Maker Spotlight: Michele's Granola

SW: Seems simple, but tell us what Michele’s Granola makes!

MG: Michele’s Granola is a scratch bakery based just north of Baltimore where we employ traditional handmade techniques to transform premium natural and organic ingredients into our uniquely chunky granola. We also produce a muesli cereal and granola butter spreads! 

SW: Okay, you make delicious snacks, but we gotta know - who is Michele?

MG: There really is a Michele—our founder and owner!

In her early 20s, Michele spent a summer in a coastal town waiting tables and devouring fresh-baked granola bars from the neighborhood bakery. When she returned home, she missed the granola even more than the beach, and began experimenting with natural ingredients in her home kitchen, ultimately developing a granola cereal recipe with light, crispy clusters. 

Granola-making became Michele’s favorite hobby, which led to a stall at her local farmers market, and then a small business she simply named Michele’s Granola in 2006. 

SW: Tell us about the process of making some of the best dang granola ever!

MG: The very best granola starts with the best quality ingredients, and we put a lot of care into sourcing our organic gluten-free oats, nuts, seeds and fruit from farms and vendors we trust.

We have a team of about 70 people to make, bake and package our products. We use a handmade process of patting every pan of granola by hand, creating the chunks we know our customers love, and after baking each pan to golden brown glory, we break up the clusters into standup pouches. 

SW: What have been some of your favorite creations?

MG: Over the years, we’ve baked so many wild and delicious flavors, from Mystical Magical Matcha Granola (a collaboration with Jason Mraz in 2023) to Baltimore Blend Snacking Granola (a savory nod to our hometown featuring Old Bay spice mix).

But no matter what we bake, we never stop craving our Original Granola—the one that started it all! Packed with oaty clusters of almonds and sunflower seeds with a kiss of real vanilla, this recipe hasn’t changed much since Michele created it in her home kitchen.

SW: Why did you choose Spicewalla for this collab?

MG: Our Limited Edition series is a fun opportunity for our talented team to stretch their creative muscle and experiment with new ingredients. It’s also an opportunity for us to collaborate with brands we admire and flavors we crave.

As we were considering the warming spices we wanted to feature in our Banana Bread Granola, Spicewalla was the only partner we wanted to work with: The ethos and quality of Spicewalla’s products resonates with our team, and we love the brand’s fun personality to boot.  

This Giving Tuesday, Michele’s joins forces with Spicewalla for a heartwarming collab: Banana Bread Granola, featuring Spicewalla’s signature Cinnamon and Green Cardamom Powder. Even better, 1% of sales support Bountiful Cities, promoting sustainable agriculture in Asheville. Explore the flavors, passion, and purpose that make this limited seasonal release so special!

SW: Any exciting highlights and wins for y’all?

MG: We’ve been honored to be singled out by publications from Food & Wine and Bon Appetit, to have appeared in the Insta feeds of celebs like The Rock and Isaac Mizrahi (without a tag!).

But one of our biggest wins is the program Michele created in 2012 called Give One for Good Food, through which we commit to donating 1% of our sales (not our profits, but our sales) to organizations working to improve our food system, making nutritious food more accessible to all.

As our company grows, that 1% has become more and more meaningful, and we’re proud to have donated more than $500,000 to organizations across the country, from Crossroads Community Food Network in Maryland, to New York’s Soul Fire Farm to Bountiful Cities in Spicewalla’s hometown of Asheville, NC.

SW: Where can we purchase Michele’s?

MG: We bake for more than 5,500 stores across the country, from the big guys like Whole Foods and Kroger, to regional chains like Wegmans, to independent retailers and co-ops.

You can also shop on our website, where we carry exclusive sizes and flavors—including our collaboration with Spicewalla!

SW: What are you excited about in the food world?

MG: We are excited to see industry movement toward more environmentally responsible ingredients and packaging. Michele’s Granola is testing on both fronts, and we’re excited about the possibilities for the coming year!

SW: What do you want your legacy to be in the food world?

MG: We truly believe that real food, made in a real way, tastes better and is healthier for our customers and the planet. There’s nothing more gratifying than hearing from customers who tell us how important Michele’s Granola is to their daily routine. We are humbled and privileged to bring real food—made by real people—into our customers’ pantries and their lives.