[me] & goji – Custom Artisanal Cereal

[me] & goji is the creation of three friends – Adam, Carl and Alexander. It’s a New England cereal company that puts you in control. They allow customers to choose their own custom organic mixes. The possibilities seem endless, but I’ll let Carl tell you a little more about that. I recently put him to the task of answering some questions about [me] & goji. Coming up soon, I’ll tell you about the cereal I created from the organic ingredients at [me] & goji.

Why did [me] & goji decide to give consumers such a wide variety of choices?

Carl: We believe that every customer should be able to satisfy their tastes or dietary needs. Our ingredients are on the one hand some of the most nutrient dense and interesting foods, but on the other hand, we also carry the types of ingredients Americans are accustomed to eating in their cereal or granola. We are constantly receiving suggestions for new ingredients by our customers and want to accommodate these demands.

Furthermore, we want our customers to be able to monitor their nutritional intake and we believe that offering a wide choice of ingredients and a real-time nutritional counter allows for this.

I’m assuming that you also eat your own custom cereal from [me] & goji. What is your own favorite blend?

Carl: My favorite blend is called the swedish brontosaurus and contains: artisanal cereal, choco cranberry, goji, mulberry, brazil nuts and macadamia. This is a mix which offers the artisanal base – a hybrid base containing crunchy cereal flakes combined with nutritional righteousness of raw rolled flakes found in muesli. It contains very interesting textures with the crunchy brazil and macadamia nuts complimenting the softer choco cranberries and goji.

My favorite blend along with my co-founders’ favorites can be found at Our Favorites.

Are you happy with the large crop of ingredient choices you offer right now, or do you plan on changing it periodically?

Carl: We will never be satisfied with the large crop of ingredients we currently offer. Although we do not remove ingredients, we are constantly looking to add new ones. We spend substantial time scouring food exhibitions and reading up on the latest trends but also listen closely to our customers – their feedback on new ingredients to add has been great so far!

Could you tell us a little about the cereal capsule?

Carl: The decision to use our cereal capsules was a very conscious choice. The following points were the rationale behind the choice:

Big value: packed with 50% more cereal (21oz, 600g) than the average box. Freshness is locked in with an easy, pull-off foil seal. once opened, a tightly fitting cap keeps cereal fresher, longer.

Convenient and portable: fits in standard cupboards (if there is already one on your countertop) and makes taking cereal on-the-go easier than ever.

Art meets science: both functional and attractive, the cylindrical design makes pouring easy and mess-free. No more difficult-to-open bags or flimsy boxes. Easily recyclable. Influenced by modern-minimalist interior design, we aimed to create an aesthetically appealing package that sits on your countertop and not in the cupboard.

I noticed that you give customers the opportunity to buy Co2 offsets called green tag for $1 to cancel out the creation of the cereal capsule and shipping. Those funds go to Bonneville Environmental Foundation. Why did you choose them?

Carl: We were very eager to be able to offer a carbon negative delivery to our customers and initiated discussions with many firms similar to Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF). We found that BEF’s approach is especially dynamic and pragmatic. BEF uses free market principles and entrepreneurial thinking to create positive and lasting changes for the planet, which is something we value greatly. Furthermore, BEF was very transparent and complaisant when analyzing our carbon footprint and how to offset it. There are many companies offering carbon offsets out there, our research determined that BEF was the best, with the most amount of each dollar going to their cause, not their administrative costs.

Do you have anything to add?

Carl: One of the great things about starting a consumer products business is discovering all the uses that people will find for your product that you might not have envisioned yourself. While we thought our product would make a great gift, we never imagined it would be such a driving part of our business. People have given personalized cereals to their friends or family for all sorts of occasions, from “good luck in the marathon” blends to “happy secretary’s day” mixes. Even for people who might not readily treat themselves to a fancy breakfast, they have found custom cereal to be a unique and affordable gift. We are already seeing a lot of orders for Mother’s Day and we expect the graduation season to be huge.

Also, we are especially proud that our product appeals and caters so well to the needs of those who are gluten intolerant. We have received great feedback from customers who have struggled for years to find a tasty gluten-free breakfast alternative but now have discovered [me] & goji. Feedback of this kind makes our job much more enjoyable!

(Images from [me] & goji)