# Beryl Stafford

> Beryl Stafford is the Boulder founder and president of Bobo's, the baked-snack company that began with a rainy-day recipe made by her teenage daughter, Alex, whose nickname gave the brand its name. Starting without food-industry or sales experience, Stafford sold hand-wrapped bars to coffee shops, learned manufacturing as demand arrived, bootstrapped the business for roughly 12 years, and preserved in-house baking as Bobo's grew into a national brand.

- **Role:** Founder and President at Bobo's
- **Organizations:** Bobo's, Dry Storage
- **Education:** University of Colorado Boulder
- **Known for:** Built Bobo's from a home-kitchen project into a nationally distributed baked-snack brand., Bootstrapped the business for more than a decade using reinvested profits, credit cards, a bank credit line and a second mortgage before accepting outside capital., Maintained in-house manufacturing as production expanded from hand-wrapped bars to a 24-oven facility capable of one million snacks per day.

## Career timeline

- **2003** — Founded Bobo's in Boulder after adapting an oat-bar recipe baked by her 14-year-old daughter, Alex, nicknamed Bobo.
- **2003-2008** — Expanded from local coffee shops and co-ops into regional and then national distribution while building an in-house bakery team.
- **2015** — After roughly 12 years managing the company herself, began adding senior leadership as the business grew.
- **2017** — Bobo's announced its first outside capital, an $8 million Series A minority investment led by Boulder Investment Group Reprise.
- **2022** — Bobo's opened an expanded 123,000-square-foot, wind-powered Loveland bakery with 24 ovens and capacity for one million snacks per day.
- **2023** — Bobo's marked 20 years in business; Stafford remained founder and president.
- **2026-03** — Appeared on How I Built This with Guy Raz to discuss building Bobo's from a home project into a $100 million brand.
- **2026-05** — Delivered a keynote to graduates of CU Boulder's Leeds School of Business, emphasizing grit, instinct and humility.

## Achievements

- Built Bobo's from a home-kitchen project into a nationally distributed baked-snack brand.
- Bootstrapped the business for more than a decade using reinvested profits, credit cards, a bank credit line and a second mortgage before accepting outside capital.
- Maintained in-house manufacturing as production expanded from hand-wrapped bars to a 24-oven facility capable of one million snacks per day.
- Preserved the original three-ounce, mini-loaf shape and visibly handmade character despite advice to reduce the size and conventionalize production.
- Served as a 2026 keynote speaker for CU Boulder's Leeds School of Business commencement ceremonies.

## Latest updates

- **2026-05** — Keynoted CU Boulder's Leeds School of Business graduation ceremonies and urged graduates to rely on grit, instinct, humility and supportive networks.
- **2026-03** — Shared the Bobo's origin and scaling story in episode 815 of How I Built This with Guy Raz.

## Links

- Website: https://eatbobos.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/beryl-stafford-02975710
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/bobosoatbars
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@eatbobos
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eatbobos/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eatbobos
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@eatbobos

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/beryl-stafford
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-09-28