Fuel for a more hopeful world.

How we got started

Beautiful Day began with a late night, a few beers and a question: how could our community do something practical to help refugees rebuild their lives in Providence. 

We felt proud to live in a country and community that was welcoming refugees from the most devastated places on earth.  But we could also see how much they struggled and how badly they wanted to find jobs to support their families.

Our Mission

Beautiful Day builds onramps to employment and economic self-sufficiency for refugees through business innovation. By aligning a need for job-training with consumer demand for socially conscious products, we are developing practical, efficient, community-oriented ways to integrate and welcome refugees to our society.

Building a Social Venture

So we started a small volunteer-run granola business (back then we called it the Providence Granola Project) to employ them. Over time as this business grew into a 501(c)(3) non-profit, we began shaping each part to serve a greater purpose. The work became a hands-on classroom where refugees learn critical skills and confidence.  Our products now invite communities all over America to think about issues of human displacement.  And our granola-loving customers are, one by one, becoming genuine partners making the whole thing possible.

What about our granola?

Granola has always seemed like the perfect food to us: wholesome, satisfying, real.  Our cooking philosophy is to respect each ingredient and keep everything as real as possible.  We select premium nuts, mostly organic grains, seeds, and spices and then prepare each separately to bring out it’s distinctives.  Some of our recipes even draw inspiration from the many cultures we work with.  Binding them together is sweet local honey and the pride of new-arrivals who are becoming new Americans and rebuilding their lives while nourishing their community.

Our Impact

To date we’ve worked with over 100 refugees, representing 14 nationalities and 20 ethnicities, including many with no first-language literacy.  We now offer training at multiple levels, though our priority is those facing the biggest job-entry barriers. Almost all of our employee-trainer staff were once refugees who understand the journey our trainees are on. Over 80% of our trainees go on to permanent jobs while providing for their families, contributing to our economy, and enriching our community with their determination and resilience.

One of the tragic [realities] of our time is that we know more than ever about the... sufferings of the world and yet are less and less able to respond to them.  

- Henri Nouwen