I’ve had a really strong interest in the food industry from a young age. In high school, I landed an internship at a three-Michelin-star restaurant in New York City. I was super inspired by that experience, so I started cooking at home for friends to try and capture that culinary essence. Fine dining wasn't exactly a natural language for a group of 16-year-olds, but one thing we did bond over was our love for granola. I started experimenting with my own recipes and gave my friends unique flavors of granola to try. They kept saying, “You should sell this. There’s nothing else like it,” which planted the seed.
I went to college to study hospitality, and while I was there, I started missing my granola. I began baking it out of my dorm kitchen, giving it to classmates, and selling it at pop-up events. It was a really fun way of getting to know the community because I was sourcing ingredients locally from different farmers and beekeepers. After selling my granola wholesale to local grocers and cafes, I got into my first major retailer during my senior year. It started clicking like, okay, maybe I can actually do this. So, I decided to continue growing the business after graduation in 2019.
The years that followed were a steep learning curve. Going from mixing small batches in a commercial kitchen to commercializing it at scale with a co-packer is very different. I bounced from one manufacturer to another, even going back to making it myself during the height of the pandemic, before finding our current partner.
Navigating that growth has made me realize just how critical operations are, especially for a small team like ours. Because I’m already using Google Workspace, I started using Gemini to assist with routine backend tasks like distribution compliance.
Big retailers have dense PDFs full of strict delivery guidelines, and you can get hit with major chargebacks if you don’t follow them precisely. Now, I quickly process those requirements through Gemini to ensure we adhere to every guideline.
For instance, a retailer recently required us to individually label every single shipping carton by a corresponding number and its destination warehouse. Facing what could have been an endless manual data-entry task, I asked Gemini to help me generate a custom CSV file for our label template and to direct me to an online label making software, turning a full day’s work into just one hour.
That same daily efficiency carries over into our inventory overview and financial health. To manage our margins and forecast inventory, I built a custom spreadsheet model using Google Sheets instead of using expensive software. Gemini in Sheets helped me write complex formulas for a dynamic spreadsheet that tracks our inventory, sales, and cost of goods—a necessity as raw ingredient costs rise across the industry.
Beyond paperwork and logistics, Gemini even helped us get clear on our brand positioning. I uploaded anonymized public customer reviews and asked Gemini to analyze the data for common themes and competitive advantages. When we initially expanded into retail, we focused heavily on functional claims, such as “low sugar” or “gluten-free.” However, the analysis revealed that our customers care far more about the taste and the culinary craft.
Pre-AI, you had to learn everything on the spot, spending years making painful mistakes just to find answers. Now, I can figure things out much more quickly, which empowers me as a business owner. Using AI hasn't altered our creative process or the product at all; it has just amplified it.
By using Gemini to help streamline administrative workflows, I’ve freed up valuable time away from the computer. I’m currently using that freedom to focus on creativity, reintroduce local farmers markets to our schedule, and hire more people to work these events. I’m excited to get back out there and reconnect with the community that started it all.