While granola has , since the si xties , been popular with the hiking and camping set (and the concert-going hippie set, too) for its portability and the long-lasting energy it imparts, these days it’s becoming a lot more mainstream. And that’s in no small part due to the growing interest in consuming whole grains. Granola, with rolled oats as its main ingredient, often rounded out by nuts and dried fruits, is a no-brainer for adding whole grains and—depending upon the recipe—omega 3s, protein, fiber, and antioxidants to your diet. And you don’t have to bake it up in your own kitchen to get all those benefits. The increasing demands for granola are being met by creative companies that have an eye not only on their great-tasting and crunchy roots, but also on making products with no trans fats, no corn syrup, and using as many organic ingredients as possible.

Bear Naked (www.bearnaked.com), a Connecticut company started by friends Kelly Flatley and Brendan Synnott, produces some of the best new granolas. Fruit and Nut granola, the company’s original flavor (available at Whole Foods, Safeway, Ralph’s, and Gelson’s), is still Flatley’s favorite. But Synnott is partial to the company’s newer cocoa-and-chocolate-chip-laden Heavenly Chocolate (available at Whole Foods); we love both varieties. Fortunately, neither cofounder minds the hippie label their life’s work comes with. “As someone who was referred to as ‘granola girl’ on her business card, I’m proud to use it as an adjective,” says Flatley. “Granola and grain-based foods are back in a big way as people are more aware of and reliant on these products as healthy snack food.” Bear Naked is distinguished by a slightly softer texture than most other granolas (although the chocolate version is crispy). Flatley and Synnott knew they were onto something when after six months they had trouble producing enough granola to cover orders; Bear Naked is still hand-made, but these days the commercial kitchen is staffed by more than 50 employees. “We pride ourselves on investing in the best tasting and highest quality ingredients, and believe that is why consumers love our products,” says Synnott. “We also package our granolas in a bag, so they work as a convenient on-the-go snack.”

Convenient light-weight packaging—and, of course, its highenergy contents—are also a draw for the locally-made Groovy Granola from Great Harvest Bread Co. in Thousand Oaks (2092-H Newbury Road; 805-376-0111 or www.realgoodbread. com). “It seems cliché, but our granola is popular with backpackers and has accompanied hikers on many trans-Sierra treks,” says local Great Harvest owner Jim Costello. “At the Brentwood Farmers’ Market where we have a stand every Sunday, cyclists will often ride up to buy a bag and stuff it in their pack before riding off.” The granola, generally made twice a week in the store, contains either cashews or almonds (they alternate) and a variety of dried fruits; it also has a pronounced cinnamon flavor that makes it stand apart from the others. “Customers like the fact that our granola is made with no oils or fats; the only fat in our granola comes from the nuts,” says Costello.

Another health-conscious made-in-the-805 granola is produced by Wayback in Santa Barbara. The young company was started in August 2006 by friends Carol Carter and Darlene Novak (Novak has since moved on to become a chef). The friends both love to cook and were inspired to come up with a delicious and healthy snack. After much experimenting and tasting, their efforts resulted in a pistachio granola made with organic ingredients from Santa Barbara’s Isla Vista Co-op, including oats, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and hand-ground flax. The result is a light-tasting crisp granola with a generous dose of pistachios. “As people want to eat whole grains again, granola is perfect,” says Carter. “I have made several fruit crisps and used the pistachio granola as the topping. It bakes perfectly at 325 degrees—and you get a great, whole-grain, high-fiber dessert.” The packaging reflects Carter’s and Novak’s Southern California roots, with a VW bus carrying surfboards. “We have both lived in Southern California for 30 years … I grew up going to Grateful Dead concerts, wearing tie-dye, and eating granola,” says Carter. “We wanted the granola to look and feel like Southern California.” While Wayback is currently only available in Santa Barbara area stores (Lazy Acres, Isla Vista Food Co-op, Pierre Lafond, and a few others), they do considerable mail-order business (www.waybackgranola.com), and the company has plans to expand further south soon.

With gourmet granolas gaining a firm foothold in mainstream markets, and with whole grains being embraced by the masses, that leaves us to wonder: What else might those hippies have been right about?