Hard Times Spur Stay-At-Home Mom’s Healthy Granola Bar Business

Here is a nice story of an entrepreneurial mom, and an opportunity for a Greenwich Free Press reader…

A few years ago when the economy stumbled, Mary Molina’s family hit hard times. When Ernie Molina lost his business, he and Mary, a stay-at-home mom, struggled to feed four young children in their Croton Falls home in Westchester. Selling their possessions kept the family afloat for a time, but ultimately they couldn’t pay their rent or buy groceries. Dispirited, the family visited social services in their community to apply for assistance.

During their rough patch, Ernie, who ultimately did find a job, was eating junk food to save money — to Mary’s chagrin.  Starting with what was in the family pantry, Mary made Ernie nutritious granola bars he could take to work. She made certain the granola bars were gluten and soy free due to the children’s allergies. Also, the bars contain no refined sugars, no hydrogenated fats, and are free of gluten, rice, flour, corn and soy.

Not only did Ernie love the granola bars, but so did the kids… and Ernie’s coworkers, who asked to buy some. Lola Granola Bar was born. The granola bars, which sell for $1.99 each in retail stores, are made in small batches. The Lola Granola Bar flavors are named for each of the founder’s four children, Ruby, Lola, Ellie, Enzo, and nephew, Nathan. The flavors are Lola’s Cranberry Almond, Ellie’s Date and Cashew, Enzo’s Almond and Cashew, Nathan’s Blueberry Almond and Ruby’s Just Cranberry.

And, because Mary remembers her struggle to feed her family, she shares her granola bars through an anti-hunger children’s back-pack program.

The first reader to contact Greenwich Free Press editor, Leslie Yager at [email protected] will get TEN free Lola Granola Bars to sample. (We’ll mail them to you.)

More information on Mary Molina’s story is available online at www.lolagranolabar.com

Find Lola Granola Bars on Facebook.


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