Pacific Soul: Boosting health from the inside out. Functional foods powered by Colombia’s vibrant superfruits
- KLS
- 7 minutes ago
- 11 min read
For the 226th feature of our "Together Talks" campaign, we collaborated with Pacific Soul and Co-Founders, Carolina Ramirez-Nogales and Oliver Pinto Bautista. At Pacific Soul, they believe nourishing your body and soul should go hand in hand with doing good for the planet. Inspired by Colombia’s vibrant superfruits, they craft freeze-dried snacks, teas, and nutrient-packed treats that are as delicious as they are wholesome.
Their products are rooted in purpose:
• Eat Well with ingredients rich in vitamins, antioxidants, and prebiotic fiber.
• Do Good by supporting sustainable sourcing and empowering growers in Colombia.
• Feel Great knowing you’re fueling your body with clean, innovative nutrition.
Founded by chemical engineers passionate about wellness and inspired by their family’s nutritional needs, Pacific Soul is redefining what it means to snack with purpose. Join them on our mission to boost health from the inside out, one bite and sip at a time.
"Together Talks" feature # 226: Pacific Soul presented by KLS - Your Trusted Shipping Solutions In The USA
What separates you from your competition? What have been the biggest challenges? Goals for upcoming year + Next phase of the company?
What were your concerns to transition to starting your own business? What have you learned since becoming an entrepreneur? How did the dynamic change when Oliver became your Co-Founder full time? How do you balance the dynamic of Co-Founders and Partners?
Story of how it was created?
C: When we moved to Michigan, it was very exciting, but at the same time, it changed everything around us.
My diet changed tremendously. I went from a relatively calm lifestyle to a very hectic one, with little time to eat well. I was snacking on whatever I could find. After four to six months of that pace, I started experiencing headaches, fatigue, and multiple health issues that I didn’t understand at the time.
Eventually, I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism. After speaking with my doctors, we concluded that I was suffering from micronutrient deficiencies.
That realization was part of what brought me here. I had stopped consuming fruits and vegetables regularly because I was always in a hurry. I started learning that this was actually very common in the United States, and I wondered if I was the only one going through this.
When I saw the data showing that nine out of ten Americans suffer from micronutrient deficiencies, the idea really took shape. I thought, maybe I can bring the superfruits I grew up with.
As a chemical engineer, I knew that freeze-drying was the best technology to preserve bioactive compounds, vitamins, antioxidants, and nutrients, making fruit naturally functional. That was the beginning of the idea, back in 2016.
We started shaping it and looking for opportunities in Colombia to freeze-dry the superfruits I grew up with. We began taking samples, and over time, we tested them with friends and the community, receiving very positive feedback.
In 2022, we became parents. Our daughter was born prematurely at 32 weeks, and we had to pause the project to focus entirely on her care.
About a year later, during her one-year checkup, doctors ran blood tests and discovered that Mila also had micronutrient deficiencies. That explained why she wasn’t sleeping well and why other issues were happening. We later learned that premature babies have very specific nutritional needs that require intentional planning.
At that point, we started working with a nutritionist in Colombia. We already had freeze-dried fruit samples in both powdered and snack formats, similar to what we offer today. The nutritionist told us, “You have an incredible resource in these superfoods. They contain the B vitamins Mila needs.”
I began giving her the snacks on the go. Every meal became intentional. Every snack had to provide nutrients. After three months of being extremely consistent, we saw a dramatic change. Her numbers improved, and we had peace of mind knowing that, throughout the day, she was getting what she needed.
She loved the snacks. We loved that they were one ingredient, all natural, with nothing added. That feeling of peace and trust pushed us to make Pacific Soul a reality.
Right before Mila was born, I had already decided to step away from my corporate career. I wanted to care for my daughter, and after everything we experienced, Pacific Soul became my purpose. It’s about helping busy professionals and families nourish their bodies and minds, wherever life takes them. That’s how we started.
What separates you from your competition?
C: Freeze-drying isn’t new technology. It’s been around for a long time, and now you see freeze-dried candies and fruits everywhere.
What sets us apart comes down to three main things.
First, we work with superfruits. These fruits have higher fiber content, more vitamins and minerals, and significantly more antioxidants and bioactive compounds than traditional fruits like bananas or grapes. They also offer an incredible range of flavors, from the sweetest mango varieties we source in Colombia to bold, tart flavors like golden berries. These are flavors many people aren’t familiar with.
