Opportunist or Evolutionist? I am definitely the later, if I see an opportunity I generally take it, which was the case with Midfields Granola. Named after our home, ‘Midfields’ located in Devon our independent Granola business initially from our previous small business – running a Bed and Breakfast in Dartmoor. Guests frequently asked to buy our homemade granola, which I was serving every day for their breakfasts! Granola was little known in the UK fifteen years ago, even Americans and Canadians that stayed with us and knew Granola said it was the best they had ever eaten.The original recipe was adapted from a friends niece in California, who at the time was running a Vegetarian Restaurant, she kindly let me use the Original Granola recipe for the start of our business and is still one of our top sellers today.
Our youngest son persuaded us to turn the Granola into a business; we gave up the Bed and Breakfast fifteen years ago and took the plunge. Our Cottage industry began in my own Kitchen and after the business quickly grew we moved it into our custom made outbuildings, here at Midfields. We supplied Farm Shops, Delicatessen and village shops to start with and it flew out. In this time I developed a Wheat Free Granola baked in a little Honey and West Country Rapeseed Oil, blending Oats, Almond and Seeds, no refined sugars and our recipes simplicity and high quality ingredients remain the same today, which has led to its long standing success.
Brian and I are keen bakers and Midfields Granola continues to be created, baked and packed in our on-site workspace, only a few paces from our house Moretonhampstead. The ingredients and hand-cooking process remains the same, and we have a few dedicated employees that work hard to produce more Granola to meet the steady growth in orders.
Even in 2018 Midfields remains a true cottage industry and we now boast 9 different granolas in our range. It is certainly the best way to retain a high standard of ‘quality control’ for their product. Granola continues to grown in popularity however I like to be constantly thinking up new flavour combinations and tweaks in the ingredients to suit dietary needs; Gluten Free, Wheat Free and Vegan friendly ranges are appreciated and enjoyed by our customers.
While Sharon cooks the product and attends agricultural shows and food fairs, her husband Brian – a former screen printer and designer – looks after the packaging and promotion side of the business. “Brian has some very useful skills when it comes to the packaging, which is great!” adds Sharon. “He looks after accounts and acts as delivery man too.”
“We are passionate about local food and supporting local people. We are a thriving cottage industry in a very rural area – we are proud to put ‘Made in Devon’ on our products,” added Sharon.
For more information please contact Sharon, or Brian, on 01647 440462
From the Midfields Granola Archive – Past Press Cuttings
