And I am the owner and founder of Naturally Granola. Our company was born out of love. For each other, but especially for really good food.
Years ago, long before the supermarket was well stocked with more responsible products, my boyfriend (now husband) Nikos and I started our search for the perfect breakfast. We were looking for convenience, health and flavor, but it turned out to be impossible to find. So there was nothing else but to just make it yourself. "Just" was an understatement though? If you only go for the very best, that's really not as easy as it might seem.
Hours of research to find the best ingredients, sparring with nutritionists and countless trial bakes later we agreed: this was it. The perfect breakfast. And ofcourse, in our selflessness, we decided to share with you too! Of course, we keep the recipe strictly secret, but we are happy to introduce you to our flavours and special ingredients. For example, did you know about us that we use date syrup to sweeten our granola?
We started Naturally Granola during our studies, and then baked at home. Our sales started at markets like the "Rotterdamse Oogst". And soon after started selling at some stores as well. But doing everything by hand was not sustainable. I got a wrist injury because every element was done by hand, from cutting the nuts to writing the labels.
Now, 9 years later, a lot has changed. We do still do a lot by hand, From the cutting of the nuts, to the weighing and packaging of the granola. This ensures that every jar (or bag) of granola contains an intense amount of love, and not unimportant, our quality control is extremely high!
Wat er nog meer is veranderd? Waar wij eerst thuis bakten, zijn wij nu vijf(!) locaties verder. Wij hebben onze productie uitbesteed. Zo kan onze producent zorgen voor de beste kwaliteit, terwijl wij ons kunnen focussen op de groei van het bedrijf.
Ik, Tiara, ben opgegroeid in een familie die gek is op lekker eten. Mijn vader startte zijn eigen pizza food truck op 16-jarige leeftijd ergens in het zuiden van Frankrijk, nu een hele hoop jaren later, heeft hij vier restaurants. Mijn twee jongere broertjes hebben een geweldig restaurant geopend op Curacao, en de tweede is ook onderweg! Eten en koken zijn dan ook echt onderdeel van wie ik ben als mens.
My mother did always say “if it’s not worth the calories, don’t eat it." I still hear this in the back of my mind when eating something. So when Nikos and I got to know each other, he especially wanted the food to be nutritious. He does motocross, and has also done this at a high level, so it is important for him to take care of your body by putting proper nutrition into it.
This also provided the perfect balance when we decided to put together our breakfast. Naturally Granola was not created because we wanted to start a business, but because we were looking for a tasty and healthy breakfast. Something we could both be excited about, me for my taste buds, Nikos for his sport. Not long after we found out that we were not the only ones looking for the ideal balance between a tasty and healthy breakfast.
But that balance is not the only thing we consider to be important. For that reason, we decided to make a product that would be shelf stable, without adding any preservatives. Our granola is 100% natural, and that is already very sustainable for me. The use of our glass jars ensures that it remains extremely crispy and fresh, without the need for preservatives. And of course our jars are also aesthetically pretty.
Our granola is baked in a no-waste method. We produce based on our orders, this way its always fresh. And even our granola crumbs are sent to ambassadors who bake delicious recipes with it.
