Bay Area

A West Oakland Family Business Gains Popularity for their Homemade Granola

About three years ago, Chestnut Street Granola founders Tim Lohrentz and Rachel Russell offered party favors in the form of homemade granola at their wedding and received nothing but positive feedback from their guests. With this reaction sitting in the back of their minds on their honeymoon, a vision for a small business was sparked.

Published

4 years ago

November 5, 2021

Oakland Post

Chestnut St. Granola Co. representatives’ niece Emani, owner and taste tester Rachel Russell, son Quincy, niece MacKenzie with owner and chef Tim Lohrentz stand in the kitchen where the families’ line of granola treats are made and packaged. (Photo by Christy Price)

By Isabelle and Christy Price

What began as a cost-effective way to honor guests at their wedding has turned into a growing family business based out of a blue Victorian home in West Oakland known as Chestnut Street Granola.

With a focus on homemade granola and a range of flavors, this family sets up shop at the Hayward Farmers Market every Saturday and, in addition, offers online sales in hopes to reach a larger customer base.

“I mean, originally, I just made granola for years and years and I made granola just to eat so that was what was fun, was eating,” said Tim. “But I think the wedding, when we did the favors, it really changed my perspective to be something that other people could enjoy.”

Final product of Chestnut Street Granola Company’s hard work. Orange You Glad is a favorite among the children. (Photo by Christy Price)

Pre-pandemic, they began the process of obtaining a business license and proper permits. While this process was one of their biggest challenges and took the longest amount of time, they held out. Once the proper licensing and permits were obtained, they outsourced and cooked at a commercial kitchen. Since the pandemic erupted, this commercial kitchen shut down and Chestnut Street Granola was left to their own devices. Months passed and the business took a back seat as the family attempted to navigate the reality of living in a pandemic.

This past August, Tim and Rachel made the decision to obtain a CFO permit and run the business right out of their own home. Tim became head chef and Rachel handled marketing, packing, shipping and everything in between.

They also brought in both of their sons. Quincy is an expert in sales and Ben pulls is the photographer. Their nieces Emani and Mackenzie help with packaging, labeling, and customer service at the Hayward Farmers Market.

Emani shared her love of customer service. “It’s really nice. I like talking to everyone and telling them about the granola. It’s nice to see their reaction when they finally try the samples or something and then they’re like “Oh, wow” and then they compliment me.”

Since picking back up, their main focus is community building and sharing the love of fresh food with people.

Chestnut Street Granola currently offers four different flavors of granola that include; Everything is Everything, Orange You Glad, Dyin’ for Cayenne, and a seasonal flavor called Pumpkin Harvest. According to Tim, new flavor profiles are in the works and coming soon.

They offer two different sizes: a large 12 oz. bag priced at $10 and a travel size 2.5 oz. bag priced at $3. Forms of payment they take include debit and credit cards, cash, food stamps at the farmers market, and they are working on expanding into the Venmo platform.

Chestnut Street Granola can be found at the Hayward Farmers Market, 777 B Street, Hayward, 94541, every Saturday from 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. You can also place any online orders on their website for convenience. They can be contacted via email at Chestnutstreetgranola@gmail.com or by phone at 415-244-8949 for any inquiries.

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Oakland Post: Week of February 25 – March 3, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – February 25 – March 3, 2026

Published

4 days ago

March 1, 2026

Oakland Post

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Chase Oakland Community Center Hosts Alley-Oop Accelerator Building Community and Opportunity for Bay Area Entrepreneurs

Over the past three years, the Alley-Oop Accelerator has helped more than 20 Bay Area businesses grow, connect, and gain meaningful exposure. The program combines hands-on training, mentorship, and community-building to help participants navigate the legal, financial, and marketing challenges of small business ownership.

Published

2 weeks ago

February 21, 2026

Oakland Post

Bay Area entrepreneurs attend the Alley-Oop Accelerator, a small business incubation program at Chase Oakland Community Center. Photo by Carla Thomas.

By Carla Thomas

The Golden State Warriors and Chase bank hosted the third annual Alley-Oop Accelerator this month, an empowering eight-week program designed to help Bay Area entrepreneurs bring their visions for business to life.

The initiative kicked off on Feb. 12 at Chase’s Oakland Community Center on Broadway Street, welcoming 15 small business owners who joined a growing network of local innovators working to strengthen the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

At its core, the accelerator is designed to create an ecosystem of collaboration, where local entrepreneurs can learn from one another while accessing the resources of a global financial institution.

“This is our third year in a row working with the Golden State Warriors on the Alley-Oop Accelerator,” said Jaime Garcia, executive director of Chase’s Coaching for Impact team for the West Division. “We’ve already had 20-plus businesses graduate from the program, and we have 15 enrolled this year. The biggest thing about the program is really the community that’s built amongst the business owners — plus the exposure they’re able to get through Chase and the Golden State Warriors.”

According to Garcia, several graduates have gone on to receive vendor contracts with the Warriors and have gained broader recognition through collaborations with JPMorgan Chase.

“A lot of what Chase is trying to do,” Garcia added, “is bring businesses together because what they’ve asked for is an ecosystem, a network where they can connect, grow, and thrive organically.”

This year’s Alley-Oop Accelerator reflects that vision through its comprehensive curriculum and emphasis on practical learning. Participants explore the full spectrum of business essentials including financial management, marketing strategy, and legal compliance, while also preparing for real-world experiences such as pop-up market events.

Each entrepreneur benefits from one-on-one mentoring sessions through Chase’s Coaching for Impact program, which provides complimentary, personalized business consulting.

Garcia described the impact this hands-on approach has had on local small business owners. He recalled one candlemaker, who, after participating in the program, was invited to provide candles as gifts at Chase events.

“We were able to help give that business exposure,” he explained. “But then our team also worked with them on how to access capital to buy inventory and manage operations once those orders started coming in. It’s about preparation. When a hiccup happens, are you ready to handle it?”

The Coaching for Impact initiative, which launched in 2020 in just four cities, has since expanded to 46 nationwide.

“Every business is different,” Garcia said. “That’s why personal coaching matters so much. It’s life-changing.”

Participants in the 2026 program will each receive a $2,500 stipend, funding that Garcia said can make an outsized difference. “It’s amazing what some people can do with just $2,500,” he noted. “It sounds small, but it goes a long way when you have a plan for how to use it.”

For Chase and the Warriors, the Alley-Oop Accelerator represents more than an educational initiative, it’s a pathway to empowerment and economic inclusion. The program continues to foster lasting relationships among the entrepreneurs who, as Garcia put it, “build each other up” through shared growth and opportunity.

“Starting a business is never easy, but with the right support, it becomes possible, and even exhilarating,” said Oscar Lopez, the senior business consultant for Chase in Oakland.