By Boulder County Farmers Markets

While the Leidich family is not new to the farmers market game, they join us this season with the newest iterations of their innovative food businesses.

At first glance, hydration and marshmallows might not seem like a natural pairing — but for the Leidichs, it makes perfect sense. Their two brands, Purest Electrolyte and Max Sweets, were born from personal health journeys and a shared desire to create real-food solutions that didn’t yet exist on the market.

Faced with a lack of options that aligned with their dietary needs — efficient hydration, low or no sugar, and whole food ingredients — the Leidichs took matters into their own hands. They developed an electrolyte powder made with real fruit and solar sea salt, and mini marshmallows sweetened only with honey.

Shari Leidich, founder of the parent company Know Brainer Foods, started her food journey after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2004. After conventional treatments fell short, she turned to holistic nutrition to manage her symptoms. Her success with a ketogenic diet inspired her to create accessible products that could help others as well.

But every body is different — and the family learned this firsthand when their son, Owen, was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease just before his senior year of high school. His new diet required the elimination of almost all of his everyday foods to manage inflammation. Once his condition stabilized, Owen was able to reintroduce a few items, but the real breakthrough came when he discovered he could tolerate honey. Unable to consume sugar alcohols commonly used in his mother’s recipes, Owen asked his parents to help him develop a treat he could enjoy. The result: Max Sweets’ mini honey marshmallows.

Now available in three flavors — vanilla, blueberry, and cinnamony-sweet “Hot Stuff” — Owen admits he eats a bag a night, a welcome alternative to previous Crohn’s friendly snacks like toasted coconut chips. While his top recommendation is snacking on the mallows straight from the bag, he also suggests using them to make rice crispy treats, or as an addition to drinks like coffee, hot chocolate, or even with the Purest Electrolyte Chocolate Cordyceps flavor.

If the honey mallows are Owen’s passion project, Purest Electrolyte is the brainchild of Shari and her childhood best friend, Pam Sweeney. Pam, an ultrarunner, needed high-quality hydration to fuel her performance. After a hospitalization due to dehydration while using a popular electrolyte drink, she realized she needed a better solution — and knew just who to call.

With Shari’s experience in the food industry, and Pam’s experience as an athlete, the two put their heads together to create a whole food hydration product that could fuel all kinds of lifestyles. Shari says it took a year and a half in their kitchens to come up with the solution: organic freeze-dried fruit and solar sea salt. That’s it. The result? Five unique flavor combinations all free from added sugars. The electrolyte powders are sold in packets to take home, or if you stop by the Boulder Farmers Market any Wednesday this season, you can fill up a cup to drink on the spot (and refill it for free)!

Purest Electrolyte and Max Mallow are true family businesses. While their origins lie in the personal health experiences of two friends and a son, it’s a full team effort. Shari’s husband, Greg Leidich, manages operations and oversees production at their warehouse in Gunbarrel, where all products are made and packaged. One of their daughters, Sarah Leidich, handles much of the backend operations for Purest Electrolyte.

As their businesses grow, the Leidichs remain committed to being hands-on every step of the way. Visit their booth at the Boulder Farmers Market any Wednesday through October 8, from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m., to meet Owen, chat about the anti-inflammatory wonders of honey, and — if you’re lucky — get invited to see the marshmallow machine in action. Either way, don’t miss the chance to get a taste of the goodies that have helped them all on their paths to well-being.