Greetings From Ellison Bay, WI!
Founded by wife & husband team Carol and Chris Ash, Kick Ash Products was set in motion back in 2014 when a busy mother of four was FINALLY persuaded by her insistent friends and family to create a business around her outrageously delicious, GLUTEN FREE granola.
Next came a dad who was CRAZY about coffee, training himself in the art of coffee roasting in order to provide the perfect complimentary good to sell alongside his wife’s locally coveted product under the Kick Ash name.
Needless to say, they were both a hit—so here we are!
Kick Ash began in Ellison Bay, Wisconsin and has since grown into a thriving artisan market and gift shop. We offer a wide range of products including books, apparel, wines & ciders, canned goods, self-care products, home decor, kitchen accessories, and more. In addition to these offerings, we also have our own small-batch granola & coffee, as well as a famous selection of gluten-free bakery items made in-house.
From the beginning, our founder Carol has been committed to giving back to the community that raised her. That's why we sell local products from a variety of Door County businesses. All of our in-house products are made entirely with gluten-free ingredients in a kitchen that is free of any gluten contamination. We use natural ingredients like whole grain gluten-free oats, nuts, coconut, organic coconut oil, and organic maple syrup.
We invite you to visit our beautiful location in Ellison Bay. Our indoor sanctuary is architecturally impressive and is filled with rich Door County history. We even have a baby grand piano for guests to enjoy. Outside, you'll find our lovely outdoor deck and surrounding Kick Ash gardens, where we have live music during the summer. Come and experience the magic of this place for yourself!
Our beloved Ash Kickers! So thankful for them and all of the crazy fun we have together! 
We understand that many of you aren’t from these parts, however, so we’d also like to encourage you to shop our online store and have your favorite granolas, coffees & select merchandise shipped straight to your home (in addition to planning a trip, of course!)!
No matter where you live, where you’re from or whatever your story may be, we Ash Kickers as well as the entire Ash family honor your story. We encourage you each and every day to Wake Up, Indulge & KICK ASH!
A Note From Carol:
“For as long as I can remember, I have been surrounded by superior cooks and bakers. My Scandinavian grandmother would bring canisters of Norwegian treats when she visited our home. We waited impatiently for her in the morning as she carefully made Swedish pancakes on a well-seasoned cast iron skillet. There were eight of us grandkids, so she made A LOT of pancakes. My mother carried on many of her mother's baking traditions. Friends often gathered at our home knowing that they would be served incredible fare. Her brownies were legendary and many a close friend, or even mere acquaintance, would stop by hoping that my mother had baked that day.
In college, I became the cook. I prepared quite a few meals at my little apartment and hungry college students, tired of cafeteria food, would gather to wolf down home-cooked meals. Chili with cornbread was just one of my favorite meals.
I have four children of my own now and I love to cook for them. My husband always relays his satisfaction with my home-cooked meals and is very thankful since he spends much of the week on the road. I now have other kids coming by and requesting food prior to their visit, mostly home-baked bread and cookies. I also make Norwegian krumkake each year to give as gifts to my friends. We dabble in all types of specialty diets in our home: vegan, raw foods, gluten-free, and we try to expose our kids to all kinds of ethnic fare. One of our goals has always been to prepare home-cooked healthy meals.
So how did I get here? Life got busy with four kids and suddenly we were eating quicker meals and boxed cereal for breakfast. One day I took a look at the label and decided that was enough. I started making granola and my pickiest child loved it. I perfected it by combining several recipes and started giving it as gifts. After a drop-off in the fall of 2014, my friend texted me and said "you should really sell this, I can't stop eating it!" Later I dropped some off by my sister, and she told me how addicting it was. She and her husband have continued to be so encouraging to me as I get this business off of the ground. Born and raised in Door County, I have a deep-seated appreciation for small-town life, values, and the beautiful land on which I am blessed to raise my own family. Inspired by the community that surrounds me, Door County Love Artisan Granola was born.
I started baking out of a shared-use kitchen one and a half hours away from my home. My husband helped me cook and my four children helped in various ways. After that, we baked out of Fireside Restaurant in Ellison Bay in the mornings. We soon outgrew this space, as we were having large pallets of oats delivered straight to the kitchen. We had an opportunity to rent a small commercial kitchen in Sister Bay and we did that for 1.5 years. During that time my husband started roasting coffee and we added fresh roasted, small-batch coffee to our items.
During the winter of 2017, we had the opportunity to work with Island Orchard Cider and build out a kitchen and small retail space in a newly acquired building. It was a rough winter and per usual took much longer than expected. However, on May 13, 2017, we received our food processing plant license and began producing in our that new kitchen. On Memorial Day weekend we opened our retail store. Two more years went by and we outgrew our space. We needed somewhere that would be our final “resting space”. We were tired of moving. After some time and planning we were able to purchase the Linden Gallery and renovate my childhood church…Trinity Lutheran Church, to become Kick Ash! On my birthday, July 2, 2019 we moved in to our current building. The downstairs is our production space and shipping area and the upstairs houses our retail space. It is better than we could have ever imagined!! We survived the COVID years and tremendous growth. There have been some hard times there is no doubt but we have overcome and have gotten stronger and more committed to our mission: Community, Connection and Collaboration. It has been wonderful to be back in Ellison Bay where I was raised and to be surrounded by the community I love. The staff (affectionately called the “Ash Kickers” and customers have added so much value to our lives and our community. We have had numerous friends and family that have been so supportive and it really touches me. It is an honor to know that our granola and coffee are in people's homes and often we are part of the beginning of their day. I have always liked mornings, sunrises, and the hope that a new day brings, so I think it fitting!
Thank you to our families, our friends, and our loyal customers! We are so grateful to serve you and be a part of this community. Thank you for the encouragement and love!”
