Golden State Granola
Challenge
People generally equate granola with natural, unadulterated food. (They even call outdoorsy nature-lovers “granola.”) But when Matt Hately looked more closely at the ingredients in the granola options available on store shelves, he discovered that they were full of all sorts of stuff he didn’t want to feed his family: sugars, syrups, protein isolates, and the like. So he decided to create a granola that met his own standards. He chose whole, nutrient-dense ingredients and skipped all the fillers. For protein, he opted for high-quality nuts like pecans, walnuts, and almonds, rather than isolates. And to give his granola the goodness of homemade, he roasted it in ovens in small batches instead of using industrial dryers. His company, Golden State Granola, came to TNKR to launch their brand. They needed the whole treatment: brand strategy, identity, and package design that reflected their beliefs and mission. We developed an identity that celebrates their home state of California and created a brand story based on their traditional recipes and small-batch process.
Solution
We proudly listed each ingredient in a conversational tone right on the front of the package, made the labels reminiscent of recipe cards, and declared that this granola is exactly “the way it should be.” Today, it’s easy to see how Golden State Granola is unlike anything else on the shelf—and exactly what Matt was looking for.
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