ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Michele Liddle created The Perfect Granola on the foundation of giving back and exploded into the market in June
of 2016. Gaining accounts with retailers such as Wegmans, Tops, Shop-Rite, Price Chopper, and just before we recorded her interview, Wal-Mart! In less than 2 years, The Perfect Granola has become a fast growing granola and granola bar company and prides itself on creating positive social change.
The Perfect Granola is unique in that it shares its profits with homeless shelters, outreach centers, and
Food Banks, and in 2017 alone, The Perfect Granola donated over 12,000 lbs. of granola and granola
bars to support a 23-county region in Upstate New York. In addition, The Perfect Granola hires
students, through a partnership with Hillside Work-Scholarship Connection, to give them real work
experience before graduation so that they can break the poverty cycle that fuels our hunger issue.
In 2018, The Perfect Granola was honored as the Women-Owned Business of the Year and the NAPPA
Award Winner for Best in Family Products. Michele Liddle, makes every business decision in an effort help the community and create a better world through food and love.
[2:15] How volunteering at a food pantry inspired Michele to start The Perfect Granola
[3:30] The start of The Perfect Granola in Michele's kitchen
[4:30] From selling industrial electric motors to bartending to culinary school
[5:45] Feeling unfulfilled and the itch to create something more meaningful
[9:30] Standing out in a crowded market: The conscious mission and the health benefits
[12:00] Balancing profit and purpose - "I'm not afraid to make things a little more difficult"
[13:30] Michele's mentors including Kip Palmer, Andy Germanow, Jean Kase
[15:00] Finding mission-aligned investors
[16:00] Getting the largest sale among 450 companies at Wal-Mart's "Open Call"
[19:00] Where Michele finds the strength to follow her purpose
[20:00] Hiring students through Hillside Work-Scholarship
[24:00] The four-phase growth plan
[26:00] Michele's EVOLution as a Conscious Leader
[28:00] Paying it forward and encouraging more companies to be conscious
[31:00] Lessons learned from failure: Growing too fast
[35:45] Michele's goals to inspire future Conscious Leaders (including her daughters!)
[39:30] Where you can buy The Perfect Granola
