Granola Goddess to open shop on Plainfield

After looking for the past two years for her own space, Molly Dawson has finally found a home for Daily De-lish, her artisanal granola and cookie operation. Up until recently she had been baking out of Suburba, an Ada culinary hotspot. But as her business began to grow she was in need of her own kitchen and base of operations. 

Trying to find the right match for her business needs with a commercial space was the trickiest part. The new space at 4950 Plainfield came with three ovens, the most important asset.  

"I knew right when I walked in, finally I found it!" says Dawson.  

The approximately 1,200 square foot space is situated in a multi-use building on the south side of Plainfield. The front of the shop will have a diagonal checkout counter and benches in front of the windows. Three wooden shelving units will be hand crafted by a friend of Dawson's. A mobile display piece made from re-purposed barn wood already exemplifies the look. The walls are painted blue and tan, colors that match her granola labels, original and peanut butter coconut crisp, respectively. 

Dawson plans to have her current varieties of granola and expand to offering prepackaged organic oats, flour, honey, maple syrup and seeds, with recipes, so customers can experiment baking their own combinations of granola. She will also carry woven farmers market baskets and glass re-sealable bottles called Love Bottles. She is considering selling other Michigan products related to granola as well. 

Dawson is working on adding trail mixes to her product line. Two varieties in particular are named after her kids: Jet Fuel and Dax Trax, each mixed according to her boys' individual tastes. Trail mixes are either raw or toasted mixes of dried fruits and nuts or chocolate, where granola is mixed and baked. 

"I'm going to be experimenting with ginger, chia seeds, quinoa, and try and see what I come up with," says Dawson. 

Daily De-lish is in its fifth season vending at Ada and Fulton Street Farmers Markets. Dawson has been working the new Downtown Market since its opening last year.