In 2013 my husband, Curt, and I bought our home in the Village of Sharon Springs in upstate New York. We love our life here in this charming, quirky Village and cherish new friends. Seven months later, I was without a job, and so a friend suggested I make something I could sell. I am neither crafty nor clever in this regard, but I can cook. I had made my granola for friends as gifts over the years – why not sell it?

I developed a granola recipe when my children were small because I did not like the cereals offered in the grocery stores. My children grew up on what is now the Pure & Simple flavor. While forming our company, Curt asked about the competition in store-bought organic granola. After trying every brand and flavor at two well-known gourmet national food stores, and two national supermarkets (eating granola three times a day for a month), we still preferred mine.

Granola samples went out to friends near and far for feedback and suggestions on ingredients and possible new flavors. Three of the flavors (Clausen Farms Scottish Blend, Edgefield Blend, and Grapevine Farms Blend) were “commissions” for those combinations. In the process of developing the different flavors, I took samples and walked up and down our Village’s Main Street for tourists, shopkeepers and their customers to sample. Taking the suggestions gratefully to heart, The Sharon Springs Granola Company was born. It takes a Village to raise a company! The granola debuted at the 2017 Harvest Festival in Sharon Springs – to greater acclaim than hoped. We sold over 250 pounds of granola and 48 dozen cookies made from Pure & Simple. As a way of giving back to the community, a percentage of our sales go to support the Sharon Joint Youth Commission and the restoration of Klinkhart Hall.

Our granola comes from our home to yours, made with love and care.