Who are you and what do you do?
We are MINNEØATS, an oatmeal catering and packaged granola company located in Plymouth, MN. In 2017, we started MINNEØATS out of our college apartment at the University of Minnesota. We operated as a “cafe” where we served friends hot & fresh bowls of oatmeal topped with our signature maple almond granola. With lines out the door & encouraging feedback from customers, we took the concept off campus & started catering events. It didn’t take long for customers to ask for our signature oatmeal topping: maple almond granola to be packaged & sold separately. Our granola is now available at local retailers and on our website. Since serving our first bowl, our mission has been to share the love of Jesus through wholesome food & meaningful community! Today, we operate as an oatmeal catering & granola company.
What do your customers love most about your product(s)?
Customers love our granola because of its light, flakey texture & irresistible taste. We use simple, wholesome ingredients that make for a perfectly sweet & salty combination. Our handcrafted, slow cooked method creates granola “clusters” that double as a perfect snack size treat. These granola clusters are the signature of our brand and what makes opening a bag of MINNEØATS different and delightful for our customers.
How did you get started in your business?
The inspiration behind MINNEØATS was the combination of our faith and shared passions for food, health & wellness. While studying abroad in Europe we came across an oatmeal cafe and we were inspired to bring the concept of made-to-order handcrafted artisan oatmeal bowls to Minnesota. Our signature maple almond granola had only been a topping for our oatmeal bowls until 2020 during COVID. It was during that time that we decided to package and sell our granola. In December of 2020 we launched our granola and it is now available for purchase online on our website as well as local retailers.
What has been your favorite moment since creating your business?
Our favorite moment since starting MINNEØATS was having MINNEØATS featured on Twin Cities Live in October 2022. It was such a fun moment to share our story and products on a show that we have enjoyed watching and has such a large Minnesota audience.
Where did your business name come from? Is there an interesting story behind it?
The name MINNEØATS is a tribute to both of us being born and raised in Minnesota and the business being founded while we were attending the University of Minnesota. Scrambling the last four letters in Minnesota SOTA to OATS only seemed fitting with all of our products being oat-based. The Ø is found in the Danish alphabet and is a nod to the oatmeal cafe we were inspired by in Copenhagen, Denmark.
What are some tips or suggestions you would like to offer?
Our advice for anyone looking to start a business would be to get connected with other maker’s both at a similar stage as you are in the business as well as those that are further along to help you on your journey. We have learned so much from building relationships and working alongside other small businesses that we wouldn’t have learned elsewhere. The journey is always more fun when you’re doing it with others!
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