Eliza Larson and Kristy Kohler started their lactation granola bar company Oat Mama by meeting moms in Whole Foods Market parking lots and designating pick-up times at local Starbucks to get their bars to customers.
The Tucson moms met three years ago watching their 2-year-old sons play at Himmel Park. Both were eight months pregnant with boys.
Out of that friendship, they birthed Oat Mama, drawing on shared struggles with breastfeeding 鈥 Larson after her first pregnancy and Kohler after her second.
鈥淜risty was having a hard time with her son and producing enough milk, and we noticed lactation cookies trending,鈥 Larson, 35, says. 鈥淲e would both rather have a granola bar in the diaper bag than cookies, and we鈥檙e bakers at heart. We thought, 鈥楲et鈥檚 just test some recipes around here.鈥 鈥
RECIPE FOR SUCCESS
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They decided to pack the bars with foods that have a reputation for helping breastfeeding moms produce milk: oats, ground flaxseed and brewer鈥檚 yeast. One of the bars contains fenugreek, an herb known to increase milk supply.
鈥淐ookies have a lot of filler ingredients,鈥 Kohler, 36, says. 鈥淭he granola bar is all nuts and seeds and coconut oils 鈥 things that are beneficial to a new mom.鈥
Although they knew the main ingredients they wanted to include, finding recipes good enough to sell took some work 鈥 60 to 70 test recipes, Larson says.
鈥淲e were breastfeeding at the time, so we were our own guinea pigs and could say, 鈥楾his helped my supply,鈥 鈥 she adds.
All but one of their bars 鈥 the creamy peanut butter chip 鈥 are soy- and dairy-free. About a year into the business, they made all of the bars gluten-free, Larson says.
They passed out their first bar at the Tucson Festival of Books in March 2015, asking for feedback before launching.
鈥淭he feedback was so strong and people were asking where they could order more, and we were like, 鈥榃e don鈥檛 have them ready yet!鈥 鈥 Kohler says.
Oat Mama officially launched in April 2015 online at . The Nut and Berry bar was their first product, the one they passed out at the book festival.
鈥淚t was the wrong choice,鈥 Kohler says, laughing. 鈥淓veryone wants chocolate.鈥
So now there鈥檚 chocolate.
Oat Mama sells a variety of flavors online and in about a dozen baby boutiques around the country, Larson says. They also have a few seasonal flavors 鈥 think pumpkin pecan in the fall.
WHIPPING UP A BUSINESS
The growth of Oat Mama quickly outpaced their model of baking in Larson鈥檚 home and shipping from Kohler鈥檚. Now they have six employees and their own warehouse with a kitchen and storage.
鈥淲e were both stay-at-home moms and ready to get back into the workforce,鈥 Kohler says. 鈥淏ut it can be hard for moms to re-enter after they take a step away from their careers and it feels like there鈥檚 no way back in. For us, becoming entrepreneurs was a way back in.鈥
The company grew through social media, turning Larson and Kohler鈥檚 focus from a local audience into a national one. They have more than 600 customer reviews on their website, along with more than 20,000 Instagram followers and about 8,000 Facebook followers. A private Facebook group offers a place for its 390 members to encourage and commiserate with each other.
They recently went through Startup Tucson鈥檚 Thryve 鈥 a program for entrepreneurs wanting to grow their companies 鈥 and won a services package for their presentation at the end of the of the 11-week program.
Beyond the business of selling granola bars, there is another ingredient in the Oat Mama recipe: Encouragement for moms, those who breastfeed and those who don鈥檛.
鈥淲e felt like a lot of the messaging (of other lactation products) was, 鈥榃e鈥檙e going to help you fix this problem,鈥 which is a sad message,鈥 Kohler says. 鈥淲e want to be empowering, to help moms feel confident and excited to breastfeed and know they can.鈥
MILKING COMMUNITY
Crissi Blake and Nina Isaac, the co-owners of the local postpartum and breastfeeding support center Milk and Honey, say community support, especially early on, helps many moms nurse successfully.
鈥淲e weren鈥檛 meant to do this on our own,鈥 says Blake, a registered nurse and certified lactation consultant. 鈥淏ack in the day, we were living with grandmas and aunties and cousins who were helping us through the process, and now people are doing it on their own and weren鈥檛 meant to.鈥
Both Kohler and Larson were taken aback when breastfeeding didn鈥檛 come easily.
鈥淣obody tells you it will hurt,鈥 Larson says.
The number one question Milk and Honey fields about breastfeeding has to do with milk supply. Although lots of moms worry they鈥檙e not producing enough breast milk for their baby, they usually are, Blake and Isaac say. And if they aren鈥檛, sometimes, there are other root issues to examine.
Milk and Honey consultants don鈥檛 recommend galactagogues 鈥 substances like many of the ingredients in Oat Mama bars that increase lactation 鈥 for all breastfeeding moms. But for those who do need a boost in milk production, they might help.
Blake and Isaac also see women turn to galactagogues when they return to work and notice a decrease in supply when they begin using a breast pump.
But every woman is different.
鈥淚 think for a lot of moms who go back to work and have to start pumping, you鈥檙e away from your baby and might not produce as much milk, and that鈥檚 scary for a lot of moms, and so this gives confidence that they can still maintain supply,鈥 Larson says. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e not magic. They don鈥檛 work for every mom, but having that as a little me time, it鈥檚 a treat for a mom to have when they are pumping once back at work or even if your child gets sick and you get a dip in supply.鈥
The Oat Mama website says clearly that the bars have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and don鈥檛 replace professional support.
鈥淲e have a lot of moms who use (galactagogues) and say that they have found success,鈥 Blake says. 鈥淭here鈥檚 not a lot of great research supporting it, so it鈥檚 anecdotal.鈥
And Oat Mama does have a lot of anecdotes on the site, some raving about the increase in milk supply and others complimenting the taste but adding that the bars didn鈥檛 aid lactation. Milk and Honey has occasionally stashed samples of their granola bars.
鈥淲e really like Oat Mama, because they鈥檙e local and they鈥檙e awesome ladies, and their product is really tasty,鈥 Blake says.
PROVIDING FOR THEIR SONS
Recently, Oat Mama began selling a tea blend and a tank top that says 鈥淢other Together.鈥 They鈥檙e donating a portion of the tank proceeds to the maternal health nonprofit Every Mother Counts and a milk bank in Austin.
鈥淲e created this,鈥 Larson says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 our baby. We鈥檙e making a living off of it. That鈥檚 huge. It鈥檚 only been two years.鈥
Their real babies, of course, come first. Larson has another son on the way.
鈥淚鈥檓 happy that we are setting an example for them of strong moms and role models and following our dreams,鈥 Kohler says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 important for boys to see that, and I like to be an inspiration for other moms, too, that are in our same situation who are stay-at-home moms who would love to work or do something else.鈥
Oat Mama has provided for Larson, Kohler and their families in more ways than one.
鈥淢y first son was a dream scenario (with breastfeeding) and with my second boy that wasn鈥檛 true,鈥 Kohler says. 鈥淚 started getting worried and said, 鈥楬ey, what鈥檚 going on here?鈥 A lactation consultant mentioned lactation cookies, and I was able to continue breastfeeding him fully because of the product that we made ... so that was a personal significance to me ...
鈥淚 love breastfeeding, and I know it can be hard and painful, but the connection you feel with the baby ... you鈥檙e looking down at him and he has passed out from the satisfaction of being in your arms, or he looks up at you, and it melts your heart.鈥
Contact reporter Johanna Willett at jwillett@tucson.com or 573-4357. On Twitter: @JohannaWillett
Johanna Willett | This Is Tucson
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