Photos by Linda Campos

Next time you’re hosting friends or family and looking to upgrade your charcuterie or cheese board, how about adding marinated yogurt bites immersed in seasoned oils? Manjarrie Saha, the face behind Pariva, formerly known as YogiBalls, says it’s her passion to bring something pure and good to the market. The name Pariva is a take on the Hindi word parivartan, which means “transformation.” Pariva is a mission-centered business focusing on transforming health and people’s lives. Similarly, parivar means “family” in Hindi. Every yogurt bite Saha makes comes from her family to yours.

Before starting her own small business, Saha was an executive at a corporate job. At one point in her life, she developed urticaria (acute hives) among other illnesses, so she left her job to focus on her health. Saha first created an all-natural skin care line called Mayuur Naturals to help others like her. Her body was not reacting well to foods packed with chemicals and preservatives. When she discovered the importance of probiotics, gut health and clean products, she became intentional with the ingredients she used and made all her food from scratch. One dish was her homemade marinated yogurt bites. They were such a hit at parties that her friends and family encouraged her to start selling them.

And in 2019, Saha launched her first flavor: Garlic & Rosemary. Saha made these small orbs from strained whole-milk yogurt immersed in a mix of organic extra virgin olive oil, organic avocado oil, herbs and spices. Yogurt bites are probiotic, low calorie, low sodium, include no added sugar and are anti-inflammatory. The small size of the balls makes them bite-sized and full of robust flavor.

“Shout out to small businesses, food businesses and skin care [businesses]. We do this because we believe so strongly in it,” Saha says. The support for her small business has been immense and Saha is forever grateful. She knows that starting a small business is not always easy or fun, but for her, there is no greater satisfaction than when a customer asks about her product. She wanted to create something special that would bring people together.

With the rebranding to the new name Pariva this year, Saha added two new flavors to her original Garlic & Rosemary: Tandoori and Za’atar. The Tandoori yogurt bites include an aromatic blend of paprika, cumin, cardamom and ginger and are immersed in a red hued oil made from saffron, a popular spice in India. The Za’atar-flavored bites include a Middle Eastern dried herb blend of toasted sesame seeds, sumac, thyme, marjoram and oregano. All three flavors reflect the different regions around the world where savory yogurt is most consumed.

The yogurt bites are tangy, the flavors are delicious and the packaging is just as beautiful. Each glass jar includes about 16 yogurt bites. The spreadable bites can be enjoyed on crackers, in a salad or simply on their own as a snack, popped straight into your mouth. Saha even provides some easy recipes to serve them, which can be found on her website. The options are endless. Plus, in an effort to create a zero-waste product, Pariva’s anti-inflammatory oils can be repurposed for roasting vegetables or fish or to use as a dip for bread or crudité. And when you’ve reached the bottom of the jar, you can clean and reuse it for storing your own spice blends or as a small container for leftovers.

As Pariva grows, Saha plans to provide more employment opportunities to those who have been marginalized by society. Like the name and mission of the brand, Pariva is a transformation of health and lives.

Pariva marinated yogurt bites are currently handmade at the CommonWealth Kitchen in Dorchester. All the flavors can be found at select farmers markets, some local Whole Foods markets in New England or online.

Pariva.net

This story appeared in the Winter 2023 issue.