November 2021 - Little Red Wagon Granola

Women-owned businesses now represent 42 percent of all businesses in the U.S, and they’re shaping the future of sustainability and best business practices. Little Red Wagon Granola is proud to have had female leaders who’ve made it their mission to provide delicious granola with a purpose. Since the beginning, we’ve kept our business women and family-owned with an emphasis on sustainability.

Little Red Wagon has always been in the ranks of women-owned businesses

Yolanda Bravo began selling her delicious, homemade granola at the Chapel Hill Farmers’ Market in North Carolina in 2004. Over the following years, Yolanda and her husband Hank expanded their business along the East Coast and into SE Canada keeping the simple, local ingredients that had granola fans coming back for more.

When we purchased Little Red Wagon from its founder in early 2020, we knew we had big shoes to fill. Women-owned businesses like Yolanda’s are usually scrappy and innovative and we knew we had something special with this granola company. We stayed committed to Yolanda’s vision, kept women at the helm, stayed family-owned, and continued to create delicious, balanced homemade granola.

Little Red Wagon Granola’s sustainability goals

According to the 2020 BNP Paribas Global Entrepreneur Report, 54 percent of female leaders say that “beyond financial returns, reducing their carbon footprint is their top measure of success…compared to just 41 percent of men.” As a family and women owned granola company, we’re committed to making sustainable choices now that leave the planet better for the next generations which is why “healthy earth” is one of our key values.

One of the big ways we focus on ensuring a healthy planet is with sustainable packaging. Unfortunately, only 10% of the world’s plastic packaging gets recycled. Which leaves the rest accumulating in landfills, oceans, or in the environment. Our current bags are fully recyclable and from a manufacturer committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and uses non-toxic ink. We hope you will join us in this journey to minimize the use of single-use plastics.

Supporting women-owned businesses is a double-win

When you buy from women-owned businesses like Little Red Wagon, you’re getting so much more than a quality product. You’re supporting brands that are passionate, committed, and dedicated to customers. Delicious granola and strong values? We call that a double-win.

In this season of Thanksgiving, we are so thankful for the opportunity to share our granola with you all. We hope this year has given you many things to be thankful for and you get to share the holiday with those near and dear to you. You can’t host a Thanksgiving celebration without pie! If you are looking for a lighter option than traditional pumpkin pie or if oven space is a commodity, try our no bake pumpkin pie with granola crust. It’s a great make-ahead dessert for the big day and the light, creamy pie will hit the spot after turkey and fixings.

Ingredients:

Crust:

2 cups Little Red Wagon Pumpkin Patch or Original Granola
3 tbsp melted, unsalted butter

Filling:

8 oz package cream cheese, softened
1 tbsp sugar
1 cup of milk & 1 tbsp milk (divided)
8 oz whipped topping (thawed)
15 oz pure pumpkin puree
2 pkg (~3.4 oz) instant vanilla pudding
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ginger
¼ tsp cloves

Optional: ½ tsp gelatin fully dissolved in 1 tbsp water

Directions:

In a food processor or high-powered blender, pulse granola until it’s finely blended. Add in melted butter and pulse to incorporate.
Press granola mixture into a 9-inch pie plate and around the edges. Come back with a flat-bottomed measuring cup or flat metal utensil. Press granola to pack in firmly to prevent a crumbly crust.
Freeze crust while prepping filling.
In a stand mixer (or hand mixer) beat cream cheese, sugar, and 1 tbsp milk with a whisk attachment until blended. Add in half of the whipped topping and blend until incorporated.
Spread whipped cream mixture evenly onto granola pie crust.
Clean stand mixer bowl or swap bowls. Whisk pumpkin, dry pudding mixes, spices, and 1 cup of milk. Mix for approximately 2 minutes or until pudding mix thickens.
Spread pumpkin mixture over cream cheese mixture and level.
Refrigerate pie for 12 hours or overnight.
Dollop remaining whipped topping on the no bake pumpkin pie or pipe decorations as preferred right before serving.
Optional: If you prefer to pipe, stabilizing the whipped cream with gelatin will help the whipped cream hold its shape.