We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Anna Kozaki. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Anna below.

Anna, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Alright, so we’d love to hear about how you got your first client or customer. What’s the story?

Currently, I bake granolas and cookies in a big commercial kitchen and distribute them to health food stores along with selling at local farmers markets and online. But I still remember vividly my first day at a Farmers Market in Downtown Pasadena (which has been now closed). I moved to Los Angeles in 2015 and established my granola company in 2016. At that time, I was still trying to adjust myself to the new environment. I was able to communicate in English in general but it took a while for me to get used to the rhythm and the whole new culture.
Yes, it was very exciting to have the first sale on that day but what I wanted to share in this article is how grateful I am that I stepped into the farmers market community on that day. Since then, I have been participating in different farmers markets in Los Angeles. I know that many of the food vendor owners hire employees to sell at their booths but for me, communicating with the customers is the best part. Some of the customers have been coming to my booth every single week for more than 5 years and I always feel this is one of the most precious things I have in my life.

Anna, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Hello!! My name is Anna and I’m the owner & baker at STAR SKY GRANOLA. Our granolas and cookies are all organic, vegan, and gluten-free with a minimum amount of coconut sugar and Extra Virgin Olive Oil. And most importantly, delicious!

Since I graduated from a pastry school in Osaka, Japan, I have been in the baking industry on and off for about 20 years. I had my own pastry shop in Macau when I was in my 20s and a cookie shop in Tokyo in my early 30s, Then I moved to Los Angeles in the spring of 2015 and established STAR SKY GRANOLA in 2016.

I love to explore different countries and cultures. I have lived in various countries such as Canada, China, Macau, Singapore, Switzerland, and the US, as well as backpacked alone in Europe visiting different cities. Although it feels like this world is getting divided more and more, especially over the past years, we should always remember that we are all the same human beings no matter where we are, how we look, or what we speak. At the end of the day, we all laugh at the funny cats and we cry when the cat dies.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

As I mentioned earlier, I like to be present at the farmers markets myself instead of hiring employees not only because I enjoy having conversations with my existing customers but also because this is one of the most effective strategies for growing my clientele. By explaining the stories behind my products to new customers, it attracts more attention and eventually increases the chance for them to purchase the products. Also, getting real feedback from the customers gives me ideas on which areas I should focus on to improve my products and services.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

It slightly overlaps with the previous question but I believe communication is the key. The best way is, again, talking to the customers face to face, but when I cannot meet them in person, such as online customers, I write a thank you message and put it inside the box together with the granola and cookies. Not only to the customers from my own website but also to the customers from my Amazon site. Many people tend to think that all the products on Amazon are handled by robots or Amazon employees heartlessly but I handle all the Amazon shipments as well so I make sure to write a thank you message to each customer to hopefully they understand that all the products are handled with a lot of care.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.starskygranola.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/starskygranola/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StarSkyGranola
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/star-sky-granola-los-angeles

Image Credits
Anna Kozaki