Treasured Morning: A Taranaki Health Journey That Became Hemp Powered Granola | We Love Local
Meet Liz O'Callaghan, the New Plymouth founder behind Treasured Morning. What started as a breakfast problem in her own kitchen, solved with almonds, chia and NZ-grown hemp protein, has grown into a small-batch granola business with a 2024 NZ Food Awards Pantry finalist nod. You'll find it in our Tasty Taranaki and Healthy Habits gift boxes.
This article is part of ourSupplier Storiesseries, where we share the people and stories behind the products in our gift boxes. Liz O’Callaghan and Greg in the Treasured Morning kitchenWhen we set out to find more Taranaki producers for our gift boxes, Treasured Morning’s high protein granola stood out straight away. It comes from a home kitchen in New Plymouth, where founder Liz O’Callaghan turned her own breakfast frustration into a small batch business that now features in ourTasty Taranaki Gift Box. A Breakfast Problem Liz Decided To Solve HerselfLiz started Treasured Morning while working through her own health journey. She wanted to lose weight and was told to add more protein to her mornings, but cooking eggs every day felt impossible, and nothing on the supermarket shelf fit what she needed. So she began making her own granola at home, working with a food technologist to settle on a recipe built around almonds, chia seeds, hemp hearts and hemp protein powder. She originally used free range egg whites until New Zealand’s egg shortage forced a switch to hemp instead, a change that ended up working in her favour. Hemp delivers all nine essential amino acids, supports joint health, and is grown right here in New Zealand, while being gentler on digestion than many protein powders. In an interview withLive Magazine, Liz put it simply:I ended up losing 20kgs by incorporating more protein, which helped kill cravings. She started by dropping zip lock bags of homemade granola off to her gym friends. By 2021, Treasured Morning had become her full time focus. Small Batches, Built On Real IngredientsTreasured Morning makes five flavours of high protein granola: Apple Crumble, Berry, Carrot Cake, Peach and Nectarine, and The Honey One. Every batch is gluten free, made without refined sugar or fillers, and built around almonds, chia seeds, dates and hemp protein sourced from New Zealand growers, including hemp grown in Levin. The range is also certified vegan. Treasured Morning granola, made in small batches in New PlymouthThe Apple Crumble flavour was named a finalist in the Pantry Award category at the2024 New Zealand Food Awards, recognition for a product that started life in zip lock bags handed out at the gym. Liz traces the whole business back toher own search for a better way to start the day. She has found her customers are driven less by weight loss goals these days and more by wanting quality, wholesome ingredients in their mornings, whatever their reason for reaching for the bag. Rooted In TaranakiTreasured Morning draws its inspiration from the Taranaki landscape, including the view of Taranaki Maunga from Liz’s home kitchen in New Plymouth. A small team has grown around her, with Greg looking after production and Sophie handling marketing. Liz O’Callaghan, founder of Treasured MorningPackaging is recyclable, ingredients are sourced from New Zealand growers wherever possible, and every batch is kept small to stay fresh and cut down on waste, values that line up closely with what we look for in the producers we choose to feature. Taranaki, In Every BoxRegion:TaranakiCharity supported:A 1% donation from sales of our Taranaki gift box supports causes including Sustainable Coastlines and Bellyful, throughOne Percent Collective. Find it in:Tasty Taranaki Gift BoxYou’ll find Treasured Morning granola in ourTasty Taranaki Gift Boxalongside fellow Taranaki producers Malva Chocolate and MK Spice, and in ourHealthy Habits Gift Box, built for anyone chasing better mornings. Tasty Taranaki Gift BoxHealthy Habit Gift BoxLooking for a gift box for someone who takes their breakfast seriously, or want to put together acorporate giftfor your team? Treasured Morning is a lovely place to start.