Stellar Granola: Chef-Crafted, Allergen Friendly Granola!

When Emily and Chrissy, two longtime friends and chefs, couldn’t find a snack that satisfied their cravings while supporting their health, they took matters into their own hands. Thus, Stellar Granola was born—a brand with a mission to revolutionize the snacking world with a product that’s not only healthy but craveable and fun. Drawing inspiration from their childhood flavors and a passion for nourishing ingredients, Emily and Chrissy set out to create a granola that would not only fuel the body but also bring joy back into everyday snacking. In this Delivery Rank’s interview, we dive into their journey, from the frustrations of hidden sugars and allergens to crafting the perfect bite of flavor and nutrition.

Emily, you and Chrissy emphasize bringing fun back into snacking. How did your culinary backgrounds shape your approach to creating granola that’s both healthy and craveable? 

Emily : Stellar Granola is a perfect marriage of both Chrissy and my culinary passions. Chrissy is an incredible chef who has spent her life studying flavors and how to create a perfectly balanced bite. Chrissy is a perfectionist when it comes to food, she envisions the entire experience of enjoying food from the smell, taste and texture. And it was no different when developing our granola. She became obsessed with creating the best flavor and texture for our product. Something that was crisp and crunchy while delivering a mouth full of flavor. 

My background is in holistic cuisine, I am passionate about creating food that fuels your body without losing flavor. You can see my influence in the ingredients we choose ensuring that our product has a clean, allergen friendly label. I wanted to create a product that (almost) everyone could enjoy without sacrifice. Creating something delicious is easy, creating something that is healthy, allergen friendly and still craveable is very difficult. 

For us, the "fun" we bring back to healthy snacking, is that we have created a product that is delicious, nutritious and versatile. You can break up the chunks and top your yogurt or smoothie with it. You can eat it straight out of the bag or use it as a garnish for savory dishes. With our nostalgic flavors, adults have a chance again to snack on "s'mores" in the middle of the day without any sacrifice. 

Can you share a bit about the process of transforming childhood flavors into the unique blends found in Stellar Granola? Which flavor has been the most rewarding to develop?

Chrissy: This is a pretty fun question to think about and page through the memories of my mind. To be honest, I can't remember why we chose nostalgic flavors. I think it went a bit like...we knew we wanted a plain because sometimes you just want to eat a delicious, satiating and unadorned treat. S'mores was a favorite memory for both Emily and I...so, that was a no brainer. Cinnamon Toast Crunch was a childhood cereal I absolutely loved and this is the edible ode to my childhood favorite. As for Golden Milk...it isn't so much nostalgic as it was a beverage Emily was very into at the time...so, why not? 

Of all the core flavors developed, I feel the most connection to S'mores. This was the riskiest one because most people have a memory attached to S'mores. So, it needed to be perfect in flavor, give the same satisfaction that you get when you've finally taken a bite of a freshly made S'more and (this was the challenging part) needed to be healthy. 

As chefs and co-founders, what were the biggest challenges you faced in making a granola that not only tastes great but is also allergen-friendly?

Chrissy: The challenge to make something that tastes great but is also allergen-friendly is my favorite part of developing the granola. Sure, it'd be easier to throw in nuts and dairy to get certain flavor profiles, but that's not what we do. I think a lot of people have a misconception that if it's allergen-friendly or healthy, then the flavor will falter. It's fun to show people that you can have your cake and eat it too. Different combinations of ingredients, like superfoods or seeds, impart similar flavor profiles you might normally only be able to get with dairy. It's a fun, experimental game for me. (Side note: I majored in Biology in college and loved the labs - this gives me a chance to feel like I'm doing experiments

You mentioned that hidden sugars and allergens in other snacks often left you feeling run down. How does Stellar Granola address these issues differently?

Emily: Chrissy and I meet as R&D Chefs at Tovala, a national meal delivery company. We were constantly snacking on whatever was in the office cafe or the occasional donut breakfast. While delicious, we found ourselves feeling drained by the afternoon searching for that 4th cup of coffee to make through our busy schedules. We were desperate for a snack that would satisfy our cravings and sweet tooth without the negative effects.

Stellar Granola fits the bill! It was delicious, just sweet enough to curb your cravings with a crunch that felt satisfying and whole food ingredients that truly provided the fuel we needed to get through our days. All of our granolas are a delicious blend of fiber, healthy fats and superfoods that fill you up without weighing you down. We combated the issue of the sugar crash by using low glycemic sugars like coconut sugar and maple syrup to ensure that our granola will keep you going all day long.

Can you walk us through a day in your kitchen when you’re experimenting with new recipes or flavors? How do you decide which ones make it into the final lineup?

Chrissy: Every quarter a new flavor drops - it keeps me sane lol. We try to collab with other small, women-owned businesses because it's fun to share in something creative. In the past, we've worked with Koval and used their bourbon, Pretty Cool Ice Cream where they made a cute ice cream bar with our S'Mores, Monday Coffee for a cute coffee granola, Thattu for a sweet and spicy duo inspired by Kerala cuisine...there's a really fun collab coming in early 2025, but I can't say anything about that yet.

Other times, flavors just pop up. They're usually a take on some kind of dessert: Triple Berry Pie, Ginger Snap, Chocolate Cookie Dough, etc. The concept comes first. Once the flavor is there, I do a lot of thinking of how it should taste and texture it should have. At some point, it mentally "feels right." Then, actual development happens. I will continue making versions of a flavor until it tastes just like the real thing. The hardest one was Triple Berry Pie. I think it may have taken 12 or 13 tries. It kept missing the juicy fruitiness of a real pie, and it was driving me crazy because that was one of the most important characteristics of a pie! 

Emily: In addition to what Chrissy said, we are always trying to push the boundaries of "granola" with our new flavors. We want to create something that will get customers excited and potentially try something new - whether it is a classic dessert reimagined, adding bourbon to a granola or a savory granola - we want to get customers to think beyond "granola and yogurt". Granola can be a crunchy salad topper, add texture to soups or garnish just about anything. Last year we launched our first savory flavor, Everything Bagel and this year with the Spicy Snack Mix. It has been fun to see how our customers react and try new ways of enjoying their granola. 

To read more about Stellar Granola, please visit https://www.stellargranola.com/