Kai Vida Superfoods is a dehydrated foods company that produces 25 different complete meals that only require the addition of water and heating and over 100 different products. We are a certified food service management vendor with the USDA’s Federal Food and Nutrition Services Program and we supply meals and snacks that are fully compliant with the Federal nutrition meal pattern requirements for youth and the elderly.
The mission of Kai Vida’s Food and Nutrition Services program is to compliment and augment the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) initiatives to combat hunger and food insecurity through its Children and Adult Care Feeding Programs. We provide individually packaged, fully cooked, shelf-stable, complete meals that are Federally compliant and meet all USDA meal pattern requirements. Also, our snacks include sugar-free and gluten-free options.
Kai Vida established this unique and delicious line of diverse and all natural meal bowls and snacks to make it easier for food Programs sponsored or seeking sponsorship by the USDA to provide meals, including summer food programs. The meals are fully compliant with Federal nutritional guidelines and eligible for financial reimbursement by the USDA. Meals are ready to eat in as little as 10 minutes—right in the cup—with the addition of water and heat.
This in turn makes us eligible to sell reimbursable meals to government-sponsored programs nationwide. Our headquarters is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and our manufacturing facility is located in Wilkes-Barre, PA. I started the food manufacturing business in 2017 after working to feed needy youth in schools, after-school, and summer feeding programs for the past 40 years. My company’s mission is to be an asset in mitigating the devastating effects of hunger and our shelf-stable meals allow us to provide nutritious and delicious complete meals to all segments of society with just the addition of hot water or adding water and microwaving. Ingredients are procured from local farmers, are non-GMO, and do not contain antibiotics, preservatives, or artificial ingredients. Best of all, each meal is ready in under 10 minutes and the variety is a welcomed addition to anyone’s food choices.
Helena’s story
According to my mom, I’ve been cooking since age 2. I guess you could say I was born with a passion to cook and a God-given purpose to feed people. Growing up in the Bronx, New York, I was always surrounded by a plethora of different cultures, personalities, and flavors–which shaped my talent and palate very early in my life. In love with cooking, people, and making money as a young entrepreneur, I started selling homemade cakes and Christmas cards in my apartment building door-to-door at age 9. When I was 13, my mom’s job moved us to a small town in Pennsylvania where we were heavily involved in a small church. At 15, the church was cash-strapped after the damaging effects of a major flood and threatened closure. I loved that church and vowed to keep it open. That’s when I rekindled my food production business and saved our small church from closing by selling homemade cakes and snacks while hosting movie nights. At 17, I went to college and quickly tired of eating noodles in my dorm–It was when I birthed the idea of creating dehydrated nutritious, and delicious meals that only require adding water.
At age 20, I started catering and opened my first restaurant at age 23. After just 9 months of operations the gulf war broke out and the phones stopped ringing. We were forced to close and regroup.
Fast forward 25 years later and after going overseas to do research as a food scientist, I developed a series of “just-add-water” dehydrated meals and snack cakes well-suited for feeding youth, the homeless, military, and elderly through the government-sponsored food and nutrition reimbursement programs. I now work with the same church to manufacture and distribute the products while hiring and feeding the community.
Open Now~09:00 AM - 05:00 PM
- Monday09:00 AM - 05:00 PM
- Tuesday09:00 AM - 05:00 PM
- Wednesday09:00 AM - 05:00 PM
- Thursday09:00 AM - 05:00 PM
- Friday09:00 AM - 05:00 PM
- Saturday09:00 AM - 05:00 PM
- Sunday09:00 AM - 05:00 PM
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