Women's Month Feature - Simply Granola
Posted by Reese Baglione on
Welcome to FJ's special feature on local women-owned businesses! We are thrilled to have joined hands with some inspirational brands and we are so excited to share their stories with you.
- What is the name of your business and how long has it been around? Simply Granola, almost 4 years
- How did the idea for your business come about? It was a very organic / unplanned start. A version of āThe Classicā was something we always had in the house growing up, my mom used to bake it for our family. I started baking it for my own family and while eating it one day at the office, someone spotted my breaki, asked if Iāll bake them some and that was kind of the start of it. :)
- Can you provide us with a description of your business? Simply Granola was created in 2016 out a love for all things healthy + wholesome and a whole lot of it. I believe that each day should be celebrated with an active start, splattered with the occasional sleep in. Whether fast-paced or slightly slower - no morning should go by without a seriously rockinā granola!Ā The heart behind Simply Granola is simple yet sumptuous. I have used a conscious selection of good-for-you ingredients that promise greatness with every mouthful. We do single batch baking and take all the granolas from production to packaging by hand, pouring a whole lot of love into what I hope will be many glorious granola moments for every one of you.Ā Produced with heart and delivered with care, Simply Granola is dedicated to the bon vivant at heart, seeking an everyday indulgence while embracing a conscious lifestyle.
- Who is the person(s) behind your business and what is your background (ie education, work experience, life experience)? Weāre a one-man wolfpack that consists of only me ;) I studied & qualified as a Chartered Management Accountant. Before starting Simply Granola I worked as a Business Intelligence analyst for Capitec Bank at their Head Offices here in Stellenbosch.
- Do you have a team behind the scenes or are you a one woman show? If you have a team, please share a little with us about them? Although not employed by me, I took hands with Fritz and his team at Schoon when I was pregnant with Jack to take over the actual baking of my granola (it became physically impossible to keep on doing myself.) I work closely with Portia, whoās my baker, and George, their production manager. With the exception of production, all other business functions are performed by me.
- How has being an entrepreneur affected your family life? How do you balance work and family? Since Iāve been an entrepreneur before starting a family, I guess this is the only thing we know. I am ETERNALLY grateful that the three of us get to live and design our days according to our own rhythm & needs (my husband is also an entrepreneur.) The balance definitely is a struggle (especially working from home) there is no real line between off and on from work, I grab snatches of time to work whenever they present themselves - but Iād still do this all day any day, and be available to Jack 24/7.
- What motivates you? There are definitely better days and very bad days and there has DEFINITELY been times Iāve wanted to sink this whole ship, oats and all. But I really enjoy what I do and I guess that keeps me going? Iām also extremely curious to see where this adventure can still go so right now Iām very much hanging around to see what happens! ;)
- How do you define success? Having freedom in my days, being able to be there for my family and friends, and getting to choose how we spend our days. Time really is the only thing in life we donāt get back - if I have a say in what and how I spend mine, I feel like Iāve done something right in this life.
- What has been your most satisfying moment in business? Oh there definitely has been many along the way! Just after establishing Simply Granola I did a nationwide placement of granola in all their stores nationwide - I couldnāt believe that they were interested in my little brand! I always wanted to do a KAMERS show and then finally took the plunge in 2019 and did my first show, and definitely when there was financial stability and I could start funding new projects and big print runs from my own cashflow.
- What is your favourite aspect of being an entrepreneur? Again, freedom, but also that I get to choose what I pursue, and which projects I spend my time on. I have many a whim (haha) and I do like the agility and diversity of pursuing different ideas and projects that interest me.
- What are your future aspirations for this business? Iām very curious to see how I can scale my business, so far weāve really only focused on online sales, not retail placement. This is something I need expertise in, but would also love to pursue.
- If you had a magic wand, which are the three things you would change in the world? Poverty, sexism and creating eternal summers ;)
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Site:Ā www.simplygranola.co.za
Facebook Handle:Ā https://www.facebook.com/SimplyGranola
Instagram Handle:Ā https://www.instagram.com/simplygranola/
Disclaimer:Ā please note that the views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the above text belong solely to the author, and not necessarily to theĀ owner of this platform and associated brand.