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Teffola

create bold and healthy plant based cereal and snacks sourcing grain from our 7th generation farm
Claire grew up as the 7th generation on a 2,300 acre family farm in Addison vowing to move as far away from the farm as she could. After wandering around a few years, her parents pitched her the idea of coming back to the farm to work with teff, an ancient grain native to Ethiopia. She created Teffola, or teff granola, and began selling to local grocery stores in Jan 2018. Teffola is now sold in 120+ locations across 9 states and was recently featured on Good Morning America
https://www.eatteffola.com
5×5 Night Food and Farm Businesses
Voting Closes:

August 22, 2022 11:59 pm

About this idea
We're sourcing ancient grains (those grains that haven't been genetically modified over the thousands of years they've existed) directly grown, cleaned and processed on our 7th generation family farm in Addison, Michigan. Teff is our star ingredient in Teffola, or teff granola, and originates in Ethiopia. We started growing it as part of our pivot from corn and soybeans to ancient grains. Now that we're a few years in, we're growing and cleaning teff and buckwheat and are currently working on millet and oats. Our value added products, under the company name Tenera Grains Products, will source at least one ingredient per product directly from the farm.
Impact
Our farm practices regenerative agriculture meaning we're stewards of the soil and do everything we can to help the soil be as healthy as possible. No till, cover crop, and crop rotation are all part of our strategy. Additionally, we've built a gluten free facility where we can clean and process the grain into a more usable format for food manufacturers, bakers, brewers and distillers alike. This facility is now working with other farmers to clean and process their grain as they pivot to these alternative grains that are better for the planet. Teffola is championing these ancient grains in delicious products to bring awareness to the flavor and nutrition they inherently have. We care deeply about creating products that are low in sugar, vegan and gluten free for the health aware consumer. The vertical integration allows us to highlight the difficulties farmers are facing in this economy and creating a solution (products celebrating ancient grains) for people to support the changes they want to see.
What I'll do with $5,000
Our new product line, Teffola Bites or the portable version of Teffola, is launching January 2023 and we'd use the $5,000 towards packaging production for the individual unit. We've projected that we'll sell 78,000 1.4oz units for the first 6 months. This is a very conservative estimate based on the low end of what our broker has projected and only accounts for sales in the grocery stores channel. It does not include projections of what we could do online. At $.08/unit, we need $6,240 to start. Our supplier is Belmark and we've worked with them before on a sample size of Teffola Original and have been happy with the result.
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About Claire Smith

Claire grew up as the 7th generation on a 2,300 acre family farm in Addison vowing to move as far away from the farm as she could. After wandering around a few years, her parents pitched her the idea of coming back to the farm to work with teff, an ancient grain native to Ethiopia. She created Teffola, or teff granola, and began selling to local grocery stores in Jan 2018. Teffola is now sold in 120+ locations across 9 states and was recently featured on Good Morning America

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SUBMISSIONS THIS MONTH ARE FOR FOOD AND FARM BUSINESSES THAT ALIGNED WITH MICHIGAN GOOD FOOD FUND’S MISSION (OFFERS HEALTHY, AFFORDABLE FOOD; INCLUDES RACIAL DIVERSITY IN OWNERSHIP AND/OR EMPLOYMENT; AND IS ENVIRONMENTALLY CONSCIOUS). IF YOU THINK YOUR BUSINESS IS A FIT PLEASE SUBMIT YOUR IDEA!

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