Sweet Babu’s creates community, supports local businesses with granola

May 30, 2023 | Lauren LeBel
llebel@thereminder.com

Sweet Babu’s granola comes in six specialty flavors and is gluten, dairy and soy free, with no additives for preservatives.
Reminder Publishing submitted photo

CHICOPEE — What began with a passion for baking and sharing those goods with family and friends has turned into the establishment of a small business.

In 2013, when Chelsea Beaudry became a mother, she also found a love for creating delicious treats. “I started baking everything from scratch,” she shared.

One of the popular items she gifted to teachers and family was granola. “Granola happened to be one of those things,” she said. “I found a random recipe [and] changed much of it … People were going nuts for it and asked where they could buy it.”

She continued, “Being a mom was most important [so] I kept doing what I was doing.”

It was not until the coronavirus pandemic began that Beaudry thought she could create a business out of it.

“My daughter went to kindergarten and my son went to third grade so I thought I could do this full time,” she said.

With assistance from a friend who owns Apex Orchards in Shelburne Falls — from which Beaudry gets her honey — she was able to operate out of that shop.

After making labels and bags for the granola, Sweet Babu’s was created within seven days.

All the granola is gluten, dairy and soy free, with no additives or preservatives.

Sweet Babu’s has two missions. The first is to spread happiness and create community around the brand, which is “built on authenticity and a shared love for delicious, wholesome food.” The second is to use the best organic and locally sourced ingredients possible. “We believe in supporting small farms and businesses as much as possible, and if we can’t get it locally, we seek out small farms across the country,” according to Sweet Babu’s website. By doing this it not only supports other people’s businesses, but makes the granola “that much better,” Beaudry said.

Locally, Sweet Babu’s uses Shelburne Honey Co. in Shelburne Falls and Justamere Tree Farm in Worthington for maple syrup. Beaudry said she uses organic gluten-free oats sourced from a small farm in California. Other ingredients in the granola include extra virgin coconut oil and olive oil, along with brown rice crisps.

Sweet Babu’s has six set flavors such as honey nut granola, cocoa crunch granola and apple crisp granola, to name a few. For holidays such as Christmas and Valentine’s Day, Beaudry offers specialty flavors.

Currently, Sweet Babu’s is doing a fundraiser for a 5-year-old girl in South Hadley — Beaudry’s hometown — who is battling cancer. Proceeds from the sale of “Brittney’s Love Bug Granola” will go to her family.

In addition to online sales, Sweet Babu’s can be found in various stores including Atkins Farm in Amherst, Randall’s Farm in Ludlow and Barstow’s in Hadley, among others. The granola can also be found in a few places in Connecticut and near Cape Cod. To find out where Sweet Babu’s products are available, find it on Instagram @sweetbabus.

Sweet Babu’s is located on East Main Street in Chicopee; however, it is not a storefront bakery, it is a wholesale bakery.

Beaudry currently has two part-time employees but up until a few months ago, she ran it all on her own.

“When I started, I had no idea any of this would happen and now it’s [all] happening,” Beaudry said. “I plan to keep on trucking, growing, hiring more employees,” as well as expanding into more stores and farmers markets.

For additional information on Sweet Babu’s, visit sweetbabus.com.

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