October 17, 2019
The Muesli Bar: Created in Canberra, delivered to you
The Muesli Bar co-founder Rowly Fischer was always into muesli and granola. But as co-founder and wife Lisa watched him in the supermarket’s granola aisle, visibly unsatisfied by the offerings, she knew that something had to be done.
So she took matters into her own hands. Lisa had a longtime interest in natural foods, and in researching muesli and granola variations, she made the novel decision to bake muesli without oil. Over time, she developed a core recipe: Hand roasted, baked in local honey without any oils or preservatives, and featuring seasonal fruits air-dried in house.
Judging how quickly Rowly devoured her creations, Lisa was onto something. She wrote up a business plan for an online custom-made muesli service, and The Muesli Bar was born.
Next stop, the farmer’s market. “At the farmer’s market, people would tell us what kinds of oats they liked, and what kinds of other ingredients they wanted mixed in,” says Rowly. “Farmer’s Markets have been a great incubator for our business.”
In fact, it was through a contact made at a farmer’s market that The Muesli Bar ended up supplying the Royal Australian Air Force’s (RAAF) №34 Squadron, which ferries VIPs including the Prime Minister of Australia.
Despite such lofty heights, The Muesli Bar remains a down to earth place. It’s the type of business that sells a mug with a portrait of Lionel Richie and the caption “Hello? Is it Tea You’re Looking For?” next to a mug with a photo of Rowly himself, wearing a wetsuit and comedic panache.
