Today we’d like to introduce you to Morgan Lerner

Hi Morgan, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?

My journey began in college at the University of Michigan where, despite being a pre-med student, I found myself dedicating most of my time to building a food club on campus. This experience really sparked my passion for food, people, creativity, and organizational growth.

It was during that time that my business partner Annie and I started GoNanas out of a need for healthy baked goods. We initially launched our business with a ready-to-eat banana bread for foodservice. During the COVID-19 pandemic, when everyone was stuck at home and banana bread was really blowing up, we decided to pivot and launch at-home mixes. Our mixes quickly went viral on social media and led us on this wild growth journey. Today, GoNanas is in 4,000 grocery stores, including Whole Foods, Wegmans, and Target and most recently, both Annie and I made the Forbes 30 under 30 list for 2024!

Within the company I spearhead our product development, brand marketing and community building. We’ve launched 45+ baking mix flavors, grown our ambassador program to over 3500 community members nationwide, and now consistently reach 15M people online every month with the help of our loyal #GoNanasFam.

From pre-med to entrepreneur, my journey has been driven by a love for innovation and community, and I’m excited for what’s next for GoNanas and myself here in Portland, OR!

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?

If you find someone who says their entrepreneurial journey has been a “smooth road” let me know! One key obstacle, which has given me endless learnings, has been hiring, managing, and growing our team effectively. While I’m a people person, managing is a whole different challenge. I often say that being a leader brings up all my “stuff,” so I view each day as my “practice field” to become a better person, leader, manager, chief creative officer, friend, and more.

I find this work both challenging and rewarding, and it’s perhaps the hardest part of the job (and life). I care deeply about my team and the people around me, but learning to create boundaries, not take things personally, use curiosity, and stand up for myself are some of the vital skills I’ve developed as a result. This journey has been a continuous learning experience, pushing me to grow in ways I never anticipated!

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?

We believe we’ve “cracked the code” to making baked goods taste homemade from a mix, filling a huge gap in the sleepy baking mix market. We’re also the only truly allergen free baking mix. Baking with our specially formulated mixes and with bananas instead of eggs, allows us to make an allergen free baked good that is moist and decadent, appealing to all eaters, allergen free or not. We are also the only banana bread with a variety of innovative flavors to meet the desire of consumers for healthy alternatives to the classic, nostalgic flavors and desserts they know and love.

What also sets us apart is our vibrant community online and our innovative partnerships. We are big on partnering with like-minded brands and influencers in the space as I believe this is the future of marketing. On the influencer side, we’ve launched a co-branded baking mixes with infamous baking blogger and investor @rachlmansfield, remaking the nostalgic mini blueberry muffins we all grew up eating. On the brand side, we launched 2 nationwide ice cream flavors with Salt & Straw as part of their iconic berry series and have partnered with the chocolate covered fruit company Tru Fru for a Valentine’s day chocolate covered raspberry baking mix. We’re constantly looking for ways to innovate and collaborate with other leaders in the space to bring more joy online and in the kitchen!

What matters most to you? Why?

Being authentic and human as a leader. While we’re running a business, I always try to consider the human side of things and recognize the customers and partners on the other end of things. Whether it’s how i’m treating an employee or how we’re crafting a marketing communication, I think it’s so important to stay grounded in that. I also think it’s why we’ve been able to build the brand and community we have. Because we take the time to have a conversation with everyone in our inbox, hear from them, make flavors for THEM. We commit to showing up online and sharing the highs and lows. To showing the authentic side of us and what’s going on behind the scenes.

At the end of the day if our brand and products can bring more joy to people and make them feel seen, inspired, or even just an ounce happier, then I’m happy.

Pricing:

• You can find our full time mixes (3) in store for $7.99 each. Each mix makes 12 servings!
• You can find our full time and limited edition / seasonal exclusive mixes (10+) online for $12.99 each. Each mix makes 12 servings!

Contact Info:

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

Image Credits

Janine Theobold Photography (for the pink background + bread pics)
Emily Davis Photography (for the mix pictures + my red picture)