'Emergency Mix' Granola - A Story

'Emergency Mix' Granola - A Story

By Chloë Stewart

'Emergency Mix' Granola - A Story

Because of Coronavirus, we have run out of juice pulp.  

This doesn't mean that there isn't any juice pulp being produced - quite the contrary, some retail-focused juicers are thriving - simply that, the channels we were sourcing from, [which would have finally enabled us to scale our manufacturing] have suddenly had to temporarily close or change their operations.  What was an already challenging task, setting up new pulp supply chains with juice manufacturers, has now become a monumental one, given that - understandably - businesses that continue to trade are doing so with 'all hands on deck' [dealing with higher restrictions, reduced staff, and unpredictable demand]. 

The silver lining is that, we should always have been working on a diversified supply; no better time to start, right?

In the meantime, for a company that is built on the mission of making delicious and nourishing snacks from ingredients that normally get thrown away, this poses a predicament.  To shutter doors until we can establish new relationships with juice manufacturers and stabilise our supply chain, but, eliminate any revenue streams in the interim, putting even greater pressure on our already fragile cash flow.  Or, keep trading, but with a different product?

'Emergency Mix' Granola, to the [actual] rescue.

Juice Pulp-less.  Some might call that 'normal'...  But rest assured; same recipe - minus juice pulp, obviously, and sultanas - same organic, refined sugar-free ingredients, same delicious, signature golden clusters. 

But it's not actively reducing food waste, you say.  I say so too.  It's just another granola, you say.  I say so too [although, it has received many a complement, to the point that even a Borough Market customer has since said they almost prefer this one to our original, juice pulp-filled, granola.  Controversial].  Truthfully, it wasn't an easy decision.  nibs etc. is on a mission to redefine the concept of 'waste', and design 'waste', out of our systems.  This neither stops, nor starts, at our products.  It goes far beyond.  nibs etc. was born from a blog, 'upcycling leftovers and zero waste recipes'.  The development of juice pulp products was a happy by-product [pun not intended] of this.  The exploration of circular supply chains and obsession with sourcing sustainable packaging, a natural progression.  The dream, to inspire, learn and share food waste fighting knowledge through both nourishing snacks and delicious recipes, has only grown with every wave made we've made.

So no, our temporary 'Emergency Mix' would not be directly fighting food waste.  However, it would enable the business to continue bringing in revenue, which ultimately allows us to come out the other side in a better financial position than we would have otherwise; not to mention the fact that, as a result, we can focus on creating content to inspire your upcycling and zero waste efforts and further your food waste fighting knowledge.

And if you've made it this far, thank you. 

Thank you for supporting us, for believing in us, and for trusting in us.  We are not perfect.  We are always trying to make the least wasteful decisions, based on the information available at that time; but we are very aware that we are learning about what it means to be 'sustainable', every day.  And we will always try to share what, and be transparent with, what we do learn, and endeavour to implement.

This is the story of our 'Emergency Mix'.  It's in the same 100% recyclable tin-tie bag with a 6 month shelf life.  We've also filled the bag with an extra serving to keep you stocked up.  If you decide to give it a try, we hope you love it.