In another foodie victory for a potato chips kind of town,
Randy's Granola has relocated to Detroit from the west side of the state. So far they've brought over administrative operations only -- the hand-crafted, all-natural, gluten free, vegan whole grain product is still made Grand Rapids. Co-founder and CEO Suzanne Vier is currently scoping out space in Corktown, Midtown and New Center for warehousing and eventually production.
Vier and college buddy Randy TenBrink founded the company in May 2009. Visiting home from New York City, where she was then living, Vier tasted some of TenBrink's granola and had what she calls her "A-ha!" moment. Burned out on the corporate life, she viewed starting the company as a reason to move back home and and a way to fully delve into her love of food. She then became determined to move the company to Detroit after being around the town's food entrepreneurs and realizing "that there are a lot of dynamic, exciting things happening in Detroit."
Randy's can be found every Saturday at Eastern Market, as well as at Mudgie's Deli, Kim's Produce and shops inside the Millender Center and the Guardian Building. In the suburbs, it's at Papa Joe's, Randazzo's and Holiday, Hollywood and Westborn Markets -- a total of 60 stores across the state along with several in Ohio and New York City. Varieties include Original, Lotsa Chocolate and So Very Cherry -- a product perfected through weeks of testing on customers at Eastern Market. At the market, says Vier, "You're testing your product on foodies, but also the palates of the local community."
Source: Suzanne Vier, Randy's Granola
Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh
Enjoy this story?
Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.