An Interview with Yaw Asare from Sharay’s Ghana Style Brittle
by Dean Kallas, Grocery Category Manager
For Black Business Month, I wanted to learn more about one of our Inclusive Trade vendors: Sharay’s Ghana Style Brittle. Willy Street Co-op has carried their peanut, pistachio, and cashew brittle at our stores for a few years now. I checked in with Yaw Asare, one of the company’s owners about how they got their start.
DK: Where did you grow up?
YA: I was born in Germany, where I lived till I was 7 years old. My parents moved us to Ghana in 1980. Lived in Ghana from age 7 to age 18 and then moved to the United States for college. I have spent the whole time in Appleton, Wisconsin.
DK: How did you get interested in making brittle?
YA: About seven years ago I had a hankering for my childhood snack. I did not know how to make it. I asked my mom how to make it. She gave me a cookbook from 1978 to play around with. I went into the kitchen and started playing around with various iterations and finally decided on what I thought was the best one. I gave it to family and friends, and they loved it. What really captured people was that the brittle has a deep, rich nut flavor, was easier to bite into, and for the most part does not stick to your teeth.
DK: How would you best describe your brittles to someone who has never tried them?
YA: Think of our peanut brittle as bold and delicious. It’s the OG and has a rich peanut flavor. Our Cashew brittle is the smoothest brittle ever. It has a laid-back taste to it. Cashew nuts are not overly flavorful; however, after being chopped and blended with caramelized cane sugar, that sweet and savory blend is to die for.
Our pistachio brittle is described as an adventure in your mouth. The deep flavor profile of the pistachio nut lovingly surrounded by caramelized cane sugar hits the tongue with a delightful deluge of taste.
DK: In what ways is your brittle different from brittles typically made in the United States?
YA: It’s made with a recipe from Ghana where I am originally from. It’s better brittle made with chopped nuts, cane sugar, water, salt, and citric acid. No corn syrup which is a cheap sweetener and highly processed. No butter, making it vegan for those who choose that lifestyle, and dairy-free for those who have issues digesting dairy products. We also don’t need to use baking soda. You end up with a brittle that is easier to bite into [and] is less sticky with a rich nut flavor.
DK: Who is your biggest influence?
YA: My biggest influence is my business partner. It was he that suggested that I look into food as a business. He is from Trinidad, but his wife is from Ghana. He loves our food but feels that we gatekeep it too much. The seed he planted has culminated in Gold Coast Candy.
DK: What line of work were you in before starting Sharay’s?
YA: I have spent most of my working career leading teams in banking operations for three banks, two of which are Wisconsin-based. I have also garnered sales and customer service experience working for Lowes, Fleet Farm, and Alta Resources.
DK: How did you get the name “Sharay?”
YA: I got the name in high school in Ghana. There was someone else named Sharay in the same boarding house that I was. We both had the same last name. It was handed down to me.
DK: As an immigrant, what kinds of challenges have you faced in the U.S.?
YA: Getting used to a different diet was definitely a challenge. Love my Waakye [a popular Ghanaian dish consisting of rice and beans, typically black-eyed peas, cooked with sorghum leaves] and fried plantain and beans. I have had to learn to cook the dishes that I miss the most. It’s taken a while but it has been well worth it.
DK: What excites you about your business?
YA: There are many adventurous people who would love to try African snacks, but don’t necessarily have the access to it. We view Gold Coast Candy as their gateway. We also found a solution to people not loving brittle because it’s hard and sticky. That was by accident.
DK: Which of your creations are you most proud of?
YA: I am most proud of our Pistachio Brittle. We like to say that it’s African-inspired since it is not a nut we use for brittle in Ghana. It is by far our most popular Brittle flavor. It did win 2nd place at the Wisconsin State Fair in its sweets and treat category. Other creations that we have that have won state fair awards are our Cashew Almond Toffee Bars; our Spiced Orange and Rosemary Salt & Pepper Candied Pecans; and the Peanut Brittle.
DK: What motivates you to keep creating?”
YA: You don’t see a lot of African inspired snacks available for Americans to enjoy. We want to be at the forefront of providing this opportunity. We want to show that something good comes from Africa, not just scenes of emaciated children.
DK: Do you have any other hobbies or interests?
YA: My business partner and I love watching movies. We like the stories in movies, and we believe we have stories to tell with our treats. West African culture is a storytelling culture, and we love to regale our customers with stories about why we began Gold Coast Candy to begin with.
DK: Do you have any new products in development?
YA: Gold Coast Candy currently has three collections. The heritage collection, which currently represents Sharay’s Ghana Style Brittle, will soon add Chin Chin, which is a sweet fried dough. We just released new cream-filled Wisconsin Chocolate Bars under the American selection. The fillings are Peanut Butter Bliss, Raspberry Delight, and Mint Indulgence. The corporate gifting selection just gained some Local Lake Chocolate Bars: Okauchee, Pewaukee, and Nagawicka.
[Editorial note: Currently Willy Street Co-op only carries the Sharay’s Ghana Style Brittle at all of our stores.]
