The Sepoli Story

Chocolate spread and crepes. Chocolate spread and crepes. Almost every day, chocolate spread and crepes.

Raising my young daughter, Alisa, in California, I began to worry about her increasing insistence on sweet and sugary meals. Maybe it was cereal for breakfast. Or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch. Or those crepes at any time of day.

As a busy executive and endurance athlete, it was a daily challenge to find something that was convenient and healthy that Alisa also found delicious. Too often compromises had to be made despite, or maybe because of, the overwhelming number of options in every supermarket.

I reflected on my own childhood in the Mediterranean and how lucky I was to grow up with locally grown produce being the only option. My daily breakfast was a simple combination of homemade tahini and fruit paste, which has been a morning ritual for hundreds of years.

At the same time, I was training for Ironman triathlons and started experimenting with replacements for energy gels that are filled with artificial additives and preservatives. I was inspired by the amazing, organic dates in California, which became a natural source of sustenance during my training and competition. I combined date puree with tahini, which added the healthy added protein and fat needed for sustained nutrition.

I started using the sweet and savory fusion as a replacement for the chocolate spread on Alisa's favorite crepes. Turns out, she loved it! Together, we would make batches at a time. But between Alisa's new favorite breakfast and my new favorite training supplement, we couldn't make enough to keep up.

Among the seemingly endless options of spreads, dips, pastes, and nut butters on supermarket shelves, I couldn't find anything close to the honest nutrition of my Mediterranean heritage. Sepoli was born. Based on the ancient recipes I grew up with, we've been working with local farmers in Palm Spring to create Datehini, a creamy blend of medjool dates and sesame tahini.

By sharing just how nutritious, and delicious, organic ingredients without artificial additives can be, it is our sincere hope to establish wholesome traditions today that will empower health-conscious generations of tomorrow.

For our family and yours.

Sezin Kutlu, Founder and CEO