On weekdays my normal routine consists of waking up and having yogurt with granola before biking to work. I usually scrape the bulk bin at King Soopers for whatever granola they have in stock. It’s tastes fine, but nothing better than average. Today I sampled every flavor of “Bear Naked Granola” (a perk of working for a media company during a promotion,) and decided it’s time to up the quality of my granola.

This Connecticut based company was formed in 2002 by two friends who baked their own granola and commenced selling it to local health food stores. After gaining investors in 2005 they started selling to major grocery retailers in 2006. They’re still a relatively small organization, and by all accounts they’re a responsible and green company as well:

Bear Naked goes green as it partners with The National Arbor Day Foundation® to help preserve, rebuild and restore America’s damaged national forests. In 2007, Bear Naked and the National Arbor Day Foundation will plant 50,000 trees in two national forests damaged by fires. The company’s donation to the Foundation supports planting trees in the Sequoia National Forest in California and the Huron-Manistee National Forest in Michigan.

Their granola comes in a variety of flavors, and they sell hot and cold cereal as well. Another well thought out design? The packaging. It’s made of thick sturdy plastic, so you can take it hiking, skiing, or camping without it ripping apart.

Their well-designed website contains recipes for granola cookies, bars, and other healthy eats. And look they have a bike team too!