Via Viaggio is a Plant-Powered Dose of Deliciousness

Via Viaggio is a Brooklyn-based CBD edibles company that crafts flavorful and functional, small-batch gummies. Silvana Nardone, founder of Via Viaggio, knows a thing or two about turning challenges into something delicious. We recently spoke with her about the interesting pathway that eventually led her to the CBD industry.

Though Silvana started her career as the European rap expert for The Source magazine (which landed her an appearance in Notorious B.I.G.’s “Juicy” video!!), most of her working life has been spent in the culinary industry. She worked at various publications including Food & Wine, Departures magazine, and Saveur. But when 9/11 happened, like many people, Silvana reevaluated her priorities.

She decided to leave the publishing world to open an Italian bakery she called Fanciulla (slang for “chick” in Italian). “It was a huge success and over the years I was featured in The New York Times, New York magazine, and on the Food Network’s “Al Roker on the Road”. From there I went on to be the founding editor-in-chief of Rachael Ray Every Day magazine and I authored 7 gluten-free, dairy-free cookbooks, including the bestseller Cooking for Isaiah, which I wrote for my son. He taught me that food can hurt—and heal,” she remarks.

Moving forward and landing her dream job in 2020, Silvana became president and CMO for a restaurant group in Manhattan. Three short months later, COVID shut down the city. Silvana was instrumental in pivoting restaurant operations and partnering with local restaurants to feed thousands of hospital workers and first responders, though the stress of it all began to take a toll. “The unrelenting stress—and fear of the unknown—coursed through my veins. I couldn't see my daughter for six weeks for fear of contagion. I decided to take control of my emotional and mental well-being, which led me to my local health food store in Carroll Gardens, where I bought CBD tincture. I also picked up some adaptogens from an apothecary I love in Greenpoint,” says Silvana.

Good Feelings and Good Flavor

While Silvana loved the way the CBD and adaptogens made her feel, she wasn’t impressed by the taste. As a result, she leaned on her prowess in the kitchen and began experimenting with recipes for gummies that would taste as good as they make someone feel. She started sharing them with family, friends, colleagues and neighbors, as well as her partner Doug Schneider. Together, they decided to found a CBD gummy company called Via Viaggio which means “trip street” in Italian, a nod to their love for adventure and trip-taking of all kinds.

Via Viaggio – A Soulcially Conscious Company

Via Viaggio is a 100% woman-owned “soulcially” conscious company offering CBD gummies crafted to support both the body and mind. Everything is made by hand in Brooklyn. It’s very important to Silvana that the gummies taste as good as they work. “Via Viaggio is defined by function—and flavor. I make my edibles by hand: I measure, stir, pour, coat, and cure the gummies to yield the ultimate taste, texture, plant bioavailability, and precise dosage,” she explains. “The nuance of flavor, the subtlety of texture, the virtue of nutrition extracted with respect and care to nature is not something a machine can understand.”

Silvana is a big proponent of plant medicine since she saw the benefits of it in her own life. “I decided to make CBD and adaptogen products because I experienced and witnessed how they changed not only my health but that of people around me. I learned firsthand that what we eat directly corresponds to how we feel. I want to help people feel good so they can be uplifted by the vital energy of what's happening around them instead of living on autopilot,” she says. Silvana develops each product with intention—pure in ancestral plant medicine and vital soul essence—and according to her it’s a difference “you can taste and feel.”

Sustainable from Day One

At Via Viaggio, they take sustainability seriously from sourcing ingredients to manufacturing and packaging. “From day one, reducing the production carbon footprint from ingredient sourcing to manufacturing was critical to me. I curate local ingredients whenever possible, including upstate New York, hand-harvested organic CBD from a regenerative farm, Brooklyn-blended organic and wildcrafted adaptogens, and Greenwich Village-based single-origin flavor extracts,” explains Silvana.

They also use environmentally conscious packaging at Via Viaggio. Packaging is made from 100% recyclable, plant-based cases using a certified USDA bio-based resin, bags that are recyclable, and labels made with biodegradable hemp.

A Diverse, and Delicious Product Line

Via Viaggio offers a variety of gummies created to help you with relaxing, focusing, sleeping, and chilling out. They also have gummies for pain, energy, and even your libido. For Silvana, picking a favorite product is like picking a favorite child, but she credits one product in particular for saving her life. “Requiem Pax for peaceful sleep…took me four months to develop and cured my chronic insomnia. Requiem Pax has been our #1 bestseller since its launch simply because it works!”

Silvana is always testing new recipes and coming up with new ideas for products. “I just launched Miraculum, a gut health gummy, which has quickly become our #3 best-selling product after Requiem Pax and Tranquillum for grounding calm,” she says. “A bit of a departure for me is another new product, Metabolism + Bliss Protein Super Powder, an adaptogen-powered vegan protein powder and first non-gummy offering, that supports our digestion while curbing sugar cravings, calming our nervous system and increasing energy.”

Today, Silvana is firmly rooted in the food and wellness industry where she’s been able to nourish her mind, body, and career. And she’s proud that she can offer her healing (and great-tasting) CBD products to everyone. “My biggest life lesson (so far) is that nature and food are our greatest healers. Where we are unbalanced, nature grounds us, providing the seeds to grow beyond our everyday circumstances. This is where nature intersects food and health to deliver a plant-powered dose of deliciousness designed to give our bodies exactly what we need,” she says.