Laura Curtis, a Culinary Institute of America grad, was working as a research and development chef for a large supermarket chain when she first made her now-trademark hibiscus marshmallows. One bite, and she new she'd never eat a commercial marshmallow again.
When she tried sandwiching one of her fluffy marshmallows between two thin, buttery cookies she realized she might be onto something. Her husband suggested she name her creations Malvis, short for malvavisco, the Spanish word for marshmallow.
They teamed up to transform her creation into a business, successfully funding their start-up with a Kickstarter. One of the secrets to their success is Curtis' careful sourcing of ingredients and preparation. They use Taza chocolate, a Mexican-style organic dark chocolate made in Massachusetts. Marshmallows are always infused with whole ingredients, like freshly dried hibiscus for their hibiscus marshmallows, espresso they brew themselves and whole vanilla beans.