Simply Suzanne granola line expands offerings

After acquiring a second commercial kitchen facility in Westland and expanding their product line to include snack bars and a new flavor, Detroit's Randy's Granola  relaunched as Simply Suzanne.

"We officially launched to stores last week under the Simply Suzanne name and the new brand, and it was extremely well received -- it's very exciting," says Suzanne Vier, co-founder of the homemade granola line.

She's received aid from an international distribution company based in the Metro Detroit area that mentored her through the company's growing pains and rebranding efforts. Vier also recently received word that select stores in Michigan's Whole Foods family will now carry her product lines.

Vier says she's focused on expanding the company's regional distribution to the entire Midwest, as well as the Northeast Corridor.

"We launched our newest flavor, which is our dark chocolate and coffee, and we're hoping to start focusing on the bars and snacks side of things," she says.  "We're very happy with our product line representation, and we're still going to do really unique things locally, like at Eastern Market, creating new flavors and local snacks."

While Vier, a Detroit native, is often on the road and refers to Manhattan as her second home, she's adamant that Simply Suzanne's roots are firmly planted in the city of Detroit.

"Our headquarters are here, we have a warehouse here in the New Center, which is really our hub -- it's where all of our shipments come out of. We committed to a kitchen in the greater Detroit area," Veir says. "What's really amazing about our local kitchens are that they allow us to start testing the bars and snacks and do some of the unique things that we have planned. For example, when we test out new products, we pre-launch them at places like Kim's Produce and Mudgie's Deli and Eastern Market, to get feedback from the customers, and they help us tweak it, fine-tune it."

Find out more here.

Source: Suzanne Vier, owner, Simply Suzanne
Writer: Ashley C. Woods
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