Second is natural flavor. During our launch, one parent told us her daughter loved sour, tart snacks, but everything available was artificial and loaded with sugar. When she tried our snacks, her reaction was immediate. She loved them and asked her dad to buy the entire box. For the daughter, it was about flavor. For the dad, it was about offering something natural and clean.
Our flavor range truly offers something for everyone, from sweet and smooth to bold and adventurous, without compromising nutrition or convenience.
Third, we freeze-dry our fruit in Colombia. This allows us to work directly with local farmers and upcycle fruit that doesn’t meet cosmetic standards for export. These fruits are often perfectly nutritious but difficult for farmers to sell.
It also allows fruit to stay on the tree longer. Many imported fruits are harvested green and ripened later using chemicals or during transport, which limits full flavor and nutrient development. By letting fruit fully ripen on the tree, we capture richer flavors and higher nutrient content.
Freeze-drying at peak ripeness allows us to offer snacks exactly as nature intended. Nothing added, just full flavor, boldness, and nutrition.
What have been the biggest challenges?
C: We definitely have many challenges to share, and I also want my husband to jump in here. Personally, one of the biggest challenges is that we both come from an industry that is completely different from the one we are in now.
We are both chemical engineers and spent most of our careers in the chemical industry, which is very B2B focused. What we are building now is a B2C consumer brand, and that requires a totally different way of thinking, communicating, and operating. While we understand logistics, supply chain, sales, and even marketing at a high level, the snack and CPG industry has very specific details that we were not familiar with.
Learning how the CPG world works has been challenging, from packaging requirements to distribution, margins, brokers, and retailer expectations. At the same time, it has been incredibly eye-opening. We’ve discovered how collaborative this industry can be. Other founders who are at a similar stage, or even further along, have been generous with advice, introductions, and hands-on support.
It’s been difficult to understand all the details, but we’ve also felt very welcomed. The support we’ve received from people across the value chain has made the learning curve less intimidating and has reminded us that we’re not building this alone.
O: From the commercialization side, one of our biggest challenges is directly tied to one of our key differentiators, which is the novelty of the fruits we use.
Many of these fruits are unfamiliar to consumers. People may have never heard of them, never seen them, and have no idea what they taste like. That creates a major education challenge. We have to explain what the fruit is, where it comes from, how it tastes, and why it matters nutritionally. That process takes time, effort, and resources.
What’s interesting is that once people try the product, the barrier disappears instantly. We see it over and over again during live demos. The moment they taste it, they say, “Oh my God,” and they purchase right away. But getting people to that first bite is the hard part, especially as a very young brand.
We’re not only asking people to trust a new brand, but also to try fruits they don’t know. Managing that uncertainty and finding ways to reduce friction, build confidence, and make people feel comfortable is something Carolina and I think about constantly.
Goals for upcoming year + Next phase of the company?
C: This year is really about commercialization. We officially launched in October 2025, and the last few months have been an incredible journey.
After launching, we unexpectedly opened opportunities in channels we thought would take one or two years to reach, particularly food service. We started having conversations around vending machines for hotels, museums, and similar spaces, which was not originally part of our short-term plan. For 2026, one of our goals is to continue expanding our reach in those channels and learning how to operate effectively within them.
Another major focus is expanding our footprint in independent retail. We are very excited to be partnering with Disco, our first distributor for Northern California. This is a big milestone for us, and we’re committed to supporting that partnership in every way we can. As we move into February and March, our goal is to strengthen our presence in that region and learn as much as possible from the process.
At the same time, we continue to work on our DTC channel and all the goals associated with growing that side of the business.
O: In the next few weeks, we’ll have product available through distribution, and hopefully by March we’ll be traveling to California to support activations and brand awareness initiatives. That’s very exciting for us.
This is definitely the year of growth. We launched just a few months ago, and now it’s about getting our name out there and letting people discover Pacific Soul. That said, we are very aware that growth needs to be intentional.
We can’t run before we walk. While retail is a long-term goal, we know we need to strengthen operations, logistics, and processes first. The priority is to build a solid foundation so that when the next phase comes, we’re ready to support it sustainably.
What were your concerns to transition to starting your own business?
C: At the time I made the decision, I was a marketing director and in a strong position professionally. But I was questioning whether I was in the right industry, whether I was aligned with my purpose, and whether I was living according to my values.
I always wanted to give back to the community in a meaningful way. While I was helping great companies grow, I felt a pull to do something different. Having a baby with health challenges intensified those feelings.
Of course, there were concerns. Income stability, health insurance, and the responsibilities that come with having a child were real considerations. But supporting my daughter in the best way possible became my priority. I knew she needed special attention to reach her milestones.
