Hiram, ME—GrandyOatsis changing its name to Grandy Organics, and will reveal the rebrandat Expo Wes. Aaron Anker, who was previously co-owner, will take over full ownership as partner Nat Peirce has departed the company.

"I'm excited to announce substantial changes at our company," said Anker. "GrandyOats is now Grandy Organics; my longtime partner Nat Peirce has departed in order to pursue new adventures; and we're beginning to unveil a line of compostable packaging."

The company produces nearly 2 million pounds of roasted nuts, trail mix, and granola yearly. This is done in a sustainably powered building, which offsets 145,000 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions annually, according to a press release.

"We're excited to be unveiling Grandy Organics and our newly branded packaging to our core retail customers," Anker added. "For the last decade, we've been evolving as a brand, expanding our offering to things like roasted nuts, trail mixes and our top selling grain-free granola line, Coconola. It made sense to change our name to more accurately reflect our breadth, while giving us latitude to explore new possibilities."

Anker's credits COVID for providing a necessary change to business. GrandyOats started selling packaged granola and partnered with online subscription box companies. They also expanded sales to the Midwest and Southeast.

Ankers explained, "These retailers had customers who were clamoring for healthy food, while our university and bulk business were shutting down or reducing capacity. We had healthy bulk products at our fingertips that we could repack for them."

He continued, "The pandemic was really challenging for us, but looking back, we ended up forging even stronger relationships with our retail partners as a result. We actually met more frequently with our retail customers, we collaborated more, we got creative, and we became a stronger company."

The Grandy team also began shipping items in sustainable packaging, with the goal being to offer items boxed in compostable packaging.

As the company shifts fully into Anker's hands, he reflected on his 22-year parternship with Peirce. "I'm incredibly grateful for everything Nat did to build up the company and I'm happy he is following his passion into new pursuits."