From Cravings to Creation, Wailua Granola Co. Took Shape

Credit: Aaron Yoshino

For Kauaʻi native Taleea Carvalho, the journey from home baker to food entrepreneur began with a daily craving. Her family loved acai bowls, but store-bought options left her dissatisfied. “We were buying Costco granola, and every time I got to the bottom of my bowl, I could never finish it, because it was just too sweet,” Carvalho recalls. “So, I ended up making our own granola, which is actually our original granola blend now.”

After she gifted her homemade blend to loved ones for Christmas, their enthusiastic feedback encouraged her to start selling it. In 2020, she founded Wailua Granola Co., which now offers four varieties in addition to their original blend, including cacao, peanut butter, macadamia nut and granola brittle.

“In our granola we use coconut oil as our base, which is pretty expensive oil, but to me it makes all the difference. It tastes better, it’s better for you,” Carvalho says. She also attributes the quality of her granola to a commitment to incorporate local ingredients such as raw honey from Kauaʻi apiaries and fresh coconut grown on island.

“We support farmers and other local makers to produce our products, and I’m super proud of that, and I love that we can do that. We can pay our farmers what they’re asking to produce our product, which also makes it a premium product, because if you think about picking a coconut and husking and bagging it, that takes a lot of time. But I’m willing to pay that money for that product, because it sets us apart.”

Wailua Granola Co. also operates The Granola House, their café in Kapaia. The menu features açaí bowls, smoothies and parfaits, served with their signature crunch.