Everything we went through with her gave me the energy and confidence to move forward. I wasn’t overly concerned about leaving my position. I’ve always dreamed of building my own company and being part of the change I want to see in the world.
Having the support of my husband made all the difference. Without that support, this transition would not have been possible.
O: From my perspective, Carolina was very determined. It wasn’t an easy decision, but it was very clear that this was something she needed to do.
At the time, I was working as a general manager for a health tech company, and I wasn’t ready to fully commit right away. We needed some level of stability, so we tried to manage that balance initially.
Eventually, things shifted. The startup ecosystem became more unstable after 2023, with layoffs happening across the industry. At the same time, it became clear that if we truly wanted to build Pacific Soul, we needed more hands working toward it. That’s when we decided to fully commit together and make Pacific Soul our shared purpose.
What have you learned since becoming an entrepreneur?
C: For me, the biggest lessons have been resilience and resourcefulness.
We were 100% self-funded until recently, we’re now running a Wefunder campaign that ends on April 15. We are raising a child with health challenges, and building a company without a support village. Navigating parenthood while building a business feels like raising two children at the same time.
There are days that are incredibly difficult, but we’ve learned to adapt. When we didn’t have the money to outsource something, we learned how to do it ourselves. It might take us longer, but we saved thousands of dollars that we could reinvest into inventory, marketing, or growth.
We’ve also learned to remain humble. We don’t pretend to know everything. We listen to people who have been there before, we acknowledge our mistakes, and we make adjustments quickly.
This journey has reinforced my confidence that what we’re doing matters. We’re not just building a product. We’re trying to create something that genuinely helps people.
O: For me, learning how to operate under extreme uncertainty has been one of the biggest lessons.
I’m very analytical and risk-averse by nature. I like to quantify risk and make decisions based on data. Starting from scratch introduces a level of uncertainty that is hard to prepare for, even with prior startup experience.
Learning how to move forward despite that uncertainty has been critical. I’m still analytical, but I’ve learned how to incorporate uncertainty into decision-making rather than letting it stop us.
We also wear many hats. I’ve had to revisit accounting, finance, operations, and logistics, areas I’ve worked in before but not necessarily at this level. It’s been intense, but it’s also been incredibly rewarding.
C: We’ve also learned to accept that we don’t know what we don’t know. For example, early on we misunderstood FDA requirements and designed packaging as if we were selling supplements rather than food. Thankfully, people with experience helped us course-correct before it became a major issue.
Every mistake has been a lesson, and we’re constantly recalibrating to build a stronger foundation for long-term growth.
How did the dynamic change when Oliver became your Co-Founder full time? How do you balance the dynamic of Co-Founders and Partners?
C: Before Oliver joined full time, he was already supporting me while also helping care for our daughter. But being a solopreneur was incredibly tough. There are so many moving parts, and progress was slow.
Once Oliver joined, everything changed. Our personalities and skill sets complement each other. He brings deep experience in operations, logistics, finance, and strategy, while my background is in marketing, supply chain, and business development.
Having someone to share ideas with, challenge assumptions, and divide responsibilities allowed us to move much faster. Within a few months, we had our MVPs, started building the brand, and brought Pacific Soul to life.
Of course, working together as partners and co-founders adds pressure. Parenthood, health challenges, lack of sleep, and business stress all intersect. But sharing this journey with someone who truly understands both the personal and professional sides has made it possible.
This experience has also pushed us to grow individually, improve communication, and strengthen our partnership.
O: There isn’t really a work-life balance for us. It’s more of an integration. Pacific Soul is part of our lives and part of who we are.
At first, that adjustment was hard for me. Now, I can’t imagine doing anything else..
Piece of Advice
O: One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is not to let perfection slow you down. We tend to want everything to be perfect, down to the smallest detail, but that’s not always realistic in a startup.
What matters is moving quickly, learning, and iterating. Good enough is often enough to move forward. You can always improve as you go.
C: Don’t be afraid of making mistakes. Fear will always be there, but it shouldn’t paralyze you. It can also be a powerful source of energy.
For us, the reward has been purpose, flexibility, and being present for our daughter. Seeing people enjoy our product and knowing it brings value to their lives makes all the challenges worth it.
Promo Code
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Community Callout
In Closing
KLS wants to thank Pacific Soul and Co-Founders, Carolina Ramirez-Nogales and Oliver Pinto Bautista, for today's "Together Talks" feature. Follow along for their journey with their social handles below!