Rainbow Trout Granola
Typically, children tend to inherit a business from their parents, but for Rainbow Trout Kitchen, it’s the other way around.
While the crunchy company is helmed by friends Jakie Bowles and Ashley Wallace, its origin story begins with Bowles’ son Peter, over a decade ago. An avid fly-fishing enthusiast, Peter began to make his own granola following a trip out west to Colorado — he was eight years old.
“He’s the one who always has the wheels spinning,” says Bowles of her middle child. “He came home from the trip and started making it for friends and family.”
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A modern-day lemonade stand of sorts, Peter operated the business until he was a senior in high school, and during the decade-long run, gains corporate clients and boutique hotels along the way. But with college on the horizon, and Bowles plotting her next chapter, the family members began to discuss the future of the side hustle turned viable business.
That year, Bowles purchased Rainbow Trout Kitchen from her son and asked Wallace to join her. Sharing a background in nonprofits and volunteering, in addition to husbands that grew up together in Richmond and a love for granola with berries, the duo embarked on a new, edible adventure.
“We have a great working relationship and complement each other's talents,” shares Wallace. "When that opportunity came, I thought, this could be a new adventure. I’ve never been a business owner or an entrepreneur, and I had also been a customer of Rainbow Trout for many years.”
Since taking over Rainbow Trout Kitchen, Bowles and Wallace have landed their granola on shelves at over 30 markets around the region, in addition to stores in North Carolina and South Carolina. There is even a loyal customer in Maryland who was first introduced to Rainbow Trout Kitchen at Ellwood Thompson’s.
“The shoppers at Ellwood’s are super savvy and check out the ingredients and really pay attention to what they’re putting into their bodies,” says Bowles. “We have a lady in Maryland who buys from us because she can’t find [granola] locally where she is that doesn’t have added sugar.”
Expanding their reach over the past couple years, Rainbow Trout Kitchen recently introduced a subscription service which allows granola fans to get the versatile high-fiber snack delivered right to their door, and with a 10% discount. Sold in one-pound bags, the certified-kosher, non-GMO granola features whole-grain oats, almonds, Madagascar vanilla, clover honey and cinnamon.
Currently Bowles and Wallace operate Rainbow Trout Kitchen out of a small commercial bakery on Quioccasin Road home to four partial-grade ovens. They say the journey has been rewarding, and they know this is just the beginning.
“We’ve learned a lot through our mentors, including Rick Hood,” says Wallace.
“Richmond is a special place when it comes to food producing and entrepreneurship and we feel so much support and we really appreciate Real Local RVA and what Rick Hood has put into that organization,” echoes Bowles.”It’s been super important to our start, and our continued business.”
