We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Darian Washington a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Darian, appreciate you joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

I started this business because my baby loves oatmeal. I was just looking for a quick and easy way to nourish him. Initially, I had intended for this to be a side hustle, just something I could do on the weekends that would bring extra money for fancy family vacations, and a nicer car. But shortly after applying for my LLC, I was laid off from my cushy corporate job, and two weeks later I found my husband in our home with another woman and immediately put him out. I was in an existential crisis, and acutely depressed, pushed out of control and now free falling into darkness. It’s like holding your own world in your hands, and watching pieces of it blow away every single time you exhale. I didn’t know what else to do. I was being consumed by pain that seemed unfailing. So, my sister’s wife, a therapist, said “you need to find something to focus on, you need a healthy distraction.” I took her advice and I dove into this business. My tribe really stepped up. My son and I created recipes. My friends and I worked on marketing & branding. My sister & best friends helped me buy fruit and equipment. All of these people believed in me. My son thought I had made something so good, that it was worth selling. We believe that we genuinely make the world best oatmeal. Our oats are organic, and our product is clean, it’s just oatmeal, fruits and spices. Professionally, I had single handedly built & managed hundred million dollar categories for well-known retailers, so I could definitely do this for myself if I apply all of the things I’ve learned while working in corporate retail. Personally, I firmly believe that if I can do something once, then I can do it again multiple times. I’ve started over once before, it worked out in my favor, and this is going to work too, because I’m doing something I love, for the person I love the most. I believe that failure is temporary, and as long as I’ve got God’s Breath of Life, I’ll try again.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Prior to momtrepreneurship I worked in corporate retail for 10+ years, most recently in grocery. The retail experience gave me some foundational knowledge, but there’s always things you don’t know… Sometimes I think of myself as a problem solver who specializes in oatmeal. The problems we solve for are taste, texture and transparency. Other times I consider myself a creative, and I think that’s conveyed when people see our branding/ packaging and then taste our products. It’s the world’s best, we source thick rolled organic oats, natural & sun dried fruits, high quality spices and it’s low in sugar. It’s not your basic oatmeal! It’s made with love & purpose, and everybody knows food made with love taste better.

Derrick and I created each of our flavors together, It was our healthy distraction during a time where everything else was in chaos. Created during moments when we needed to take our minds off how our lives had changed. This little oatmeal business saved us. Now, we’re propelled by passion, not pain.

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.

I was still employed when I filed for an LLC and applied for the local farmer’s market. I thought this would be a cool little side hustle to bring in extra money. But all that changed after being laid off and newly single. The day we decoupled, I had a conversation with my son about what our options were. I told him that we could return to Phoenix to be closer to family, or move to another state based on any job offers I’d receive. He said he wanted to stay in Austin and asked if we could try to make Oatmeal & Company work. I was really afraid, but one day before my job ended, I got an email from the farmer’s market offering me a spot at their Wednesday night market. We made $600 that night. A week later, the Texas Farmer’s Markets gave me a spot at their Saturday market, and a month later Sunday’s market. That was three years ago. Since then we’ve expanded into other markets, small format grocery stores and coffee shops between Austin and San Antonio. We’ve seen triple digit growth, most of which occurred during a global pandemic.

We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.

Derrick and I are out at the farmer’s market every weekend. People want to support local businesses, especially when you have a great product. I talk to my customers directly and get their feedback. Nothing beats a face to face interaction. Our customers know our names, and they know that I started this business because my son loves my oatmeal. That’s a human connection people can relate to.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://oatmealandcompany.com/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/oatmealandcompany?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Image Credits
Photo by Tia Boyd & Julia Keim