About

I'm a single mom with ten kids. Ages ranging from 23 to 9 years old.

My kids are my life. They are my personal angels. Our house is always a party. We are always trying something new. As a kid I was raised without a TV and I have tried to teach my kids to work hard and play hard.

If you lived in my neighborhood you would describe my house as the house with all the kids outside, all the time, in the trees, playing music, riding something with wheels, throwing some kind of ball, and probably doing something dangerous.

We also love to cook! We like to try new foods and... we have allergies.

The first time my oldest son tried peanut butter as a baby, his whole body developed hives. I was devastated to find out that he was allergic to peanuts. As time passed his allergies got worse. Next it was milk, then all nuts, then all raw fruits and vegetables, then eggs and then even wheat.

My second child, a girl, followed the same pattern. It seemed impossible to feed my children. Then my fourth child, sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth children all had allergies. Making meals was extremely complicated I had to make each child a different kind of food everyday. Times have gotten WAY easier since my kids have out grown a lot of their allergies or they are old enough to manage allergies themselves.

Throughout all those years of cooking for kids with allergies I learned a ton.

I have read thousands of food labels. I could tell you what was in most foods.

I became obsessed with quality ingredients. Most delicious foods can be made with very few ingredients. Food should come from mother earth not from a laboratory.

November of 2019, Around Christmas, time, I was walking around the Whole Foods grocery store looking for something healthy to eat just enjoying the colorful, delicious fruit, bread on display in brown wooden boxes and the Christmas lights. I walked past a sign that said "Dates". I thought, "I want a date for Christmas". Then I laughed out loud at my own Joke. I smiled all the way to the check stand. I bought a bag of dates and decided I would pass them out to all my girl friends for Christmas. I asked my brother to design a box that could hold just one date (because you can only have one date at a time) Then I wrote "A date" on the box. SweetBox dates was born. My brother and I laughed about the different dates we could make as we designed the boxes A Blind Date, An Awkward Date, A Double Date...

I got together with my very big family for a gathering and every one started coming up with date ideas. We were all laughing about our silly puns and ideas just kept coming. A Date with Destiny, A group date... Every time I showed someone my box and the fruit inside they would look confused at first then they would either smile or laugh out loud. Almost every time they would give me another idea. A back-up date, A date with baggage, A pity date...

Dates are naturally sweet! The only sugar added to these dates is in the fine Belgian chocolate. Dates take on whatever flavor is added to them. The chocolate flavor is enhanced, even though there is only a small amount of chocolate surrounding each date. These dates are flavored with all real fruit, pure oils, extracts, and spices. No preservatives or synthetic ingredients were added to the fruit.

My mom has been my biggest supporter. She has listened to all my crazy ideas through my life and loved them. She has always encouraged me to first of all be home for my kids and second try my idea. My mom can do anything! She is an artist and a creator and she works tirelessly helping her children with all their projects. After I drew each box how I wanted, my mom graphically designed them on the computer. She made my labels and remade my labels. Thank you mom.

This started with one date and it grew. I wanted to try and sell something very simple so I could learn how to run a tiny business but I have found that the puns and play on words are never-ending.