A Little Something Extra

GRONOLA’D dream GLUTEN-FREE

BY MEGAN ZINGER

Anna Belle Skidmore and her younger sister, Lila Mae Skidmore, co-founded Granola’d, in June 2021. The sisters founded Granola’d to create a yummy and gluten-free alternative to the crunchy snack. In the sixth grade, Anna Belle developed a gluten allergy that prevented her from indulging in her favorite sweet treats; thus, Granola’d was created several years later.

The sisters began making granola for themselves as a snack and found they loved creating new recipes. “We decided to take different foods and ‘granola’ them,” Anna said. “That is how our name came to be, and it was my little sister’s clever thinking.” The idea behind the name came from the sisters turning any sweet treat into granola form and making it a verb. Their slogan: “We Granola’d It!”

The sisters do recipe testing every weekend and create their recipes from scratch. With testing comes trial and error. “Some of the flavors cause us several recipe tests in order to get perfected,” Anna said. “We like to include different textures and additives, so it is not just your basic oats granola.” Anna and her sister are passionate about healthy eating. They are avid runners, so they make sure to use wholesome ingredients and only use natural sweeteners such as honey and maple syrup. Their current flavors include birthday cake, gummy bear, chocolate-covered pretzel, raspberry cheesecake and chocolate pecan pie. The first week the sisters launched Granola’d, they had expected to sell only a couple of bags; however, they ended up selling 220 bags by the end of the week. The sisters started the company as a fun side job, but it has already skyrocketed. They are making big strides doing business pitches and getting their products in stores across middle Tennessee. Granola’d will soon be in local stores in Murfreesboro, Gallatin and Franklin.

Anna Belle, a Lipscomb University student, recently won the Global Entrepreneur Award Competition (GEAC) hosted by the Nashville chapter of Entrepreneur’s Organization (EO), a global business network. As a result, Anna Belle is advancing to the national GEAC competition, which will take place in Chicago, in March. “[GEAC] was the second business pitch we have ever done,” Anna said. “Our first one was here at Lipscomb, and we ended up winning that one as well.”

Anna is working closely with a professor at Lipscomb University who is helping her gain contacts and perfect her business pitch. Unfortunately, Anna had to present the first business pitch to GEAC solo since her sister does not meet the college-aged requirement. Anna is working with a few past judges from the Entrepreneur Organization to prepare her for the upcoming competition.

To order granola and view granola flavors, visit granolad.square.site.

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