About Us
Who knew that a union between a farm boy and a wannabe triathlete tree-hugger would birth the best energy bar known to man?
We are Colleen and Grant. A wannabe athlete mom and a farmer. We fell in love with a big idea: to use our professions, passions, and crazy ideas to do some good in this world.
I was busy learning how to train for triathlons (I have to confess I had KONA in my dreams!) and it went something like this: First things first…learn to swim. Check. Second…learn how to fall off a road bike WITHOUT toe clips in. Half check. Lastly…run like a banshee. Check.
As I learned more and more about how to fuel my body for performance and recovery, I started eating energy bars. As I continued training, I found that traditional energy bars weren't really that cool. Lots of high fructose corn syrup, cheap vitamins, and wonky aftertastes. Sick. So I did some research and came up with GORP.
I never thought about going commercial with this little bar until my training mates started demanding them. That’s how it all began. Word spread and pretty soon the local welding shop was ordering bars for coffee break. Hairdressers, marathon runners...folks looking for a high-protein snack to get through the day. That is when the light bulb flickered on!
Our passion is to fuel your adventures and do some global good at the same time.This business has to be about more than food, more than making a dime... it has to be about people.
WE GROW FOOD. WE GET OUTSIDE AND MUCK IT UP! WE SWING FROM TREES AND SING IN THE RAIN. We are about loving life and nourishing our bodies so we can jump, fight, twirl, bike, paddle, run, climb, and roar our way into the next adventure!
Adventure ON!
The Background
A philosophy birthed on the back of a little red Massey Ferguson...
During college I had a summer job on my boyfriend’s (soon to be husband’s) dad's farm. After painting every possible surface on the farm that summer, I was soon assigned an old Massey and pretty much told to go out and not break anything!
So I hit the country roads mowing field borders and tilling trees, and that little tractor became my third arm. At one point I think it was permanently attached to my butt!
It was HOT that summer, and not just any kind of hot…the burning, beating kind of hot that doesn't even feel cool in the shade. I anticipated a LONG, HORRID summer, but the opposite was true. It was downright MAGICAL. No music, no distractions (aside from keeping the tractor from flipping on the steep ditches!), no radio, nothing. Just me and the Massey. I did some of my best thinking on the back of that little tractor and became strangely attached to her.
She was small (like me), but she could go ANYWHERE. She was dependable and sturdy and often underestimated. Among the "big power" on the farm, she was not the most desirable, but she came to mean something far greater to me than I could imagine and became the impetus for my business philosophy…
The Flying Tractor Philosophy
What do I want GORP to invoke in people? Well, here it is: I think our culture has helped to paralyze us, and has made us believe that you have to look a certain way, or weigh a certain weight, or have X amount of talent to "deserve" to try certain things or engage in certain activities…and I am calling BULL!
EVERYONE DESERVES TO HAVE AN ADVENTURE! Everyone. Period. I don't care what you look like or how good you are at whatever. As a company, we want to inspire and reward people for getting outside and using their bodies for good stuff. Even if you're a professional athlete, I know you aren't immune to the expectations and stereotypes. And I don't care if your adventure is walking around the block without stopping. Just get outside and move and build community – that’s where life lives!
So, a long ramble to get where? The flying tractor philosophy basically says: What's "normal"? and Who cares? Get out and live! We aren't judging you, so just go – we've got your back!