Granola from Vim Foods is available at Arden’s in Rowayton.
Photography: Venera Alexandrova
College Student Expands All-Natural Granola Business at Vim Foods
Darien native Elizabeth Dale has loved food and cooking for as long as she can remember. She started making her own meals by age 13, carefully choosing each ingredient and developing a passion for health. She began researching nutrient-dense foods and studying the gut microbiome. Currently at Cornell University studying food science and business, Dale has taken her hobby to the next level by launching Vim Foods, an all-natural granola company.
“I think about food and cooking when I fall asleep at night and when I wake up in the morning,” says Dale.
Her inspiration for creating Vim Foods was to share healthy creations with others and to show that eating clean foods can be delicious. Dale initially launched Vim Foods, which makes plant-based, gluten-free, refined sugar-free, all-natural granola, in the summer of 2021 and started selling her products at the Rowayton Farmers Market. She has since expanded distribution and her granola can now be found at Arden’s in Rowayton as well as online at vimfoods.online.
Another part of Dale’s professional mission is to expand the food bank recipe card program, which she developed for Person to Person, a local nonprofit. Her initiative provides recipes for delicious and nutritious family meals using basic ingredients available at the food pantry. As Vim Foods grows, Dale hopes to continue expanding her impact on the community about food insecurity.
“My philosophy around food is that everyone should strive to eat the most whole ingredients, minimally processed, and nutrient-dense foods available to them,” says Dale.
Vim Foods makes the granola in small batches with high-quality ingredients.
“The elements in each bag are purposeful,” says Dale. “The grain-free superfood granola is created with whole-food, plant-based, gluten-free and nutrient-packed foods. It is lightly sweetened with wild honey, a sweetener that is lower glycemic than the cane sugar found in most store-bought granolas. This product is a way to improve your breakfast or snack because it has protein, fats and carbohydrates to give you a boost of energy in each bite—and it tastes delicious!”