Family Overcomes Hardship with Health Food Creation - Lola Granola

Like many Americans, Mary and Ernie Molina experienced a time of financial crisis with the downtown of the economy. They lost their family owned retail cell phone store and were forced to rely on the generosity of relatives to cover monthly expenses. When the family could no longer afford toilet paper, the Molina’s knew something had to be done. Finally, Ernie was offered a sales position selling coins for commission only. In efforts to save money, Mary started making her own granola bars for Ernie to take to work as a snack.

Occasionally, Ernie would offer one of Mary’s granola bars to his coworkers, who began requesting orders of them to take home… and finally, the Lola Granola Bar was born! Today, the Molina family’s cost effective creations, named affectionately after their 4 children, can be found in Whole Foods and many other large retail stores. Mary and Ernie also spend time volunteering for charity organizations and donate their granola bars to Westchester Food Bank and Back Pack Program to ensure that no more children have go without a healthy snack!

Want to stay connected to the Molina family and their delicious granola bars? Visit their website or follow them on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.

This video was produced by Rob Decina and shot/edited by Matthew Lagle. Interested in more inspiring stories? Visit the HooplaHa YouTube page…and don’t forget to smile!