On Your Mark, Get Set, Bake a Granola Business!
Entrepreneur Creates Recipe for Success with Best Ever Granola
Sarah Kaminski admittedly made a bunch of bad homemade granola over the years. But when the perfect batch of vegan, gluten-free granola sweetened with pure Pennsylvania maple syrup popped out of the oven, she dubbed it Best Ever Granola. Seriously.
Turns out, a lot of shoppers and retailers agree with Kaminski. Her scratch-made, bagged granola now is found at the Steelers’ South Side Kitchen Smoothie Bar, and at more than 90 retailers in five states.
Kaminski’s success on the shelves is a far cry from her humble beginnings as owner and sole employee with no experience in the grocery or packaged goods business. Her granola business rose during the pandemic which sidelined her career as health coach.
“I had my home kitchen inspected by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, and was baking about 10 pounds of granola, bagging it and placing laser-jet-printed stickers on each bag,” she explained. “The granola was a natural pivot from my health business, where I created plant-based recipes for clients wanting to eat and feel better.”
Kaminski knew she had a special product and started sharing it. “Everyone in the local food scene was excited as there was no specialty granola in Pittsburgh,” she said. “I focused on creating brand visibility, attending pop-up events and farmer’s markets and meeting with my locally sourced suppliers and food vendors.”
Business was brisk. Kaminski was renting commercial space in mere months – nearly 80 percent of her sales now are through wholesale distribution.
Navigating the many facets of running a small granola company had Kaminski visiting the SBA’s (U.S. Small Business Administration’s) Women’s Business Center at Chatham University’s Center for Women’s Entrepreneurship. WBCs offer one-on-one counseling, training, networking, workshops, technical assistance, and mentoring to women entrepreneurs. They’ll help you decide if starting a business is right for you, find funding for materials and supplies, help you market your business and increase revenues by selling to the federal government.
The former teacher took advantage of the WBCs one-on-one mentorship sessions that helped Kaminski take her product to the next level with professional packaging.
“I received the first pallet of packaging in November 2021,” she said. “I was now really committed in doing this because I had 10,000 bags to fill with product.”
Armed with Chatham’s WBC marketing skillset, Kaminski focused on her premium product and its suppliers targeting local vendors to begin bagging a fan base. “Because we were in a pandemic, many food vendors temporarily pivoted to a home grocery delivery service model and included our granola offerings, which also really helped us get our product into the hands of more people.”
Kaminski started making regional connections, personally contacting specialty food stores, neighborhood grocers, coffee and gift shops. “I made about eight calls a week and delivered tons of samples,” she added. “That’s how I grew the foundation. You have to be okay with hearing a lot of ‘nos.’”
Today, Kaminski’s vision of creating a healthy granola packing in the power of simple ingredients is paying dividends. She and four part-time team members now bake approximately 400 pounds of granola each week.
SBA Western Pa. District Director Dr. Kelly Hunt is pleased her agency is helping Kaminski share her granola. “When entrepreneurs, like Sarah, know they have a unique product that fills a void, we’re here to help,” she said. “It’s amazing that within a few short years, her granola went from a personal recipe to fast becoming a staple throughout the region.”
Kaminski credits her success to believing in herself, coupled with a desire to learn and never being afraid to pivot. “We rely on the power of simple ingredients, creating really delicious products that give you energy to fuel your day.”