Rising Stars: Meet Liz Adamshick of Mount Vernon, Ohio

Today we’d like to introduce you to Liz Adamshick.

Hi Liz, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Patrick and I moved from Columbus to the Knox county area 25+ years ago, two suburban-raised kids living in the middle of somewhere. About 15 years into this relocation, we wanted a different way to connect with the community so we thought, “hey, farmers market” might be an option. We were good gardeners but didn’t feel that produce was the right product for us to offer, so adapted a few tried and true granola recipes, found packaging and a graphic designer to create our logo and gave it a try.
The Mount Vernon community responded generously and enthusiastically to our initial three flavors: Tropical, Chocolate Strawberry and Chocolate Raspberry. We sold 18 bags that first market Saturday.
A year later, the Worthington market manager contacted us, inviting us to apply and set up a “vendor preview day”. We were bowled over by the response and here we are, ten years later still going strong. In that time, our menu has eclipsed 50 flavors and we rotate some flavors out seasonally.
We source local and organic ingredients whenever we can and work hard to give our customers not only a quality, nourishing food but a human connection that takes the relation beyond transactional.
It’s working beautifully.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The night before our first market day in Mount Vernon, we dropped an entire tray on the floor as we were pulling it out of the oven. We had to start another two trays at 9:00pm, not including cooling time, and we’re a little bleary-eyed the next morning as we set up our booth. The pandemic did no favors to any of the vendors and our sales understandably dropped for a time. When lockdown ended, our customer base took a few months to rebuild and we seriously considered shutting things down entirely.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Patrick and I both have full time jobs in addition to our granola business. We work in the nonprofit/advocacy field and people are at the heart of it all. In our lifetime, we have honed our active listening skills, business development acumen and enjoy exploring new ideas.
Our granola customers give us great suggestions for new flavors and we happily take special orders.
What sets us apart is our genuine care and concern for the people we serve. We want them to feel good about our product, honor the hard-earned cash they hand over to us and treat them with the deepest gratitude and respect.

What makes you happy?
At the beginning AND at the end of the day, it’s all about connection. Patrick and I are happiest when we’re getting to know others, learn about what matters most to them, and appreciating their stories.

Contact Info:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/scoopogranola?mibextid=LQQJ4d