“each one of our bars is specifically designed to have an effect on your body based on the blend of herbs that we use”

Interview by Kelsey Meyer of The League of Innovators

In March 2008, while attending the University of Missouri, Steven Adamski and Sarah Newsome created a product that benefits the body, and packaging that benefits the environment.  These wonderful products, Herbal Oats Granola Bars, are all natural and packaged in biodegradable wrappers.  Sarah and Steven, both food science majors, started making the bars out of the kitchen at Café Berlin.  Each bar has a specific function for your body based on the blend of herbs that are used.  Herbal Oats currently sells four different types of bars: Energy, Focus, Immunity, & Strength.

Steven and Sarah are currently working on getting the bars into Whole Foods in St. Louis, and the store is very interested!  Right now customers can find these delicious bars on University of Missouri campus, Hy-Vee, Clover’s Market, and Café Berlin.

MO:
With food science backgrounds, how did you acquire the knowledge to take this from simply making the granola bars, to developing a business around them?

Sarah and Steven:
After we decided it was something we wanted to do, we did a lot of online research.  Missouri Small Business & Technology Development Centers website offered an easy checklist to follow.   Also, we talked to Jim Gann who is a Director at the Missouri Small Business & Technology Dev. Center.  He really helped us get the ball rolling.  At the same time, we were contacting potential retailers and gauging their interest on a product like ours.  The communication we had with retailers also helped us develop our recipes.  We changed ingredients and/or concentration levels after receiving their feedback.

We don’t have any family members that have owned businesses in the past, therefore we didn’t have an immediate person to ask advice from or bounce ideas off of.  We just tried to do what made most sense at the time (meeting with professionals, talking to retailers, etc.).

MO:
What was the largest problem you faced in the early stages of Herbal Oats?

Sarah and Steven:
The largest problem we faced early on was finding a proper balance with our lifestyle.  We were attending the University, starting a business, and in our early twenties.  We wanted to do a lot of different things all at the same time (study, work, play, etc.).  It was difficult to find a balance that really worked for all of our goals.

MO:
Can you explain how the original concept for the granola bars started, and what the first steps in actually creating the bars were?

Sarah and Steven:
Sure, Steven was working part-time at the General Nutrition Center off of Grindstone (Columbia, MO) at the time and became very familiar with herbs and their health properties.  Also around that time, he was making a lot of granola bars so that he wouldn’t have to keep buying them on campus and eating ones that were full of preservatives.  One day he decided to throw some herbs into a batch he was making and Voila! They tasted great and without preservatives or artificial ingredients.  After his roommates started eating the bars it was really their “pushing” that got Steven starting to think about turning it into a business.

MO:
It is extremely impressive that you were able to develop this company while still attending college.  Can you describe the advantages and disadvantages to being a student entrepreneur?

Sarah and Steven:
Advantage:  People seem to be more interested in your venture.  This also translates into getting more publicity on television, newspapers, etc. compared to other start-ups and business ventures (unless your start-up is a miraculous cure or has a very clever marketing twist).  Also, the university has a tremendous amount of resources available for any student even remotely considering starting a business.  As a student you have access to expensive marketing research database, professionals, professors, contacts you meet in courses, and the list goes on and on.  These resources make it a lot easier to do things like define your target market, establish industry trends, build confidence and get encouragement.

Disadvantages:  As discussed earlier, time management was the biggest disadvantage.  It’s difficult at first but you eventually get the hang of it.  Another disadvantage is that you cannot fully immerse yourself in your business or your schoolwork.  You have to pick and choose which one to dedicate more of your time to in certain situations. For example, when the business was demanding a lot of time, exams become more of a nuisance as opposed to something to work hard for and feel proud of.

All and all, I think there are far more advantages than disadvantages!

MO:
What do you believe makes Herbal Oats different from its competitors, and how have you capitalized on this for marketing efforts?

Sarah and Steven:
The main thing that makes us different from our competitors is the fact that our product can give our customers a function for their body.  By that I mean each one of our bars is specifically designed to have an effect on your body based on the blend of herbs that we use.  For example, we have a bar that we call Focus.  It’s called that because we mix ginkgo biloba into the bar, and if you are unfamiliar with ginkgo biloba, it is an herb that has traditionally been used to enhance things like memory, concentration, and cerebral circulation.  Buddhist monks used to cultivate the herb to help enhance their meditation rituals.  The story is similar with each one of our other bars (Energy, Immunity, and Strength) they are all mixed with herbs that have traditionally been taken for those purposes.  We capitalize on this by titling each one of our bars with the associated function and placing it directly on our packaging so consumers can see what they are getting!

MO:
Many small food companies ultimate goal is to get their items on the shelves of stores like Whole Foods, can you describe what you are currently doing to make this goal a reality, and what the process is like?

Sarah and Steven:
Right now we are working with Whole Foods to complete the extensive list of requirements that need to be fulfilled before they accept products into their stores.  It’s a pretty long list but we have been working on it diligently.  The process is very straightforward and Whole Foods has been eager to help when we have questions.  They are wonderful to work with and we are beyond excited to have Herbal Oats in their phenomenal stores!