Hidden Gems: Meet Morgan Lerner of GoNanas

Today we’d like to introduce you to Morgan Lerner. 

Hi Morgan, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
We met at the University of Michigan, where we were neighbors in the freshman dorms and quickly bonded over our shared love for healthy food and, of course, baking. We also shared a common frustration with the lack of tasty, nutritious food options on campus, especially in the baked goods arena. Given our shared love for banana bread, we set off recipe testing for three years to perfect our better-for-you banana bread. We started selling single-serve banana bread loaves around campus and throughout Michigan. After moving to Chicago shortly after graduation, we continued to build our ready-made banana bread business; however, when the pandemic hit, almost all of our retail partners were forced to close indefinitely. We had a surplus of ingredients in inventory, and we had customers who were missing our products. We knew we had to pivot, so we came out with a NEW product line of banana bread mixes. This happened just as banana bread blew up as the “official comfort food of the Coronavirus.” Soon after, we launched our mixes with Nordstrom Rack, they went viral on social media, and they’ve now been featured in Forbes, USA Today, and Buzzfeed and are getting ready to launch in some national grocery store chains next summer! 

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
In entrepreneurship, it’s never a smooth road 🙂 The pandemic was the biggest struggle, but it forced us to pivot, and launch our very first at-home baking mix, which was really what took our business to new heights. Unlike how our business started, this was grew really quickly, so we had to learn how to quickly scale it to match demand. Everything from moving to a giant manufacturer and hiring employees to financing and innovation have been completely new and learned areas of the business for us. All “struggles” have become incredibly learning and growth opportunities. 

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about GoNanas?
GoNanas is a better-for-you bakery brand, using bananas to make vegan, gluten-free, and allergen-friendly yet indulgent baking mixes. We specialize in flavor creation, launching new limited edition banana bread mixes every month like cookie dough and fudge brownie banana bread that sell out within days or weeks. We are here to make healthy living easier and more enjoyable with our banana bread that is SO decadent you would NEVER know it’s allergen friendly or made from a mix. We also have an incredibly loyal community online with our over 2000 influencer ambassadors and customers repping GoNanas across the country. Join the #GoNanasFam online to follow along 🙂 

Can you share something surprising about yourself?
That I still run our ambassador program and so much of our social to stay connected and in touch with our customers! It’s my favorite part of what I do. 

Pricing:

• Each standard-sized mix is $9.99-10.99 / unit online
• Each instant banana bread packet (single-serve) is $3.5 / unit online

Contact Info:

• Website: eatgonanas.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/go_nanas/