The Crapola Story

The story of "Crapola" began innocently enough, out in the fields of produce that my wife and I were weeding just a few summers ago.  It was then, during our apprenticeships at organic farms that we came to understand and fully appreciate exactly how food gets from the field to the table.  Working under the guidance of experienced farmers, we realized what many have known for awhile - farming is hard work!  We also learned that organic farming is the best way to manage cropland - it will improve the health and fertility of soil over time.     

By June of 2007, we were living the country life on our very own off-grid homestead in northern Minnesota.  That's when a silly conversation turned into inspiration for our granola business.  One day I said something like "wouldn't it be funny if we made cranberry apple granola and called it Crapola?".  I say lots of things like that, but for some reason this idea actually became a reality.  Next thing I knew, a business was born.   

Be careful what you say in front of your wife.  It could change your life forever. 

We searched far and wide for granola recipes, assembled  ingredients, and got busy.  We baked the first six  test batches in our wood-fired cookstove.  We stocked up on milk, gathered friends together and hosted a granola-tasting party, judging each variety and making notes.  The night was a great success!  But there was a long line for the bathroom.

The Crapola recipe was finally perfected after twelve attempts.  In a borrowed kitchen, we made Crapola by hand, and sold it at the local farmer's market.  The response was pretty encouraging.  The business took off, and we jumped on the granola train to see where it could go.  Crapola had a small local following, and was even mentioned by Jay Leno on the Tonight Show (10/29/07 episode), just four months after its inception. 

We obviously have had a lot of fun with marketing, but we take the responsibility of making a quality product very seriously.  Running this business has been far more work than we imagined, but we learn as we go and take pride in our accomplishments.  Thanks to our "regular" customers for keeping us in business!  We're honored to be a part of your breakfast routine, and look forward to developing new products for you in the future.