SELF CARE HAS SPROUTED
Written by Lily Clayton Hansen / Photography by John Shearer
According to Diane and Laurel Orley snacking is the fourth meal and new form of self-care. The co-founders of sprouted nut line, Daily Crunch Snacks, believe what you eat affects how you feel about yourself. The Orley’s, who are related by marriage, launched after realizing the market needed a high-quality product that mothers and Millennials could grab on the go. They looked no further than the sprouted nut recipe Diane had developed distinguished by a dehydration process.
Diane started her company 18-years ago by gifting bags of nuts to family and friends. In 2019, Laurel, who had just left a successful advertising carreer, realized she was ready to do her own thing and exercise her background in consumer-packaged goods. Most of all, she wanted to create a brand from scratch and kept returning to Diane’s sprouted nuts. Diane agreed that she wanted to scale.
After joining forces, the pair put their heads together to decide upon colorful packaging with the hope that a bright-and-cherry aesthetic would help them shine on the shelves. They also fine-tuned language to explain the sprouting process, which is still new to the States, and makes nuts more digestible and nourishing. Customers comment on how crunchy and clean the product tastes because it lacks added sugars and salts like most roasted varieties. They also had epic timing in terms of almonds being recommended as a healthy snack for their high-protein and healthy fats and snacking becoming more popular as people’s lives got busier. Whether it is with their coffee-soaked almonds or Orange Blossom CBD blend their goal is to alleviate stress with a satiating, enjoyable, and guilt-free snack. “We hope our snacks help people live well so they can enjoy their lives,” says Laurel.
As female founders, Diane and Laurel are grateful for the warm welcome they have received from the Nashville business community beginning with I Love Juice Bar,
their first retail Partners. The pair also works with Vanderbilt University whose business school is doing a case study on them. “From the stores to the Entrepreneur Organization the entirety of Nashville is why we are successful”, says Laurel. Random displays of kindness motivated Laurel and Diane to pay it forward.
On Social media, they hope to inspire others to spend time with their families by refraining from posting on Sundays, which they view as time for loved ones. They also created a series called “Mindful Mondays” Where they will talk about ways to live a more present, healthy lifestyle. However, it is mental health that is the most important cause to Daily Crunch Snacks after Diane’s son George committed suicide. This shocking experience cracked Diane Open and inspired her to launch a program called “The Support Network’, which offers counseling to college students. Diane and Laurel, who suffers from anxiety, want to break the stigma around mental health and bring awareness to it. While Daily Crunch Snacks are delicious and perfect for post-gym workouts it is the ethical way in which Laurel and Diane entered the entrepreneurial landscape that impresses others the most. “The founders are amazing and the fact that the product is good is almost a perk,” says consultant Dan.