Welcome to Amy's Granola. I am Amy Mailloux, the founder of Amy's Granola. Amy's Granola is a small company located in Ferrisburgh, Vermont, a rural and quaint town tucked into a notch on Lake Champlain.
Our granola is made with wholesome, hearty ingredients and features pure Vermont Maple Syrup. We make it the old fashioned way; one hand -mixed batch at a time. We live pretty simple lives, punctuated by great friends, generous families, tremendous outdoor opportunities, healthy food and a little decent wine now and then. We work and play hard, keeping our priorities firmly in order. We are fortunate to live in a breathtakingly beautiful state, populated by an unbelievable group of outspoken, witty, proud, and hardworking folks, like us.
The story of Amy's Granola started in the summer of 2003. Well, it actually began a couple of years before that, when we decided to change the way we ate and adopt a healthier lifestyle. Since then, we have lost a little weight and learned a great deal about the effects certain substances have on our bodies. We compare labels. Fat content (and type) is important. Sugar, fiber and salt contents are all important. By eating wholesome, natural, healthy foods, you can have a healthy body and feel really good.
I began making granola for our family when I was unable to find a truly "healthy" granola product on the market that tasted great. After trying a variety of recipes, I finally decided to come up with my own that was lower in fat, sugar, and salt and still high in fiber. We wanted to use our family's honey and pure Vermont Maple Syrup, and keep the ingredients nutritious and simple. We experimented for a while before coming up with this recipe for a yummy granola that was indeed a healthy snack option for our family. We are delighted that this granola is crunchy, with clear maple flavor. It is not greasy, or muddled with wheat germ or other unusual substances. It is sprinkled generously with cinnamon and not too sweet. The kids go crazy for it.
For Christmas last year, we gave pretty glass mason jars filled with granola and tied with jute, as presents to friends. A simple tag crafted from brown paper bag, suggested eating the granola on vanilla ice cream or yogurt (both low fat, of course!) Everyone loved the granola and several folks asked for more. Some eat it with low-fat milk as a delicious, hearty breakfast cereal. Others, who are on the go constantly and desperate for a healthy convenient snack option, eat it right out of the bag. So, we began making granola to fill orders for friends and family.
The following spring, I was pondering the idea of "ever being able to quit my day job" to spend more time with our four kids. We were blessed with a family business for which my husband worked, so he has been able to have the kids there with him and his family, when not in school. But I have always had to work outside the home and have been secretly jealous of their time together. My goal is to travel less and spend more time with the kids.
I was talking with my mother-in-law one day about my dilemma. She matter-of-factly suggested I do what she did when they founded the family pie business; she prayed for an idea and hence, was delivered one.
So, I did just that. I prayed for a way to supplement the family income by working from home. I prayed for a business idea that I could start up from my home, with limited initial capital. I contemplated. I dreamed. And suddenly in June, I realized that my business venture had been right in front of me all the time: my granola or what it had now become, AMY'S GRANOLA.
With an idea in mind, I just needed a way to get this product out to the market. Well, remember I had told you earlier that my husband was working at the family business? Well, that business just happens to be a garden center and retail store. I figured that I might be able to cook up batches of the granola and sell it from the store. His family already had a successful pie and baked goods business, it would make sense for customers to purchase granola too. So, my in-laws' store, Mailloux's Vermont Country Farm Market, became the first retail outlet for Amy's Granola and it has been selling there ever since. We have developed quite a following for this granola and are tremendously thankful for the support. I still look forward to realizing the dream of "quitting my day job," but now with conviction that will happen.
We hope to expand the retail distribution so that Amy's Granola is available to others who might be looking for a healthier (and tastier!) granola. It has become a favorite in these parts and hope you join us in "putting Vermont on top."
