VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A local entrepreneur has a unique take on making granola bars by using a secret ingredient: local breweries.
The owner, Bryan Daniels, uses malted barley leftover from breweries to create sweet, healthy, environmentally friendly snacks. He describes what is now a full-blown business as "a happy accident."
Daniels said his coworkers would buy homemade granola bars from him. He made them in his kitchen using leftover grain from brewing his own beer.
“Through word of mouth I ended up getting so many orders I didn’t have enough grain to support that,” said Daniels.
That was the “aha” moment.
Daniels decided to visit local breweries and ask if they had leftover grain he could use for his granola.
They were more than willing to help, and that became the concept behind All Good Craft Granola Bars.
“The first brewery I went to they brought me a bucket and that was literally the day I became a business,” said Daniels.
He works with more than ten local breweries in almost every city in Hampton Roads.
Daniels still bakes them out of his home kitchen, but there are plans for expansion -- he sees the concept working in any city with breweries.
He offers flavors like Cranberry Almond IPA, Chocolate Cherry Stout, and Pumpkin Spice Oktoberfest.
They are sweet treats with an emphasis on the environment. He's fighting food waste with every single bar.
“Kill two birds with one stone,” said Daniels. “Take care of the brewers' needs but also ease the environmental burden and make a good snack.”
All Good Craft Granola Bars are available every Saturday at Old Beach Farmers Market in Virginia Beach.
You can also purchase them online from the company’s website.
Editor's note: The video above is on file from Nov. 7, 2019.