Sarah Newsome and Steven Adamski
Creators of Herbal Oats all-natural granola bars
Our Story
Steven and Sarah have always been interested in living a healthy lifestyle. The two were once Dietetic students at the University of Missouri before changing their majors to Food Science and Nutrition to learn more about the food industry. In school they realized that being full time students made it hard to eat healthy with a busy schedule. Eating easy and nutritious snacks, like granola bars, became a staple in their diet. After eating dozens of bars they decided to try and make their own.
Steven began making granola bars in his own kitchen and giving them to his roommates, friends and people on campus. He made the bars from simple ingredients, eliminating preservatives. Interested in herbs and their properties he had the idea of blending them into each bar, giving them an extra benefit unlike any bar he had ever had. The herbs included Echinacea, Black Tea and Ginkgo Biloba. Along with these he created a bar with extra protein. Everyone loved them, especially the concept of their functionalities. When friends half jokingly suggested selling the bars and starting a business, Steven started thinking. Before he knew it his combination of herbs and oats had a name, Herbal Oats.
Steven began putting things together to turn Herbal Oats into a business. It was during this time he met Sarah and she quickly offered to help with small things here and there. They teamed up and began making the bars in a commercial kitchen and selling them at the local Farmer’s Market and different retail locations. They made all of the bars by hand weekly, designed the packaging and personally delivered each order. Juggling starting their own business with pursuing their college degrees wasn’t always easy but it was fulfilling. Steven and Sarah quickly had the bars in over 10 different locations in Columbia, MO and have plans to grow.