Garuka Bars and Gorillas
/“Do something that you love and makes you happy. If you love it, chances are other people love it too and it will be successful. And your passion for it will sell it to everyone you meet.”
My family’s summer lake adventures have been fueled by Garuka bars! YUMMY. My nieces are gobbling up these healthy snacks. “I love knowing that the bars we make go on amazing adventures with people all over the world,” says founder Mike Rosenburg. Garuka bars have become a key ingredient to our international life!
I tasted my first Garuka bar several years ago at the end of a long day kayaking in Vermont’s Green Mountains. I nibbled until only crumbs remained. Disappointed that my snack had come to an end, I noticed a Gorilla on the packaging and began to read. I was intrigued! Garuka, in a nutshell is five Vermonters hand making awesomely tasty and healthy energy bars. Wholesome ingredients + raw honey + recyclable packaging + 1% of all profits to mountain gorilla conservation. As a Vermonter myself (born in Newport, VT and went to Middlebury College), I was eager to learn more about this local and unique nourishing snack. Founder Mike Rosenburg happily shared his wild inspiration:
Describe your perfect day as a wildpreneur.
I love getting up early and spending the morning on the mountain or the lake, and then coming back fully charged up and ready to tackle some projects.
Is this work your passion? What keeps you motivated?
We make energy bars, but really what drives me is connecting with people and helping them enjoy their adventures. Having a delicious and healthy snack can really top off a great hike or bike ride. I love knowing that the bars we make go on amazing adventures with people all over the world. It’s like a little piece of us gets to go with them. People send us photos of themselves with their bars on volcanoes, in the rainforest, on the ocean, it’s just awesome to see the places the bars make it to!
A percentage of Garuka sales go to Gorilla protection
Did you make any personal sacrifices to get your businesses started? Any funny examples of living on a shoestring budget?
I actually started this business while I was on unemployment, with only a 0% credit card and a recipe. I would go to all my friends’ kitchens when they were at work, take all my ingredients and materials out the car, and try to make all my bars before they came home. At one point, I remember my lunches were either peanut butter and jelly, or an avocado with some hot sauce on it. Even today there are sacrifices. Having a business is almost like being a parent, it takes all of your attention and energy, even when you are not at work. You are always thinking about it, stressing, and doing little things for it in your spare time.
What advice would you give to someone looking to start their own wild business?
Do something that you love and makes you happy. If you love it, chances are other people love it too and it will be successful. And your passion for it will sell it to everyone you meet.
What do you wish you’d known prior to getting started?
Always check with your lawyer first. ALWAYS!
What’s your favorite part about being a wildpreneur? Getting to be creative and put my own ideas into practice. There is nothing more fulfilling than seeing a passionate idea of yours turn into a successful reality. Except maybe doing all that, and going skiing for a few hours during the day too!
What was your inspiration to create Garuka Bars? I had hurt my knee, and was going stir crazy. I turned my attentions to the kitchen and to becoming a better cook. I learned to make a bunch of different things, but once I was healed up, I kept making the energy bars because they were so useful in my active backcountry lifestyle. Really though, it was my friends that finally convinced me to do something with the bars!
Do you have a favorite motivational quote or book?
It’s cliché but it’s true, a person who loves what they do never works a day in their life.
Anything else you’d like to share about your journey?
Invest in your team and your customers, that’s where you’ll get the best return!
Where can we follow you?
https://garukabars.com/
@garukabars (Instagram & Facebook)
