The E-town Connection
Nuts About Granola® was created at Elizabethtown College by ‘09 graduate, Sarah Lanphier, in conjunction with her business courses. The idea for the company came out of the need for a fundraising concept for the triathlon team (which she started and on which she competed). Sarah took her recipe for peanut butter granola, packaged it, sold it for the fundraiser and made enough to cover the team’s entire trip to nationals.
For the remaining three years of Sarah’s time at Elizabethtown, she developed the business hand-in-hand with the college’s faculty and staff. In 2008, the company was officially incorporated, and the Jay’s Nest became the company’s first wholesale account!
Fast forward three years, thousands of pounds of granola, a Rachael Ray Show appearance, 35 plus media publications, a trip to the Emmy® Awards and two retail locations and you have a company that is poised to give back to the school that made it all happen.
About the Scholarship
The annual Nuts About Granola® Innovation Scholarship will be funded by a portion of the proceeds from the newly released and co-branded, E-town Carrot Cake Granola. It will be awarded to a full-time Elizabethtown College student who demonstrates innovative thinking, creativity and a passion for sustainable living.
Full Circle Approach
The Nuts About Granola® Innovation Scholarship is innovative in its own right. The scholarship is funded through a full circle approach. Nuts About Granola produces the granola for sale to students, alumni and friends of the College. A portion of the proceeds from the sales funds the scholarship. As granola sales increase, so does the scholarship fund. So in the end, the consumer enjoys the granola, the company enjoys profits and the Elizabethtown College students benefit from the scholarship. A full circle, sustainable effort.
2012 Scholarship Theme: Everyday Sustainability
Sustainability can mean many things to many people. Nuts About Granola follows a triple bottom line approach: people, planet and profits. They work to better the planet by sourcing locally, recycling in as many ways as possible and utilizing co-op ordering and deliveries all while providing a positive and profitable work environment.
Everyday sustainability is the little things you do that make a big difference; using reusable shopping bags, bringing your own travel mug and turning off the lights are just a few examples. This year’s scholarship challenges students to take a photo of an innovative, everyday sustainable practice they do to reduce their carbon footprint.
Applicant Criteria
• Must be a current full-time student at Elizabethtown College.
• Open to First Year, Sophomore and Junior students in all majors.
Application Procedure
• Sign-on to the “Nuts About Granola” Facebook page at:
www.facebook.com/NutsAboutGranola
• Submit an image that is representative of a sustainable practice. The image must be original.
• Include a 140 (or less) character description of why it is a sustainable practice.
• Multiple submissions are permissible.
• The application period is March 1-31, 2012.
Evaluation Criteria
• Images must be original.
• Images and descriptions must be examples of sustainability in everyday life.
• The evaluation committee is looking for interesting, creative, unusual, or innovative examples.
The Evaluation Committee will consist of Nuts About Granola and Elizabethtown College Staff.
For more information: Download the official brochure