“We shouldn’t need reminding, but we do,” the paper said. “The reminder is that refugees and immigrants are what make our nation strong.
”If you look closely at those refugees and immigrants, you’ll see some familiar faces. Your grandparents, perhaps. Or your great-grandparents.”
Read MoreIn these times, it’s heartening to read about other organizations helping refugees through food businesses. Makes us wonder: maybe there should be a trade group.
Read MoreLately, we’ve been thinking a lot about the nature of business....what a revelation it has been to discover how nearly every aspect of a small business—from capital to product—can serve a higher purpose. We’ve started calling this intention to repurpose every component of a small business our Big Idea.
Read MoreProvidence Granola joined the fun Saturday at the pop-up Buy With Heart Marketplace held at Brown University. The marketplace was hosted by the Social Enterprise Greenhouse and coincided with the 2016 SEEED (Social Enterprise Ecosystem for Economic Development) Summit in Providence.
Read MoreIsaaq fled Somalia as a young man to a refugee camp in Ethiopia. He arrived in the United States in September last year, and in October, we welcomed him to the Providence Granola Project. Recently, we asked Isaaq's case manager at the local refugee resettlement agency Dorcas International Institute of RI--which refers refugees to us for job training--to talk to Isaaq about his experiences.
Read MoreI send updates about Syria or Sudan or C.A.R. in our Twitter and news feed, but I’m not always sure this is wise or healthy. While I believe that bearing witness can both honor and protest suffering, seeing without responding can also make us callous or nihilistic or afraid or depressed. Reduction to 140 characters (!) sent or read while walking the dog (and intermixed with pictures of what Uncle Joe ate last night) threatens to trivialize. Yet deep compassion without action or interaction can sometimes shake us.
Read MoreSo here's my very own recipe for the Praline Nuts I used in (yet another) batch of Pecan Bourbon granola yesterday. (Our granola has honey, so it's not technically vegan to purists, but for the sake of shelf life, we don't use dairy. The nuts are vegan, but that word doesn't always sound great in recipes. (I wonder if there would be more vegans if someone would come up with a more appetizing word for vegan.) Let's face it, praline might be a bit better with a ton of cream and butter. This is almost more of a candied nut. We have other agendas here.)
Read MoreI bought a jug of Wild Turkey and we made our first Bourbon Pecan granola of the season. First we made a vegan praline using Sucanat and coconut cream, mixed in the toasted nuts, and dusted them with sea salt. We then made Wild Turkey flavored granola using the nuts and Ghirardelli chocolate. History in the making.
Read MoreWe've launched our website, which, according to the 21st century, means we actually exist.
So we hope you'll celebrate our existence by stopping in at http://beautifuldayri.org/ and learn about our efforts to mobilize refugee employment. Ultimately we hope to develop a replicable community-based model that could enable people who face incredible barriers to employment to find work.
Read MoreIngredients: Oats (org), honey (pesticide-free from Aquidneckhoney), canola oil (org), granulated cane juice, coconut (org), sesame seeds (org), barley (org), almonds, cherries, apples, peaches, blueberries, nectarines, plums, pears (some fruit contains sulphur dioxide and potassium sorbate), oat bran (org), wheat germ, pecans, sunflower seeds (org), flax seeds (org), walnuts, oat fiber, sea salt, cinnamon, almond ext., vanilla, rum, nutmeg.
Read MoreOne of our motivating convictions is that work is far more than a paycheck, but rather a vital expression of being human, of having and using gifts. If this is true, then motivated people who desperately want to work (such as refugees) should have access to work as a basic need or right. For someone who has never worked in the US, the first step is any work; a foot in the door of the job-market. A secondary step is meaningful work, which is why we’re so interested in business incubation.
Read MoreWhile we are the tiniest of companies, we are increasingly confident that we’re pioneering an effective and efficient model for improving the lives of some of the most vulnerable people in our country. And if we can figure out how to do this, we could enable other communities serving refugees to adapt or replicate our efforts. Little steps towards big goals. For our fans spread out around the country and the globe, maybe someday you’ll find refugee-made granola at your local farmer’s market.
Read MoreCherry Chocolate: Oats (org), honey (pesticide-free, Aquidneckhoney), cherries (w/ sugar, sunflower oil), canola oil (exp pressed), granulated cane juice, coconut (org), sesame (org), barley (org), cranberries (w/ sugar, safflower oil), almonds, oat bran (org), pecans, wheat germ, sunflower seeds (org), flax seeds (org), walnuts, Ghiredelli chocolate, glazed orange peel (sulphured), oat fiber, kirsch, vanilla, cinnamon, sea salt, almond extract.
Read MoreWe’ve been silent for a couple weeks… but here’s our big news: this morning we finally launched our new website at http://providencegranola.com.
So please come visit. Scout around. Learn more about our mission and the refugees who work with us. Find out where you can buy granola. Check out the pictures, blog archives, and links to interesting places. Read some very nice articles written about us. See if you can find our brand spanking new Ginger Zinger label (thank you Becky Joy). Follow us on Twitter if you’re so inclined; sign up to be on our email list (if you’re not already). So much to do, so little time.
Read MoreWe’ve named it Amaretto Pear.
Di Saronna Amaretto Pera if you prefer.
Delicate, soft; the sadness of bitter almonds, the sweetness of pears, the wisdom of almond oil. (And also a few plums, and marzipan to keep them company.)
Read MoreOats (org), honey (pesticide-free from Aquidneckhoney), cranberries (cranberries, sugar, safflower oil), almond oil, canola oil (org), granulated cane juice, coconut (org), almonds, sesame seeds (org), barley (org), macaroon paste, pears, oat bran (org), wheat germ, pecans, sunflower seeds (org), flax seeds (org), nectarines, plums, amaretto liquor, oat fiber, sea salt, cinnamon, almond extract, nutmeg, cloves.
Read MoreI asked Maitham all kinds of things ranging from getting shot in Iraq, to escaping to Syria and the troubles and family members still there, to his ill-fated attempt to request asylum in Sweden, to how he feels becoming an American and the hopes he has for his new life in Rhode Island.
Read MoreThis is also an even longer way of reminding you that Providence Granola is at the ready to service all your granola needs.We’re very busy, but eager to be even busier.The web store is open. A Granola of the Month subscription, in particular, is a one-of-a kind gift that can keep nourishing and delighting year round.
Read MoreIt is especially fascinating to be working with Burmese during the very week that our Secretary of State was making the first official US visit to Burma in over a half-century. Seeing Clinton hugging Aung San Suu Kyi on the evening news nearly took my breath away.
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