STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK

Julie LaFleur stuck her tongue out as she stirred brown rice syrup into a bowl as large as a kitchen sink full of organic rolled oats, pecans, pepitas, crispy rice, chia seeds, dried cranberries and white chocolate morsels.

“This is what they call artisan handmade small batch granola,” she said, getting some muscle into the act. “I tried to do this with a mixer and pulverized all the ingredients.”

LaFleur is the creator of Red Barn Granola, and the Christmas holidays and Fourth of July are her busiest seasons.

“They’re crazy because there’s are so many people in town,” she said. “And at Christmas people love to gift friends and family with the granola because it represents something of Sun Valley.”

LaFleur launched her granola line, which includes Cherry Brown Butter, Ginger Almond Coconut, Apple Walnut Cinnamon and Cranberry Orange Pecan flavors, in November 2019. Her Cranberry White Chocolate Granola is her newest flavor, dubbed “The Skier’s Blend” and created for the 2025 World Cup Finals that will be held in Sun Valley in March.

“My kids were getting older and needing me less and I thought, ‘What am I going to do next in my life?’ I had always admired artisans who start small food companies. And, so, I looked around and asked myself, ‘What am I not finding that I like in this valley?’ I realized I was not finding a granola that had a mix of the unique flavors that I liked.”

LaFleur went to work experimenting with favorite flavors and ingredients, such as ginger, almonds and coconut. She began baking the granola in her kitchen selling it off her front porch until friends and family encouraged her to take it to the next level.

Today she bakes in the Mason Family Provisions commercial kitchen shared by Enoteca Restaurant in The Courtyard in Ketchum.

It wasn’t difficult picking a name for her granola. LaFleur had spent summers and weekends at her family’s farm outside of Seattle where there was a weathered old barn that appeared on the verge of collapse. And, when she and her husband Peter decided to pick a place to raise their children 18 years ago, they were drawn to Sun Valley’s iconic red barn that serves as a photo backdrop for so many who visit and live in Sun Valley.

Graphic artist Karen Waters provided the logo, and Sharon Pyle of Atkinsons’ Market helped her with flavor ideas.

Her granola has received great reviews. “I’m very picky about the sweetness of my granola and Red Barn has the perfect mix of nuts, oats and sweetness,” said one. “I wasn’t much of a granola person until I tried it during one of our trips to Sun Valley—I’m now a regular customer,” said a man from Dallas, Texas.

“If it tasted any better, it would be illegal,” said a Sun Valley man.

LaFleur says she loves to experiment with ingredients like Montmorency dried tart cherries from Utah, pumpkin seeds and orange emulsion to her mixes to increase the product’s flavor profile and uniqueness.

“I’m grateful to this community for its response to this artisan granola. I frequently hear stories from customers about how they start every morning with Red Barn Granola on top of their fruit and yogurt. And my friend Jill McClain, who helped me develop a business plan, even packs several bags of it in her suitcase when she travels. She is spreading the love of Red Barn Granola.”

Red Barn Granola is available at Atkinsons’ Market in Ketchum and Hailey, Village Market in Ketchum,  Kraay’s Market in Bellevue, Ketchum Kitchens and online at https://www.redbarngranola.com/.

Her Ginger Coconut Cookies are available at Maude’s Coffee and Clothes in Ketchum.