Jasna Burza
Hmm. Catherine, welcome to this Business Spotlight on Wednesdays, I am so excited to talk to you for multiple reasons. I’m very excited to to, to meet you and to have an opportunity to learn and share about your business.

Kathryn Nelson
Thank you so much. Yeah, it’s an honor to be here and I really appreciate it.

Jasna Burza
Okay, so please tell us a little bit about yourself and then tell us about cocoa bean and not

Kathryn Nelson
okay, well, my name is Katherine Nelson. I’m the owner and operator of cocoa bean nut grain free granola. And we’ve been a granola company for six years. I also dabble in voiceover and things like that. But I’ve been focusing on grain free granola for all this time. And basically, we sell in about 50 stores in Minnesota, a few stores in Wisconsin. And yeah, and it’s basically a nut and seed mix. So I started making it for a friend who is trying to find a low carb breakfast cereal, and just took the oats out of the granola I knew how to make and then it just ended up being kind of an on trend grain free gluten free breakfast option. So so a lot of people, a lot of customers, they the number one way they eat it as they put it on their yogurt as a topper. It has a really nice balance of carbs, proteins and fat. So it’s just a really nice add on for a lot of dishes like as a supplement. So like put it on your salad, you could put it on like squash soup. So many different uses. So yeah.

Jasna Burza
wonder like how do people get ideas? Like how do businesses start? So for example, the Clif Bar, right? They happen while the owner, he was biking, and he ran out of food. And he almost he was having such a hard time he started making them in his own kitchen. Yeah, it just really so how did you I mean, where did the idea even come from? Right? It came from your friend, but how did you decide? I’m gonna make or knowing sell it?

Kathryn Nelson
i Yeah, I mean, it was kind of one of those things where I was, I was a big nerd, when I learned how to make granola where it was like, I want to bake something that is you know, you can get a nice big chunk out of it. But it’ll like crumble in your hand when you make it and so that wood or when you when you try to break it, and I just kind of had a knack for making something like that. And to have my friend who had this need. I was like, Okay, well, what simulates oats. Okay, sunflower seeds are similar in size. So there are like eight dry ingredients in the, in my granola. But sunflower seeds are a big component of it. And, and so it was kind of like, well, this is a nice substitution. And a lot of times when people try it when I’m demoing at stores, they still think there’s oats in it. So it’s kind of like, you know, a nice simulation for, you know, people don’t feel like they’re losing out on what they love. So yeah, it’s a, and then when she tried it, she had all of our friends try it. And then we’re like, well, you should totally sell this. And then kind of, yeah, so we went to Uganda, like years ago, and I met a bunch of entrepreneurs there. And it was really cool to see how they were making something out of not a whole lot, you know, and having these small businesses. So I thought, well, you know, I’m a Communication Studies major. I don’t know anything about business, but I’m going to try this. So I started out at farmer’s markets and kind of went from there. Yeah,

Jasna Burza
that is such a cool story. This is why I love entrepreneurship and people who create and create products like yourself, it’s it’s very often the moment a Stroke of Insight, how it comes together, but you have to take the risk, you have to say yes, I’m going to do this, right.

Kathryn Nelson
Yep. And you’re constantly walking into the unknown, you know, because you know, as Yeah, you just have to take the next step. Because if you want to go further you just have to even the next step to have a conversation with somebody because a lot of times the at least in the food community I feel like we learn a lot from each other. So like, how I learned how to get my nutrition labels was from someone else and you know, there’s just all these things you learn that you wouldn’t learn just by reading it on the internet necessarily because, you know, Minnesota could be different from Alabama or you know, New York or something like that.

Jasna Burza
Very different and I love that there’s you make such a clear correlation on your website, between the high happiness that we feel are so closely correlated with the health and how we feel inside. And we really there is this new world that we’re living in, we’re really mindful of what we put in our bodies. Yes, it is a temple that needs to be taken care of. So we can do the work in this world that needs to be done. And we all feel better when we ingest better quality product, when we just something a little bit more healthier, it’s not going to give you that sugar high after you draw. So I just really, I really love that. And I bet you hear that from all of the customers in the stores that are buying this. Yeah,

Kathryn Nelson
a lot of times people will say I love your granola because it’s not too sweet. And it has a softer mouthfeel like, it doesn’t hurt your teeth when you eat it. And I think I can attribute that to we use honey, and then coconut oil. So the coconut oil makes it a little softer. But I’ve also had a lot of people who are diabetics who say, you know, when I look at the sugar content on your bag, you’re the only one I can have because it’s low enough that you know, I can have a serving of it with my yogurt and not feel like my sugar is gonna spike. So

Jasna Burza
that’s incredible. Do you think you have you filled a hole in the marketplace that was there that didn’t No one even knew that it was

Kathryn Nelson
i i do think it fills a hole even though you know, grain free granola is kind of a food category. Now. When I was starting out, yeah, it, there was only one other one that I saw in grocery stores. And then as soon as I got into grocery stores, I noticed there were more and more from different parts of the country. And actually yesterday, I just had a zoom call with a grain free granola maker in Georgia was just starting out. So yeah,

Jasna Burza
so you’re also supporting others on their journey. How incredible? Yeah, it’s

Kathryn Nelson
well, it’s just great. Because I mean, even though I’ve been doing this for six years, I can learn from them just as much as they can for me. And

Jasna Burza
that is, you know, there is I’ve been eating a lot of humble pie in the last in the last year because I was semi in my mind successful in the past decade doing this work, doing the things that traditionally used to work. And then the social media came and I just lost it. Because I didn’t want to spend time with it. I had this like pushback, and I laughed I unfollowed everyone and I laughed. So it is interesting how I am I’m back being a student and being so humble in learning. Like there’s always I thought I had it figured out like that’s it and from now on, it’s just you do the thing. And it’s such a powerful reminder that especially in entrepreneurship, some of the biggest companies have gone out of business by not being nimble and humble, and really continuing to learn and evolve and also support others on their journey because it is such a community enterprise and there’s this, whether it’s karma or just general intention, how beautiful it is that you do that that was just warms my heart. Thank you.

