Elizabeth Stein is the Founder and CEO of Purely Elizabeth, the number one granola brand in America and a trailblazer in the natural foods industry.
Her journey began far from the aisles of Whole Foods. In 2008, she was working as a certified holistic nutrition counselor, focused on helping people one-on-one. But when she brought a batch of homemade gluten-free blueberry muffins to a local triathlon to promote her practice, something unexpected happened: people went crazy for them. That moment sparked an idea. From her tiny New York City apartment, Elizabeth started selling muffin mixes and hand-delivering orders. Over time, she pivoted to granola, a bold move that would put her on the map. What began as scrappy kitchen experiments turned into Purely Elizabeth, now sold in over 30,000 stores nationwide. With backing from General Mills and a cult following among health-conscious shoppers, she’s built more than a food company — she’s built a movement.
In our conversation, Elizabeth takes us behind the scenes of what it really looks like to build a food company from the ground up, starting with no industry experience and a whole lot of curiosity. She shares how she created her first product (yes, those famous blueberry muffins), and how one pivot led her to granola, now the brand’s bestseller and the product that took everything to the next level. We talk about bootstrapping for seven years, early manufacturing struggles, and the moment a Whole Foods buyer gave her a shot that changed everything. Elizabeth also opens up about walking trade show floors to get noticed, teaching herself how to fundraise, and learning to trust her gut long before she felt ready. She gets honest about the personal growth it takes to scale a business, from building confidence to setting boundaries, and why letting go of perfection was one of the best decisions she ever made.
In this episode, we’ll talk to Elizabeth about:
* Starting a business without all the answers. [03:09]
* The power of ambition and a strong support system. [05:34]
* How Elizabeth’s interest in wellness first started. [08:46]
* Studying nutrition and building business skills. [16:17]
* Creating the first product: blueberry muffins. [18:27]
* How pivoting opened new opportunities. [22:07]
* Navigating early manufacturing challenges. [29:35]
* Why trade shows became key turning points. [31:13]
* Breaking into Whole Foods. [33:56]
* Finding the right co-packer to scale. [36:07]
* Pivoting to launch their now-popular granola line. [43:09]
* Approaching investors and their first fundraise. [47:32]
* Elizabeth’s biggest area of growth: confidence. [53:22]
* Learning to say no and create healthy boundaries. [57:07]
This episode is brought to you by beeya:
* Learn more about beeya's seed cycling bundle at https://beeyawellness.com/free to find out how to tackle hormonal imbalances.
* Get $10 off your order by using promo code BEHINDHEREMPIRE10
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* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/purely_elizabeth/
* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamelizabethstein/
* Website: https://purelyelizabeth.com/
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