Universal Yums

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Universal Yums is a monthly global snack‑box and culture kit that turns geography lessons into interactive fun for the whole family. Each box arrives with 5–20 authentic snacks from a featured country, alongside a trivia booklet with history, language, and recipes. Parents love how easy it is to integrate cultural learning into dinner conversations, rated snack charts, and country-specific activities. This program is uniquely immersive—kids taste, read, and play their way around the world—and it works great as a hands-on unit study or monthly homeschool supplement. While it’s deliciously fun, families with food allergies should check ingredients before gifting.

Recommended Ages

For kids of all ages

Style
KitHands-OnOpen and GoScreen-free

Universal Yums sends a monthly box themed around a specific country, filled with 10–20 authentic snacks along with a colorful, kid-friendly booklet packed with educational content. For example, a box from Thailand might include rice crackers, tamarind candies, and coconut chips, paired with a booklet that introduces Thai geography, cultural traditions, local ingredients, and language snippets. Families often begin by gathering around the box, tasting one snack at a time while reading the related pages in the booklet, which includes trivia questions, short history notes, a country map, and a snack scorecard for recording opinions. Many families extend the experience into a mini unit study by listening to local music, watching travel videos, reading folktales from that region, or even preparing a recipe from the booklet

Self-Direction
E means highly structured. A is basically unschooled, completely self-guided.
How much do students guide their own learning in this course?
A
B
C
D
E
Type of Box
Regular price $18.00 USD
Universal Yums
From $18.00 USD

Skills

What kids will learn

Our mission

Universal Yums aims to bring the world to your doorstep by combining snacking adventure with cultural discovery, solving the problem of narrow, familiar snack options at home; unlike generic food boxes, each monthly box is curated around a specific country and includes a booklet with trivia, recipes, and activities—making it both a tasting experience and a subtle geography and culture lesson.

Our story

Universal Yums was launched in 2014 by Monique Bernstein (then Monique Zauner) and her partner Eli Zauner after a chance dinner-table discovery that their international snacks sparked curiosity and joy; bootstrapped with an $8,000 investment, the company has since shipped over eight million boxes, with more than $100 million in lifetime sales, and earned recognition such as being voted Best Snacks & Candy Subscription Box by readers in both 2022 and 2025.

Universal Yums Demo

Watch a demo lesson

FAQ: Additional Details about Universal Yums

At snack time, your family unwraps the bright box and reveals a booklet featuring fun facts, trivia quizzes, and a regional map corresponding to the month’s country. You sample a sweet, spicy, or savory treat—like salted paprika peanuts from Poland—while chatting about its flavor and the country it comes from. Within 20–30 minutes, you’ve traveled in taste; you might play a short recipe challenge or trivia quiz found in the guide, creating a mini cultural adventure that’s educational, flavorful, and delightfully interactive .

Universal Yums is ideal for kids who are curious about the world, enjoy sensory learning, and thrive on hands-on cultural exploration—children who light up around new tastes, love interactive trivia, and benefit from multi-sensory approaches will find this subscription particularly engaging and enriching.

Universal Yums is not a good fit for families seeking rigorous academics, standardized test prep, or a structured curriculum—it’s a lightly educational, experiential box rather than a formal teaching tool, and those expecting comprehensive lesson planning or academic assessments may find it lacking.

Many parents find that the best way to get the most out of Universal Yums is to treat each box as the start of a themed cultural immersion day. Instead of rushing through the snacks, they set aside time to explore everything slowly—reading the booklet aloud, tasting each item one at a time, and pausing to talk about the trivia or fun facts that accompany each treat. Some families keep a running binder or scrapbook with the scorecards, maps, and reflections from each box, which helps kids retain what they’ve learned and creates a portfolio of their global adventures. Others enhance the experience by finding children’s books or short travel videos related to the featured country, using these as springboards for deeper conversations or creative projects. Cooking one of the traditional recipes included in the booklet together is another favorite way families build connection and make the learning feel real.

While not a full curriculum, Universal Yums is often a hit with gifted learners who love geography and culture. Families say it’s best used as a supplement to explore food history, global customs, and map skills.

None—kids of all ages and interest levels can enjoy it without background knowledge.

Individual subscriptions typically can be canceled anytime before the next shipment, and refunds depend on the platform, with some sellers not offering refunds on past boxes but allowing cancellation moving forward.

Many parents find that the best way to get the most out of Universal Yums is to treat each box as the start of a themed cultural immersion day. Instead of rushing through the snacks, they set aside time to explore everything slowly—reading the booklet aloud, tasting each item one at a time, and pausing to talk about the trivia or fun facts that accompany each treat. Some families keep a running binder or scrapbook with the scorecards, maps, and reflections from each box, which helps kids retain what they’ve learned and creates a portfolio of their global adventures. Others enhance the experience by finding children’s books or short travel videos related to the featured country, using these as springboards for deeper conversations or creative projects. Cooking one of the traditional recipes included in the booklet together is another favorite way families build connection and make the learning feel real.

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Meet Monique and Eli

Monique Bernstein co-founded Universal Yums in 2014 with her partner Eli after a shared passion for international foods; leveraging her experience as a global traveler and business-minded background, she helped grow the company from a kitchen-table startup into a fast-growing subscription brand shipping millions of boxes and earning spots on lists like Inc 5000, while also launching a second box line focused on dessert-flavored teas.

Modulo's thoughts

Our learning specialists give their honest evaluation
ManishaCEO and Founder

I love how Universal Yums creates a truly multisensory Social Studies experience...and what an absolutely delightful gift for homeschooling families!

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