Fourteen years ago, in the tiny town of Buckland, Massachusetts, energy from years of experience with natural foods was directed towards the goal of an independent business providing bulk energy bars. A star was born. Since 1992, Dancing Star has grown according to consumers’ needs for an affordable snack that is in harmony with the environment and with the consumer.

Owner and primary energizer Michael Garfield-Wright left the University of Illinois after graduating to work on Wall Street for 5 years. It was there in the heart of the Big Apple that he started to understand the core of a healthy lifestyle. The next step was to live it. He eliminated meat from his diet, and his vegetarianism gradually inspired improvements not only for his physical self but also his entire attitude toward consumption. Not only was the food more delicious and nutritious, but it also nourished the spirit. Based on his desire to live in an aware and sustainable manner, Michael redirected his career path. At Bread & Circus (now Whole Foods) he worked for 9 years buying bulk groceries and visiting organic farms in California and Arizona to purchase and research organic dried fruit, nuts and other bulk snacks. In Cambridge, Massachusetts, he offered natural foods cooking classes over a 5-year period to over 1000 students at the Cambridge Center for AdultEducation,Tufts Women’s School, and the Boston Center for Adult Education.

The next stage of Michael’s life included a growing family, and so he moved to the hills of western Massachusetts with his wife, Susan. There, on a beautiful plot of farmed and forested land he put his principles of sustainability to action. Eventually, the family consisted of 3 daughters and varying amounts of dogs, cats, and an occasional horse or cow on loan from a vacationing neighbor. The organic garden provides most the family’s veggies, and the woods provide heat during the New England winters and fuel for the maple syrup evaporator.