Two Haitian sisters turn family recipes into a Caribbean snack brand
Haitian American sisters Pierrelande and Marie Saint Cyr built NouBon around the Caribbean snacks they grew up loving but rarely found on U.S. market shelves. The post Two Haitian sisters turn family recipes into a Caribbean snack brand appeared first on The Haitian Times.
NEW YORK — Pierrelande and Marie Saint Cyr grew up immersed in Caribbean flavors, yet rarely found the snacks they loved on U.S. store shelves. When their mother-in-law began packing suitcases full of Haitian treats to bring back from trips home, the sisters saw an opportunity: bring those recipes to market themselves.
That idea became NouBon, a small-batch Caribbean-inspired snack and nut butter brand launched in New York on June 3, 2026, by the two Haitian American sisters. The name, Haitian Creole for “We Are Good,” reflects the pride behind the brand’s debut lineup, featuring three craft peanut butters inspired by manba, Haiti’s beloved spiced peanut butter, alongside snack bags built around Caribbean street confections like coconut clusters and dous makos.
The Haitian Times spoke with Pierrelande Saint Cyr about the gap she and her sister identified in the specialty food market and what it means to introduce Caribbean pantry staples to a wider American audience.
The Haitian Times: What first inspired you and your sister Marie to turn family recipes into a snack brand?
Pierrelande Saint Cyr: Marie and I grew up immersed in Caribbean food and flavors, yet we rarely saw the snacks we loved on mainstream U.S. shelves. We often had to wait until we visited Haiti to enjoy some of our favorite snacks. Unfortunately, our mother could not afford to take us every year, so we sometimes went years without them. We saw an opportunity to draw on the recipes and traditions we grew up with and make these snacks more accessible.
My mother-in-law was the main inspiration behind NouBon. When I visited my husband in Haiti, she would pack an entire suitcase with my favorite snacks for me to bring home. I would return to the U.S. and share them with everyone I knew, and people always loved them. When she came to the U.S. in 2023, we realized we could make and sell these products here. We already knew there was a gap in the market. We could walk into almost any grocery store and find foods representing many cultures, but Caribbean snacks were still largely missing. We knew how good these products were and believed they had potential far beyond the Caribbean community. That was the spark that led us to create NouBon.
THT: Which Caribbean pantry staples or flavors were you most determined to bring to U.S. shelves, and why?
Saint Cyr: I was especially determined to bring spicy Haitian peanut butter, also known as manba, and dous makos to U.S. shelves. I wanted NouBon to offer a product that felt distinctly Haitian, which is why spicy peanut butter was so important to me.
When we lived in Arcahaie [a town about 30 miles north of Port-au-Prince], dous makos was very difficult to find in our area. Whenever I returned to Haiti, I would ask if someone could find it for me, but there were often no sellers nearby. Even after going years without eating it, I could still remember exactly how it tasted. That memory stayed with me, so I began experimenting until I perfected our version.
Peanuts, coconut, and ginger were also important to us because they are used in so many ways across Caribbean food traditions. We wanted to preserve what makes these ingredients and flavors distinctive while presenting them in a way that feels ready for today’s retail shelves.
THT: What has the response been like from the Haitian and broader Caribbean community since launching?
Saint Cyr: The response has been very encouraging. For many Haitian and Caribbean customers, discovering NouBon evokes recognition and pride because they see familiar flavors presented in a new way.
We especially love when people from other Caribbean islands try our products and immediately recognize them as a version of what they grew up eating back home. It reminds us that although the names and recipes may vary from island to island, many of our food traditions are connected.
Some customers are excited to share our products with friends, coworkers, or children who may not have grown up with the same foods. We have also received a great response from people outside the Caribbean community who are experiencing these flavors for the first time. That is exactly what we hoped NouBon would create: representation for those who know the products and discovery for those who do not.
THT: What’s been the biggest challenge in building a snack brand from scratch, and how have you addressed it?
Saint Cyr: One of the biggest challenges has been building within a category that many buyers and customers are still learning about. We are not only introducing a new brand. In many cases, we are also introducing people to an entirely new product or flavor experience. That means we have to invest heavily in sampling, education, and storytelling.
There is also the operational side of scaling a food company, including production, packaging,
shelf life, distribution, and becoming retail-ready. We have navigated these challenges by continuously learning, listening to feedback, and taking each stage of growth seriously. We may be
building NouBon from scratch, but we are building it with a long-term vision.
THT: How do you balance staying true to traditional recipes while adapting them for a broader U.S. audience?
Saint Cyr: We begin by identifying what makes each product special and protecting those qualities. We do not want to remove the flavors that give a product its identity simply to make it feel more familiar. Instead, we focus on packaging, portion sizes, consistency, and clear product descriptions to make the overall experience easier for a broader audience to understand and enjoy.
Our goal is not to water down Caribbean flavors but to give more people the opportunity to experience and appreciate them.
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