Mom with autistic son starts granola company that hires young adults on the spectrum

Luv Michael is a non-profit that produces organic, gluten free and nut free granola. The granola company trains, educates and employs people on the autism spectrum. Michael Kessaris is the inspiration behind Luv Michael. It was Michael’s parents, who are both physicians, that created the business back in 2015. Dr. Lisa Liberatore, Michael’s mom, was the driving force behind bringing this idea to life. She told Pop Sugar:

“The name Luv Michael references giving a present to someone else, and that's something that needs to be taught to someone with autism, i.e. thinking about others and their feelings.” 

Dr. Lisa also told media organization Now This that the reason she chose granola is because finds the process to be beautiful and more importantly, it doesn’t involve knives. They wanted to create not just an opportunity for their son but for other people on the autism spectrum who generally have limited opportunities for employment. For example, her son Michael loved cooking but couldn’t attend culinary school because he didn’t have a high school diploma. Thanks to Luv Michael, he is now a granologist, working at the company he inspired. 

Employees at Luv Michael are known as granologists and work from 9am to 2pm. All proceeds from sales go toward training, educating and employing individuals with autism. Find out more on their website.