Tucson Granola Company Better Than Provisions to Attend Good Food Forum + Expo
(Photos via Better Than Provisions)
It’s fair to say that April King is “pretty granola,” just not in an entirely hippie sort of way.
She leans more into the actual sustenance of it as the founder of Better Than Provisions, a Tucson-based, family-owned, artisan-crafted granola brand.
What started small, as a recipe in her own kitchen to meet the needs she had during a changing health situation, has gained traction beyond her home and sparked cravings for those who discover the granola at a local farmers market, while recharging in luxe surroundings at Miraval or while enjoying breakfast at a local coffee shop.
And next month, King will bring Better Than Provisions to the 2024 Good Food Forum + Expo, which Local First Arizona will host Aug. 27 at the El Conquistador Tucson resort. She’ll join dozens of other local culinary minds — from retailers to chefs to entrepreneurs — to connect and nurture Arizona’s robust local food system.
“I’m excited,” King said. “For me it’s always about building relationships and knowing what people are doing and how I can support them, and meeting potential new customers and collaborators and the education Local First wraps into the whole event. It’s not just a selling event. It’s an event where they’re educating on the local food systems and how they can support or be a part of that. The mission and the objective of that is bigger and broader than just having a showcase or trade show.”
King, like many entrepreneurs, uses her hand to stir a few pots.
She owns Better Than Provisions with her husband, Earl. She manages a community commercial kitchen called Cook Tucson where food vendors share space. And, she counsels clients as a food business coach.
All of it has come together over the years as part of her journey from being a health coach and holistic nutritionist to someone who is now running a successful and sustainable consumer packaged goods company focused on creating convenient and nutrient-dense granola with high-quality ingredients that align with any dietary lifestyle.
King said she wanted to make sure that her snackable and packable granola, which is grain-free, sugar-free and gluten-free, would align with any diet, from vegan to keto to diabetic and beyond.
“Our commitment is to make sure that, regardless of what people are eating, this is a choice that’s not full of sugar and it’s something they can count on,” King said. “I made it to solve my own problem when I was at a point where I was very limited in what I could eat and I wanted something that was satisfying. I wanted something with crunch but no sugar but also had a little sweetness to it. Something that made me feel like I was eating normally and eating what I wanted to eat rather than only what I could eat.”
Whole, unprocessed foods are at the heart of Better Than Provisions, which comes in three distinct flavors: cinnamon and vanilla, pumpkin spice-apple, and cacao-cayenne-goji. The same can be said for the theme of the upcoming Good Food Forum, which draws on Indigenous knowledge, emphasizes food resilience, and focuses on local sourcing and sustainable practices.
Better Than Provisions, a name that references the quality of the granola but also the small steps taken toward a “better,” healthier lifestyle, is still handmade, using whole ingredients, including a five-nut combination that acts as a foundation for every variety. And even though the business has grown, offering online sales and developing wholesale relationships, King is still the person who makes the granola.
It’s part of the reason she appreciates Local First Arizona, which Better Than Provisions in 2018. The support the organization offers, she said, is invaluable.
“We’ve very proud to be made in Tucson and in Arizona and we put that out there as much as we possibly can,” she said. “Local First has been a great resource for us. It feels really good that they’ve built a solid team down here in Tucson. I’m a loyalist to this area and to Local First and especially Tucson. The amount of support and love in our particular neck of the woods for makers is very, very strong.”
As someone who stumbled into a business concept, after creating a recipe she thought would be for her to enjoy and gift to friends, King said she is grateful for Tucson’s robust “local” scene, its support for small businesses and the guidance and resources Local First made available to her.
And six years in, with an understanding that her concept is sustainable and on a path to expansion, she is proud to be part of a business community that not only receives local support but gives it back in return.
“I live in this community. I work in this community. I spend my money in this community. We work with a lot of people locally,” she said. “This little community is benefitting people exponentially. We’re helping the collective as a whole, financially, economically, referrals, all of those things. It takes a village.”
Get tickets to Local First Arizona’s 2024 Good Food Forum + Expo in Tucson on Aug. 27 at goodfoodfinderaz.com/forum-expo.
Learn more about Better Than Provisions at betterthanprovisions.com.
