All Good Granola Bars blossomed in Virginia Beach, VA in 2018 with a trip to the trash can. Bryan Daniels’ hobby was brewing beer and, as he took the leftover spent grains from his latest batch out to toss in the garbage, he had a realization. “These things smell too good to throw away. I have to figure out how to eat this stuff.”
And so he did, using spent grain to give the bars a malty flavor and deepening the complexity of their flavor profile. Each bar – and there are five – are based on beers with flavors like Blueberry Hefeweizen and Cranberry Almond IPA. One of their most popular is Pumpkin Spice Oktoberfest, made with pumpkin sourced from a local Virginia farm that creates pressed oils. Their process produces powdered pumpkin which Daniels blends into the mixture. Pepitas (pumpkin seeds) create another layer of pumpkin goodness.
Daniels worked at a healthcare company when he began creating his bars. As an enthusiastic baker, he brought in his new creations as a treat for his co-workers. They began requesting the snacks and paid him by leaving a couple of dollars in a jar on his desk when they’d pick up their bars. When he left that company in 2019, the orders continued to come in.
Recycling the spent grain forms the first step in the company’s march to sustainability. “The goal is to be less wasteful,” explained Daniels. “Just reduce our fingerprint as much as possible.” He uses fully recycled packaging and ships in either 100% recycled or fully compostable mailers. And with the opening of his All Good Cafe in early 2023, the focus on sustainability continues. At the end of each day, any leftover product is donated to local homeless shelters and church groups.
The All Good Cafe emerged out of the need to move into a larger production facility as demand for the granola bars grew. Daniels tried working with a commissary kitchen, but needed more space. While a larger warehouse space was too big, this retail location provided the room he needed to grow. The cafe serves a limited breakfast and lunch menu with coffee from a local roaster. And managing this small restaurant gave him other benefits, namely connecting with his customers. Said Daniels: “The highlight of my day is the conversations I have with people.”
AUTHOR
LA Bourgeois is a writer and creativity coach based in the eclectic food enclave of Ithaca, New York. Her enthusiastic embrace of food and business led her to run a cafe/bar and wine shop in Colorado for a little over a decade. Now, she uses her words to delight her readers and share her adventures at Housewyfe.com.
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