Now that’s some super muesli

Fergus Falls couple introduces line of healthy oatmeals, trail mix

Who said muesli couldn’t be healthy and delicious at the same time?

Certainly not Elisha and Tim Griffin, who recently started Superior Wholesome Oats Co., a breakfast food company specializing in healthy, flavorful oatmeal and trail mix.

“We create mueslis, trail mix and (eventually) granolas that keep you going,” said Elisha Griffin, “simple foods that can be comforting, nourishing and satisfying.”

Earlier this year, the couple moved to Fergus Falls, Minn., deciding that the small city would be the perfect place to set up shop for their new business. There the two found the perfect combination of strong community, hard Midwest work ethic and the beauty of Minnesota’s outdoors. Add into the mix a love for the active lifestyle and healthy eating, and you have the ideals that underlie Superior Wholesome Oats Co.

“We are very fond of the hardy Minnesota spirit, the beautiful wilderness and the seasons here,” said Elisha. “Living in Minnesota and the Midwest is about family, simple, country living, the natural beauty and hard winters.”

Superior Wholesome Oats Co. products use all-natural and mostly organic ingredients, and the company offers several products already, including its Traditional Muesli, a Maple Nut and Spice Muesli, and their Northwoods Adventure Trail Mix.

“Muesli,” the Griffins explained, “is an oat-based cereal with fruit and nuts.”

“There are many variations of that,” said Elisha. “The recipe we created is unique – we wanted to taste everything in each bite and weren't fond of the seed-heavy mueslis. We developed our Maple Nut Muesli later for something a little extra sweet.”

Their newest recipe, a Wild Berry Muesli, is close at hand. “We are working on our Wild Berry Muesli,” said Elisha. “It's close, but not there yet. I'd expect the first bag to be ready in a week or two.”

Tim and Elisha have considerable experience with the food industry and nutrition science: before they met while working in the coffee industry in San Francisco, Tim had already made his own considerable mark on the Fargo-Moorhead coffee scene, having helped create the Red Raven Espresso Parlor in 2005. Elisha, who has been plant-based for over 10 years and a marathoner for eight, first became interested in nutrition for athletic performance and recovery purposes.

Both Tim and Elisha are also certified nutritional health coaches – and so it makes sense why Superior Wholesome Oats Co. is dedicated to helping people eat well and, hopefully, engage in healthier habits. The couple’s goal is to “create delicious breakfast options that are nutritious and heart healthy.”

“People have been eating oats for breakfast for centuries,” said Elisha. “We hope to adapt them to our busy modern lifestyle, make them new in some way and bring them back to life.”

And so why also concentrate on creating the next great trail mix?

“Trail mix is a great thing to have when you're out or between meals,” said Elisha. “We want to bring a new, mature trail mix with nature's candies like dried gojis, dried mulberries and raw cacao nibs, instead of artificial M&M's, to more people in the Midwest.”

Tim and Elisha’s love for adventure is central to the identity of their company and the nostalgic, outdoorsy aesthetic of its brand. With a staggering amount of the state belonging to lakes, forests, prairies and waterways, Minnesota has a rich outdoors culture, and the Griffins knew that Superior Wholesome Oats Co. would find a home amongst Minnesotans. Their products belong just as much on the kitchen table on a Monday morning as they do stuffed into a Duluth Pack on a northern Minnesota wilderness trek.

Superior Wholesome Oats products can be purchased on the company website, but they are also available at several vendors in Minnesota and the Fargo-Moorhead area: The Market, and Meadow Farms, in Fergus Falls; Good Earth Co-op in St. Cloud; Sydney’s Health Market in Moorhead; and Stumbeanos Coffee in Fargo.

The Griffins have seen a very enthusiastic response since they started distributing their products a few months ago, and they plan to keep going forward with Superior Wholesome Oats.

“Just about everyone can benefit from eating our muesli for breakfast,” said Elisha. “Muesli can replace sugary breakfast cereal, frozen waffles and Pop-Tarts, and greasy eggs and bacon. Breakfast is such a great place to start in forming habits that lead to better health for life.”

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For more information, visit superioroatsco.com