A Black entrepreneur living in Virginia Beach turned his beer brewing hobby into a small business by making healthy granola bars.
Bryan Daniels is the owner of All Good Granola Bars, a newly launched business producing granola bars made from the same leftover grains used to brew beer. Daniels used his connections in the Southeastern Virginia beer community to get enough grains to supply his growing orders.
“I started brewing beer as a hobby with a couple of friends in 2017. Part of the brewing process includes rinsing malted barley with hot water,” said Daniels in an email interview with BLACK ENTERPRISE
. “The liquid produced from this process continues to make beer. But the wet barley, known as mash or spent grain, is usually thrown away. Every time we got around to throwing out the spent grain I wished that there was something else I could use it for because it just smelled so good!”“Knowing that so much of the spent grains were going to waste, I began researching ways to salvage them. In doing so, I learned they could be used for making a bead, spent flour and granola bars,” he added.
“The granola bar idea stuck with me for two reasons: first, cooking is not my specialty so they seemed easy enough to make. Secondly, as a fitness professional and overall busy person, I love having food that’s quick, delicious, and healthy.”
Even though the spread of COVID-19 has created unique challenges for Daniels business, he remains optimistic.
“The pandemic has definitely made things difficult. The hardest part has been trying to grow while raising a 4- and 6-year-old at home,” said Daniels. “But this experience has made me more disciplined and focused. And using this time to step back and see the bigger picture has prepared me for what I think will be a crazy year ahead.”