How Goody Granola became the no sugar granola brand people go crazy for

From her mum's recipe to Premier League teams & England's rugby World Cup winners, the homemade granola brand doing everything differently.

Goody Granola’s founder Beth Salem

Turn over most granola packets & the ingredients list reads more like a product from the confectionery aisle than a breakfast food. Beth Salem is someone you’d describe as a granola super fan & was shocked when she started noticing what was actually going into granolas. That’s when she remembered her mum's recipe, which not only tasted better but was also completely natural.

Goody Granola’s range of granolas

Beth knew her mum’s recipe was delicious & had been wanting to do something with it for years. But it wasn’t until she was nudged into action by her son that she actually did it. He also came up with the name. Before you ask if he was on the payroll, he was only 6 years old at the time.

By the time lockdown came around Beth decided to launch Goody Granola. She started by selling to friends & going D2C by building a website from scratch. The original flavour, the Nuts & Seeds, was inspired by her mum's recipe but with a few tweaks. Shortly after launch the Nuts & Seeds flavour was awarded a Great Taste Award.

Goody Granola’s packaging

Today, there’s 3 granolas in the range: Nuts & Seeds, Nut Free & Vegan (made with agave to bind & sweeten). What sets all 3 apart is what’s not in them. No sugar. Beth uses extra virgin olive oil & honey or agave to bind, chosen as much for flavour as for what they bring nutritionally. Everything is natural & exactly what it says on the packet.

Beth created the Nut Free recipe because a private airline reached out after their head chef discovered the original & insisted they had to include it for their clients. The airline flies Premiership football teams, among others & needed an allergy safe, nut free option. The Vegan recipe swaps honey for agave & has picked up its own loyal following.

Beth still oversees production of the Nuts & Seeds, tasting every small crafted batch & still hand makes the Vegan & Nut Free 72% dark chocolate & dried goji berry recipes herself in her home kitchen.

One of the most impressive things is that 5 years since launch Goody Granola has continued to make a profit from day one. Beth & her husband, who runs his own brewery, agreed from the start that both businesses needed to be totally self sufficient & they both have. She now oversees all the baking, packaging & local deliveries, with the Nuts & Seeds recipe outsourced to a manufacturer in Wales, which took months to find & test before getting the taste exactly right.

Goody Granola has travelled all over the world & has found its way to some amazing places without using any paid marketing or PR. There was even a two page spread in The Times, which is behind a paywall but you can see Goody Granola’s Instagram version here. The nutritionist for England's Red Roses women's rugby team posts about it. A Michelin starred chef is a customer. So is Bruno Soares, Jamie Murray's former doubles partner & 6 time Grand Slam winner. Every shop that’s tried it has stocked it & no customer who’s tried it has ever said no.

Watch the full episode to understand:

- Why most supermarket granolas are far sweeter & less nutritious than they look
- How a 6 year old became Beth's accountability coach!
- The private airline, Premiership football teams & the Red Roses connection
- Why use agave & extra virgin olive oil instead of the usual ingredients
- The trademark battle with Lidl that Beth won with a rap
- Why supermarkets may not be the right route for success & what growth could look like instead
- The subscription model & why no one has ever cancelled

If you care about what’s actually in your food & where it comes from, this conversation will make you look at your breakfast differently.

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