Butter is an all-natural dairy byproduct from cows. It is one of the oldest and most natural foods that has been a part of our diets for thousands of years. Butter is the cream of fresh whole milk and must be at least 80% milk fat, while the remaining 20% consists of water and milk solids. Butter is rich in vitamins A, D, E, B12, and K2.

Butter is made by separating the milk’s fat (butter cream) from the liquid. The butter cream is aged and pasteurized for 24 hours, before being churned. The churning stage is when the butter will be separated from any excess liquid (buttermilk) and then the salt is added. After churning for a little over an hour, the butter is ready to be shaped and packaged. The butter we use at The Granola Factory is Country Maid Salted Butter which comes from Sommer Maid Creamery. Sommer Maid is a family owned and operated, local creamery located in Doylestown, PA.

Butter is better than processed oils. Many granola brands use canola oil which is lower in fat, but the process to make canola oil is a highly mechanized process that includes the use of chemicals. This process involves industrial steaming, de-waxing, bleaching, and deodorizing the oil. Although butter is also made with machines, it is made pretty much the way it’s always been, which is taking cream, churning it, and adding salt. At The Granola Factory, we use butter for the one of a kind flavor it offers our granola. Also, the mouth-feel achieved with butter cannot be matched when using oils.

Here at The Granola Factory, we use dried cherries in our Cherry Almond Quinoa granola. They add a great flavor and texture that pairs perfectly with the almonds. Our dried cherries come from Payson Fruit Growers located in Payson, Utah. These cherries are grown in the high desert, at the base of the Wasatch Mountains. The warm days and cold nights in this area make for tree ripen cherries that have both a great sweet and tangy flavor. Fun fact: The Cherry is the official state fruit of Utah!

As soon as the cherries are picked they immediately start a cooling process in order to preserve their fresh flavor. The cherries are then transported a few minutes away to a processing plant where they are inspected, pitted, sorted, dried, and packaged.

Some reasons to include cherries into your diet are to reduce muscle soreness after exercise, ease arthritis pain, and enhance heart health. Also, cherries contain melatonin, which helps to regulate our sleep cycle and can help you sleep better throughout the night. Cherries are not only packed with antioxidants, but they are also a natural source of fiber, potassium, protein, and iron. In addition, cherries boost your immune system, thanks to vitamins C, A, and E.

Honey is the nectar of flowers collected from bees and is an all-natural energy source for the body. Unlike white sugar, honey divides glucose and fructose which allows the body to absorb simple sugars and convert them directly into energy. Honey as a sweetener is more concentrated than granulated sugar, which means you can use less of it to achieve the same sweetness. Honey is an ideal sweetener, as it contains vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and has antimicrobial properties.

Honey gives our granola a sweet flavor and crunchy, mouth-watering feel that almost melts in your mouth when combined with the butter. The unique blend of butter and honey is unlike any other granola on the shelf, which is what makes our granola’s flavor special.

The golden honey we use here at The Granola Factory is unfiltered, raw honey. Unfiltered honey keeps all of its benefits like pollen, enzymes, antioxidants, and vitamins. This is made by extracting the honey from the honey comb, liquefying it to a temperature no higher than 140 degrees Fahrenheit, straining it through a stainless steel mesh strain, and packaging it for consumption. This method is better than the rest because it does not change the honey’s true natural composition. By not heating the honey any more than 140 degrees Fahrenheit, the honey’s natural flavor is not altered and its mineral and nutritional content is not harmed.  Our 100% pure honey is a blend of clover and wildflower, from the US and South America.

We buy our honey locally from Sandt’s Honey Co. in Easton, PA and Dutch Gold Honey in Lancaster, PA. Sandt’s Honey Co. is where our golden honey comes from and Dutch Gold Honey provides us with our certified organic honey. The organic honey comes from regions in Brazil where the bees can find nectar from various wildflowers that are herbicide and pesticide free. The reason behind sourcing the organic honey from Brazil is not only because of the healthy condition the bees are in, but also because of the large, desolate areas that can be set aside for organic production.

Contrary to what many think, salt plays an important role in our health. Salt is vital to the body, as it passes nutrients to our cells. It also aids in proper digestion, regulates muscle contractions, and helps with nerve stimulation. Too much salt can lead to high blood pressure, which increases the risk of heart attack and stroke. However, a diet too low in sodium may increase the risk for cardiovascular disease. According to the New York Times, a study was done that showed those who consumed less than 3 grams of sodium daily had a 26% increased risk for cardiovascular problems compared to those who consumed 4-5 grams daily. Salt is also a key factor when it comes to exercise. It not only prevents muscle cramps, but also helps you stay better hydrated by retaining the water in your body.

Why We Use Salt

In our granola we use Morton Kosher salt, which is a coarse-grained compound composed of sodium chloride. Morton Salt has been around since 1848 and is still a leading salt manufacturer in the US. Many processed foods use salt for preservation and shelf life purposes, but we use it for flavor. It enhances the taste of the honey and roasted pecans in our granola. According to the FDA, our granola is a low sodium food option. Low sodium is considered 140mg of sodium or less, per serving.

How Salt is Made

There are three ways to produce salt: the solar method, the evaporation method, and rock mining. The salt we use is made by the evaporation method, which is the evaporation of salt brine by using steam heat. At an evaporation site, water is pumped into an underground salt deposit. Once the salt dissolves, it is pumped to the surface as saturated brine. The brine is boiled and salt crystals fall to the bottom of a vacuum pan, which are then dried and packaged. This method yields a very high purity and high quality salt. The salt used at The Granola Factory is sourced from evaporation sites in the US and Canada.                                                                         

Pecans are a tree nut member of the hickory family and have a rich, buttery flavor. They are native to North America & Mexico and are one of the few major tree nuts that grow naturally in North America. Once collected, the shell of each pecan is removed. This shelling process reduces a pecans weight by about half.

At The Granola Factory, we use roasted pecans that are locally roasted by Queens Nutritional Products in Allentown, Pa. For our granola, we use pecans in two flavors: All-Natural Honey Pecan and Organic Grains & Honey. In our All-Natural Honey Pecan granola, we use chopped, roasted, salted pecans. This results in bigger pecan chunks throughout. For our Organic Grains & Honey granola, we use unsalted pecan pieces, giving it a less salty taste and smaller pecans in each bite. The buttery taste of pecans pairs perfectly with the buttery flavor of our granola.

Pecans have many health benefits and contain more than 19 vitamins and minerals. They are high in healthy fats and help to lower cholesterol. The fiber found in pecans promotes digestive health and the natural antioxidants pecans have play a role in heart health and disease prevention. Another benefit of eating pecans is that they contain phosphorous, which is important for healthy bones and teeth.