An Interview with Michele of Michele’s Granola

Reader Contribution by Kurt Jacobson
Published on November 26, 2017
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MOTHER EARTH NEWS readers are a talented bunch that possess and add new skills to their lifestyle. If one of those skills is making a delicious homemade food product that you have thought of selling; read this interview to learn from someone who succeeded in the food-product market.

I first found Michele’s Granola at the Jones Falls Farmers Market in Baltimore. It’s hands down, the best granola I’ve ever had! Since that first taste in the spring of 2009, I’ve watched Michele’s Granola spread their wings and fly into over 500 stores in 23 states. Currently, customers in the Mid-Atlantic region to Texas can enjoy this excellent granola.

I recently met with Michele Tsucalas in her Timonium Maryland facility where she oversees the production of around 12,500 pounds of handmade granola each week. Forty employees lovingly make this crunchy mainstay of breakfast fans in an assortment of flavors like cinnamon raisin, original, ginger hemp, and others. What follows is a primer on how to take a food product idea to the masses. Whether you are thinking of just selling to farmer markets and small stores or going big time and getting bought out by one of the big players, a home-based food product can be a great business decision.

I hope you gain significant knowledge needed for a food-product launch from this interview. After that, the rest is up to you.

KJ: Do you have a professional background in cooking?

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