Kathryn Nelson
Yeah, thanks. But honestly, it’s because I was welcomed into the community. I mean, I don’t know if you’ve ever introduced interviewed gusto lager granola. But I was in a kitchen when she was just moving out of it because she was expanding. And there’s a handful of granola makers in the Twin Cities and we’re like all friends, you know, and like, it wasn’t just me that started that like, you know, I literally got together with my other granola maker friend yesterday for coffee. So like, it’s just really fun to be able to like not have that competition. It’s just more like we’re commiserating together of like the ups and downs of the roller coaster of entrepreneurship.

Jasna Burza
Oh, I love it. And that’s why I love the kind of work that we’re doing here is spotlighting people and connecting, connecting one another and finding with which we can support each other that makes me so incredibly happy. So now you’re in 50 stores, Minnesota and multiple in Wisconsin. What is you know, is this like a savings goal? Like do you have the wall for like, I’m going to be paying some granola?

Kathryn Nelson
Oh, man. I that is a question I’ve been trying to ask myself for the last six months. So I kind of hit a wall. I just to be completely transparent. Last summer at this time I was launching on Amazon. And I had a consultant that helped me and he did his best but it’s such a saturated market and in that category, so it it didn’t go well for me and it really made me reevaluate what I wanted to do. So I’m kind of seeing you You know, if I want to pull back, if I should try to do more wholesale, you know, try to just, you know, because I was more on like a linear path, thought path, like, Okay, you do this and this and this and this and then you just get big, you know, and it’s like, it’s not like that, especially after COVID. And yeah, and like, I’ve noticed that so many people who are my peers have gone back to farmers markets, and that’s where they’re doing a lot of selling. And I haven’t done that yet. So right now, I’m just kind of in a holding pattern, to be honest.

Jasna Burza
Yeah, interesting. So you’re in the sort of opportunity of innovation again. And you just this morning, I needed a little little reminder of that humble pie. I was listening a little bit to Gary Vaynerchuk. Who is I mean, he just says it as it is. But it is, is this real reminder that he said in you know, 2021 and 2022. If you’re constantly not innovating, because of the change in the industry, in the technology, you’re going to be left behind. So I’m wondering, this is a new norm because I’ve had to do the same thing. And I’m noticing so many of the people that I work with, and people that I talk to are having to do the same. So maybe you just we don’t like it, but it’s an uncertainty, but also an opportunity to just completely completely innovate. Right? Yeah. So I’m curious. We can shop online. We can shop in stores, we can also shop on Amazon, which is which is amazing.

Kathryn Nelson
Well, I did pull out of Amazon. Yes, I do have my website Coco vienna.com. And then Lenzen Byerley is cool. Skis. Fresh time. So yeah, hold

Jasna Burza
carry that is just absolutely incredible. So I promise I’m gonna I’m gonna go and I even though I do not have allergies to nuts, I’m gonna hold up the thing, and we’re gonna screenshotted when I go to a store next time, but where you know, what, what could we do for you right now, people who are watching this currently watching in a Facebook or people are going to be later on watching it on the zillion other channels, we’re going to share this on. You know, it’s such an inspiring story to me. And it’s such a great product for all of us wanting to be mindful about how, but how can we support you besides spreading the word and buying the product?

Kathryn Nelson
Um, gosh, you know, I think it’s more like, kind of, like you said, being visible on social media is really important. So yeah, spreading the word and talking about it, like you said, but I, you know, I always appreciate a post, or if anybody really likes it, and tries it, and you know, they want to, you know, take a picture of a bowl of yogurt that they’re eating with it or something. I would love that, that’d be great. Because people promoting it as the best promotion. So, and I thank you so much for doing this, like this is really, you know, great.

Jasna Burza
Oh, it’s such a pleasure and such an honor to be able to do that. So folks, if you’re listening to this Cocona and bean, you have to have it in your kitchen, because I know I will end it we’re going to share and support Katherine, in this venture. If that’s the least we can do. I mean, I know that we can do it and why I love these questions is that, you know, I’ve been studying so much the energy and in how it relates in quantum mechanics and quantum physics. Beautiful energy of giving outside energy cannot be trapped. I can just change form. It doesn’t it doesn’t go out. But there’s this beautiful energy of giving and supporting and supporting others. That always blesses us. And He blesses everyone around us and we live in this community we live we live we live we live in the same circle. Continue to do that. It’s this incredible energetic boomerang without expecting it, just doing it. That warms my heart. So I offer Ellen for for everyone today that we do that, that we bless others and we support Katherine and coconut and Dean. So that it does become Spanx of granola. I’ve said it,

Unknown Speaker
I’ve just called it and I’m gonna help intention for you.

Kathryn Nelson
Thank you so much. That means the world so I appreciate it.

Jasna Burza
I love thank you so much for taking the time to tell us about yourself and the company and we’re going to be tagging you in the coming days and weeks. So you see that and sharing but thank you so much. And folks, please help support Catherine and

Kathryn Nelson
thank you so much. Bye Thank you