Hasta La Ideas

Bring some all-natural aloha to your tastebuds with this small-batch granola from Kauai

Since 1986 Anahola Granola has been handmaking granola with a focus on fresh, quality ingredients in Hawaii. Founder Becky Burns’ obsession with the region’s surplus of exotic, tropical flavors dates back even further to when she bought a one-way ticket to the islands in the summer of ’69. This affinity for the land combined with baking skills learned as a child pushed Burns to start her venture by selling granola at local fairs and farmer’s markets throughout the islands. As demand grew so did production, while the recipe stayed the same.

Standards for quality remain unchanged too; each variety of granola—original, tropical, mango ginger—ships the day after it’s made. Our personal preference leans toward the tropical granola, made with the Anahola mix of whole grain oats, seeds and local honeys, superbly accented with sun-ripened papaya, coconut and sweet pineapple.

For granola on the go, the MacaMania bars burst with the same delicious island flavors. Using Burn’s original granola as a base, the bar is studded with Hawaiian-grown macadamia nuts, flavored with sweet honey and brown sugar, and gets its crunch from puffed brown rice cereal. We may have just been hungry, but the sliced MacaMania bar disappeared seconds after we snapped these images.

Burns’ treats are now served in many of Hawaii’s upscale hotels and restaurants, and sell through a long list of health food stores, cafes, grocery stores, as well as from Anahola Granola’s online store. Each 12-ounce bag sells for $6, while the MacaMania bars go for $2.50 each.