Interview by Emily Hessney Lynch.

Published March 22, 2018.

Where are you originally from? What brought you to Rochester?

Michele Liddle, Founder: I’m from Buffalo. I grew up in Orchard Park, near the Bills stadium. I’ve been living in Rochester for the past 12 years and it’s home now.

What is your favorite part of living in Rochester?

Michele: The community. It’s so close-knit; I love it. Rochester is such an entrepreneurial hub, and we all feed off each others’ skills, enthusiasm, and knowledge. Everyone is friendly and so willing to help others. People are very connected--folks like Jean Kase, Bob Duffy, the Mayor, and Cheryl Dinolfo have all been so helpful to me. I even got connected to Danny Wegman! In my first encounter with Vinnie Esposito, I had no idea what he would be like. I used to see him on the news all the time. When I met him in person, he was so willing to help--it’s just absolutely unbelievable. Everyone wants everyone to succeed--we’re bringing the community together, and it’s not about competition.

What are some of your favorite/secret Rochester spots? 

Michele:

• Lamberton Conservatory. We went there for a photo shoot and I had no idea it was there! We love the turtles and the quail there.
• We go to a lot of child-friendly stuff, like the Strong Museum, Disney on Ice, and the Circus.
• Highland Park is another favorite; I’m a lilac junkie.
• The Fish Hatchery at Powder Mill Park is always a great activity.
• We spend lots of time on the canal. We eat at Aladdin’s, get gelato afterwards, and feed the ducks. My three-year-old loves it!

What are some of your favorite local nonprofits to support? 

Michele:

• The Center for Youth
• The Hillside Work-Scholarship program is a new partner of ours! We’ve hired their students to do product sampling in Wegmans for us in Syracuse; we’ll be launching this in Buffalo and Rochester soon.
• Foodlink--they offer our products at their Curbside Market.
• The Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
• The YMCA.
• ROCovery Fitness--they’re close to our heart. I’ve lost family members to addiction before. They do a Teen Challenge every year, and we sponsored a young man to go through the challenge for 14 months. We love to see things like that in our community.

What makes Rochester unique? 

Michele: The people. There are so many different types of people who are so eager to support small businesses. Every local establishment is so unique, with a different vibe and a different feel, and everyone wants to be a part of that.

What do you think could be improved? 

Michele: Downtown. It could use some hands cleaning it up and making it pretty. Some areas have gotten better over the years and I know the City is working on it. Roc the Riverway and other initiatives show that people are making the effort. I truly believe the right people are in the right roles to make those improvements. People are fighting for real change.

Tell me a little bit about your company, The Perfect Granola. 

Michele: It’s a company created for the community. We make nutrient-rich, delicious granola and we share our profits with homeless shelters and outreach centers, and share food with local food banks. Real change has to start with poverty, and businesses need to be more involved. We need to create jobs for people living in poverty, and I’m here to create opportunities for people. It’s a hand up, it’s saying “it’s going to be okay.” We all need to dig deeper and do more to help.

What inspired you to start The Perfect Granola?

Michele: At the time, I was volunteering at the Victor/Farmington Food Cupboard. I’ve always loved cooking for people and serving others. In my 20s, I used to host “misfit holidays” at my apartment in Buffalo where I would invite anyone who didn’t have a place to go to come enjoy food and togetherness on the holidays. Through my volunteer work, I got to know the hunger issue right here in Rochester. Not only is there a hunger issue in Rochester, but foods available at food pantries also aren’t nutrient-rich. Whether parents have money or not, they still have a passion to provide for their kids. That’s why I created The Perfect Granola.

The granola we make is nutrient-rich. Our products are available in New York State schools. We want granola bars to not be overloaded with calories and sugar. We recently won the National Parenting Product Award for both our granolas and our bars, and the cool thing about the award is it’s validated by kids who have tested the product across the country!

9.5 years before I started this company, I was working in marketing and sales. I believe that everything happens for a reason and when you’re ready for it. I was finally able to put all the pieces I’d learned together to build something bigger for the future.

What makes Rochester a good fit to be the home of The Perfect Granola?

Michele: The community. People pay attention to small businesses here and want to support local. It’s also a really well-connected place for food companies. We’ve got General Mills in Buffalo and so many great ones coming out of Upstate New York. It’s a food hub, which I didn’t realize before I started this company. And it’s all across different markets too! Rochester is the perfect place to start a food company.

How does The Perfect Granola give back to the community?

Michele: We donate 5% of our profits to homeless shelters, outreach centers, and food banks. We participate in events with in-kind donations as well. Through Hillside, we also employ students living in poverty. They need to be ready to survive, and we offer them a safe place to screw up while they learn how to have their first job. Our first student we hired has been working with us for just two months and has experienced unbelievable growth. It’s really incredible!

What's the best part of owning a business in Rochester?

Michele: Inspiring others. I’ve been doing a lot of public speaking in the past few years, and I always get emails afterwards telling me, “You inspired me to do X.” You can do anything you want to. I was working in business development and marketing, and I was a cycling instructor, and I was raising two kids, and I was volunteering. But you make time for the things that are important. Don’t wait for the right time! Just do it. Make it work.

Involving my kids is important to me--there’s lots to learn, and when they come with me to things, they ask lots of great questions. I also love that in this city, no one bats an eye when I show up to something with a kid in tow. Everyone continues to support you.

What are some of the challenges you face?

Michele: Not knowing what I’m doing and figuring things out as they come along. New problems pop up as you solve old ones. There are all sorts of new challenges all the time. Our product has only been on the market for a year and a half. Two years ago I was literally googling, “How to start a food company.” I’m resourceful and I think outside the box, so I enjoy the challenges, even though they can be stressful.

What's been your favorite memory of running this business so far? 

Michele: Our first donation to Foodlink is something I will never forget. It was in the news! I got emotional on camera and of course they ran it on air. We had made other smaller donations before, but this was my first substantial donation--ovr 1,200 pounds of granola. It made it all worth it. Every day there are opportunities to quit. It would be so easy to just say, “okay, I’m done.” It’s working though. We are helping people. It’s bigger than me, and I’d never want to quit now.

I had that same feeling at the House of Mercy a few weeks later when we dropped off a large donation. Sister Grace came out and I hugged her and said thank you. I’ll never forget those feelings and what we’re here to do. We’re here to help.

What are your hopes for the future of The Perfect Granola?

Michele: I hope it continues to grow and is able to employ more people. I’d like for us to do our own manufacturing and to expand into new products. I hope we thrive with the support of our loyal customers and the community. I would love to see us be the top granola brand on the market.

In terms of other granola that’s out there, there’s lots of room for improvement. We’re offering a clean, healthy product and our company is socially responsible. Between giving back, helping bring our communities out of poverty, and offering a great product, it’s a win-win.

What advice would you give to entrepreneurs in the Rochester area?

Michele: Just do it. Jump off the cliff and do it. Know that you will fail--and fail fast. Recover, learn, succeed, and grow. I fail every day--but you become stronger and more resilient. Reach out to people for help. I wouldn’t be where I am today without my mentors and advisors. You can’t do it alone. Reach out for help! Especially in this community where everyone is so connected and so willing to help.