New England Natural Bakers, a granola manufacturer in Greenfield, Mass., now is 100% employee-owned. The company entered into an Employee Stock Ownership Program (ESOP) on Jan. 1.

“The ESOP option emerged as the best solution for our 45-plus employees, guaranteeing the viability of our values based culture and preserving jobs, while remaining at our current location,” says John Broucek, who founded the company 1977 and will stay on as general manager.