Feel the Love By Edan Goode

Congratulations to a sweetheart of a local company, Love Grown Foods, for reaching the impressive benchmark of national distribution. Good for them and good for us.

I first became aware of the company and its various tasty granola variations when my health-nut husband brought home a variety of the bags. Compared to his health-nuttiness, I’d say I’m a health- supporter. Our kids, well, let’s just say they are works in progress on the healthy eating front. All of us gobbled up Sweet Cranberry Pecan and Apple Walnut Delight with Raisin Almond being our favorite so far, especially for adding to steel cut oatmeal. We have yet to try the new Simply Oats or the eagerly anticipated-by-my-kids Cocoa Goodness.

Getting the kids to eat truly healthy cereals is a feat so I was compelled to reach out to the company to see what they are all about, which turns about to be love, love, love. I spoke to founder, Maddy D’Amato, who, with her boyfriend Alex, started the inklings of the company while students at University of Denver. While living in Aspen, Maddy’s hometown, the venture began to really take hold. From being present in just a few Aspen stores, they have now grown to spreading the love nationwide. Locally, they can be found at King Soopers, City Markets and Vitamin Cottages to name a few.

Love Grown Foods and E.A.T. developed a little mutual admiration society. We love what their product was made of, and Maddie loved what E.A.T. stands for – both literally and figuratively – everyone around the table.

Love Grown2 — Maddy & Alex, the founders of love

“I was raised in a household where we ate homemade dinner with seasonal foods and enjoyed one another’s company every night. Alex, my boyfriend, is the business mind, and my passion is in cooking healthy foods. My background is in nutritional counseling, Pilates, and massage therapy. Cooking is my form of therapy…I simply LOVE it! (Plus, everything tastes better when it’s made with LOVE!)”

“We believe you should be able to pronounce every ingredient in your food and know what it is. My goal is to make health less of a privilege and more of a right. I have a HUGE soft spot for kids, because I know that health starts at a young age.”