Holy Crap's fame has exited the atmosphere. The locally made artisan cereal will soon be sent into space to be enjoyed by astronauts working at the International Space Station.
The Canadian Space Agency announced Aug. 28 that the organic cereal is one of 12 Canadian foods being taken into the space station by Canadian astronaut and Mission 35 commander Chris Hadfield.
"On a long-duration space mission, snacks can be a great morale booster," Hadfield said. "Sharing this food will not only lift our spirits, but it will also give me the chance to tell the crew a little bit about the diversity and richness of the natural and cultural landscapes of Canada."
Holy Crap was chosen via a contest where a boy from Abbotsford recommended the cereal over a year ago.
"It took them a year and a half to evaluate the cereal," said Brian Mullins, co-founder of HapiFoods Group, which makes Holy Crap.
However, he said the cereal's name wasn't particularly appealing to the space agency.
"Hapi is actually going into space because they didn't want to say Holy Crap in the space station stuff," he noted.
This will be the first time a Canadian is taking on the role of commander at the space station, which Mullins notes is fitting.
"He's going to be managing the Canada arm to hook the spacecraft that has the cereal in it and bring it into the space station," he said.
Corin Mullins is excited the cereal she created has gained attention that's out of this world.
"We're thrilled that Riley, the Canadian Space Agency contest winner from Abbotsford, suggested our Holy Crap Cereal be sent to the International Space Station," Corin said. "We originally developed the cereal for emergency kits because of its healthy nutritional content and long shelf-life, so it seems more than fitting for it to go up to the space station."
Everyone at HapiFoods Group is excited about the space agency's announcement.
"From the Dragons' Den to the International Space Station in under 24 months is a major achievement for the artisans and crew that make the cereal," Brian said. "The whole Sunshine Coast is just tickled pink over this out of this world announcement."
Hadfield will launch a spacecraft bound for the space station in December. He will make the space station his home for nearly six months, working alongside eight American astronauts and Russian cosmonauts to conduct science experiments, test new technologies, berth commercial resupply crafts with the Canada arm and carry out spacewalks.
