple years ago, there was a general anti-carb stance, but now, people are more open to it, especially if the carbs are from natural sources. What’re your thoughts on our complex relationship with carbs? 

I think as Americans, we’re conditioned to remove something. Think about it, it’s an easy solution.

The logic goes as such: X makes my stomach hurt. Y is an ingredient in X. Therefore if I remove Y, my stomach will never hurt.

It’s a flawed argument but it’s a simple solution. I don’t blame people for adopting that mindset. We’re constantly overwhelmed with new information that it’s difficult to find time to think critically about one issue or the other.

I am confident people’s mindsets are shifting. It’s a slow process but one I’m excited to see play out.

Completely unrelated to the food itself, but I love the color scheme. You don’t see purple being used enough in food products, especially in baking products. Any reason for it, specifically that shade of purple? 

Thank YOU for noticing! Using purple was very intentional when we were building out the brand identity of Ollin.

Why purple? I took pictures of baking shelves from every store you can imagine and shared them with my designer. I only gave her one rule, “use anything NOT on shelf,” which happens to be purple.

When it came to deciding on shades, we went for something bold. We noticed baking brands don’t use primary colors and we wanted Ollin to represent fun and creativity. Mix it all together and you get our signature purple.

On the note of design, I love the product aesthetic so much. What were your design inspirations? 

Something I’ve been intentional about from the get-go is to take inspiration from parts of my own life. I’m a born and raised Texan, and if y’all know anything about Texans is that we LOVE to remind people we’re from Texas.

So I did what we do best! Our Western theme plays an homage to our thoughtful ingredient sourcing while still keeping things fun. I feel like many brands with “clean” ingredients feel obligated to use a minimal or farmhouse design aesthetic. I want to break those boundaries and create something that’s inviting, while giving homage to my roots.

What are the benefits of consuming stone-milled wheat? What exactly does stone-milled mean? 

Great question.

Flour is made by milling a wheat berry, which is a fancy way of saying crushing a kernel into a fine powder. Stone-milling is the traditional milling method, which involves using two carved stone disks and rotating them slowly.

Prior to WW2, this is how wheat was milled until roller-milling came about. It’s a similar concept but it’s a high speed version that typically uses metal plates to mill your flour. Think of the difference between using a mortar & pestle versus a Vitamix.

The problem with roller-milling is that it denatures the wheat berry and zaps the nutritional value out of your flour. The solution is to “enrich” it with the vitamins and minerals it loses, plus, it extends its shelf life but the color can spoil. Hence, that’s why almost all American wheat is “bleached” and “enriched.”

I believe the problems people have with gluten intolerance stems from using poor quality wheat. The issue was never wheat, it’s what we did to it.

What ancient and heritage grains are found in your cake mix? 

Spelt and rye!

Spelt is in our yellow cake mix and has this nutty, buttery taste without any nuts or butter in it. Rye is complex and musky. It makes our chocolate taste more sophisticated.

Consumers have been seeking out food products with real ingredients. What are some artificial ingredients that you made sure to exclude from Ollin? 

The two that stand out are “natural flavors” and “emulsifiers.”

They’re helpful ingredients when it comes to food science, but what they do is mask poor quality ingredients. When you use the dead flour (roller-milled, bleached and enriched) you get something limp and flavorless.

When you use stone-milled ancient grains, they’re naturally flavorful and don’t need anything else to be indulgent. When it comes to emulsifiers, we can create that baking process ourselves by using the right ratio of fat to wet/dry ingredients.

Like I said, they aren’t inherently bad but they automatically signal that dead flour is being used. Combine and consume this enough times and you’ll start becoming intolerant by one of the many ingredients.

What’s the most unique usage you’ve seen of your product?

PROTEIN CUPCAKES!

Someone DM’ed me how they used protein powder + collagen in their cupcakes. To each their own!

You’re a lifelong, proud Texan. Any favorite Texas foods? 

BBQ all the way.

A Texan’s idea of a good time is waking up at 6 AM to line up for BBQ that opens at 11 AM. That’s the only way you can get the BEST burnt ends.

Any fun ideas for new cake flavors? 

A magician can never reveal her secrets 🤐

You grew up with a sweet tooth and a love for cake- do  you have any cherished memories of desserts growing up? Did your parents bake a lot? 

My Tia Paty was a professional baker with her own shop when I was growing up. As the matriarch of the family, she taught all her sisters (my mom included) how to bake.

Growing up, I could never find a cake that could compare to hers. I was a cake snob from a VERY early age. Desserts are integral to my life. They’re my love language. My goal with Ollin is to amplify those cherished memories with quality ingredients you can feel good feeding your loved ones.

How do you preserve tradition with a modern dessert?  

It’s less about the dessert and more about the ritual.

Dessert is only one tool in the celebration ritual. We have to preserve all parts from the gathering, loudness, occasion and what not to preserve tradition.

What’s something important that you think people should know about Ollin?

Ollin is built out of a mission to put ancient grains in every pantry in America. While I don’t have all the answers, I am committed to do everything I can to make real wheat a thing in the US.