Moving up to the Big Leagues

My son, Milo has wanted to play tackle football for about a year now.

Not flag. Tackle. The real thing — pads, helmet, the works.

Because moving up isn't nothing. Flag football was safe. Manageable. Everybody more or less the same size, nobody going home with anything worse than grass stains.

Tackle is a different game. Bigger kids. Real contact. Actual risk.

And here's the thing about my boy: he knows that. He's not pretending the risk isn't there. He just wants it anyway, because he has bigger dreams and this is a step closer towards them.

I've been thinking about that a lot the last few weeks. Because this year, Granola Girl moved up to the big leagues too.

Outside the Comfort Zone

When Granola Girl started, we played it like flag football.

Smaller markets. Easy ones to get accepted into. The kind where you show up with a folding table and a tent and a smile, and that's the whole operation. I could load the car by myself and fit my kids in.

No shade to those markets. They were good to us. They're where I found the community that supported me to continue down this path.

This year, I knew there's a bigger game, and you're ready for it.

What "moving up" actually means

The big markets: they're busier and they're harder to get into.

The most competitive markets have requirements like working out of a commercial kitchen. They want to see your branding, your booth, your story. They want to taste and experience your product. Getting in is its own little victory, and getting in doesn't mean you've made it. It means you've earned the chance to show up.

And showing up looks different now.

The booth isn't a table anymore. It's a setup — a real display, signage, the whole look pulled together so that someone walking by at a crowded market actually stops.

There's more to load. More to set up. More to break down at the end of a long day when my feet have already filed their complaints. There’s no sitting in a chair waiting for people to come buy granola.

There’s now two, sometimes three of us working a market. Everything barely fits into my van. And once the market starts, there is little stopping.

Because I know that not everyone is a fan of granola - at least not what they are used to. So my approach is to convince you to sample Granola Girl. Because once you try it, I don’t expect you to buy it, but I know the taste will surprise you.

But the foot traffic is real. The conversations are exciting. We are sampling and selling more granola than I thought was possible.

It feels like the big leagues. Like a real store. People even ask us, “Where is your store located?” (You are looking at it!)

We’re just a couple weeks in, and we don’t have everything figured out yet. We’re still learning - mostly how to not break things. But I get the sense this is just the beginning.

More Granola Girls is a recipe for a better world. So I love that we continue to spread the joy of tasting real good granola that actually fuels your wander.

Where to find us this season

If you've been looking for us, we’re thrilled to share where we landed.

Downtown Salt Lake City — Saturdays at Pioneer Park from 8a - 2p

Wheeler Farm — Sundays at Wheeler Historic Farm from 9a - 1p

Ogden — Saturdays starting June 20th from 8a - 1p

Cove Nights - Every other Tuesday from 5p - 9p

Draper Evenings - Every other Tuesday from 5-9p starting July 21st

West Valley - Thursdays from 5-9p starting June 29th

West Jordan - Wednesdays from 5-9p starting July 29th

What to expect when you visit

Be ready to grab a sample! Shoot it, pour it in your hand. And don’t be shy about trying them all. Each is unique, has a devoted following, and is downright delicious.

If you haven’t heard, we have new packaging. A beautiful, refillable tube. Buy one or two, then come back to a market for a refill.

And we have merch! Stickers, hats, shirts, and bags, oh my!

We tried to have engagement opportunities - a prompt on a mirror, oracle cards to pull. The wind didn’t play along, but not many customers did either. It’s still a dream to offer something to build community.

We offer loyalty points. We give you 5% back on your purchases when you share your email. You can use your credits anytime.

Lastly, we have a membership program, The Wildside. For $29 a year you get $2 off every product. Buy two tubes, $4 off. Get 10oz refills at Farmer’s Markets for $8. Plus the first 50 members get a canvas market bag that has two built-in tube holders.

Regardless if you’re there to buy or just to sample— we’d love to see you, talk to you, and hear more about your wild adventures.

The climb

Milo's going to play tackle football. Fully aware of the risks.

He's going to get knocked down out there… that's part of it. And he's going to get up, because that's part of it too — and because the game he loves is worth it to him.

I think about that every time I'm hauling the booth supplies out of the car early in the morning- and when the only thing I can do after a market is rehydrate and take a nap.

We moved up. It's harder now. But hard is where the best things happen.

So come find us this season! Introduce yourself. Tell me which flavor you came for.

And if there's a bigger game pulling at your chest right now — the one that feels a little scary, a little out of reach — maybe this is your year to move up too.