From Granola to Bars: How Forij Is Doubling Down on Cognitive Health With “A More Palatable” Position

After three years spent working to generate awareness for its adaptogen-infused granolas, Forij is now looking to develop a wider-reaching platform with the release of a line of meal replacement bars.

The product launched online this week in Oatmeal Raisin and Rosemary Walnut varieties for $39.99 per 18-count box (about $2.22 per bar). According to founder and CEO Parker Olson, positioning the bar as a meal replacement offered Forij a more intuitive way to extend beyond granola as compared to an energy or protein play, while also allowing the brand to justify both a higher calorie count and price point.

“We don’t love energy bars – I didn’t want to go sit on the wall of death,” Olson said in reference to the oversaturated category that has seen numerous brands, like Rowdy, unable to sustain the format. “We like meal bars because oftentimes they’re in the same aisle as granola and we like that aisle. Breakfast has been getting a hard time recently but, from the research I’ve seen, the majority of people are still eating morning foods, they just don’t call it breakfast anymore.”

Olson explained that while he didn’t want to pigeonhole the product exclusively to early morning occasions, he expects most consumers to consume it for breakfast. By extending Forij into the day-part-ambiguous meal replacement bar space, he believes the brand is better positioned to give users more options and establish a focused lineup of cognitive health foods. That means leaning into Vitamin D – a key benefit of its proprietary lion’s mane blend.

“From a lot of the data in terms of growth of vitamin D over the past couple of years … it is a lot more palatable and quickly understandable by a mass consumer versus something like lion’s mane or Chaga,” said Olson. “I think there’s a lot of room for growth in terms of awareness [for mushroom benefits].”

Forij’s flagship granolas are available in three flavors – Sea Salt Cacao, Toasted Cinnamon and Vanilla Almond – and sell for about $7.99 depending on the retail outlet. Olson expects to reach $1 million in revenue this year and hopes to double the brand’s current 500 door-count by the end of the year. With the new line, Forij will also add 400 doors internationally as it tests the Asian wholesale market through a new distribution partner; the bars will initially be positioned as a “daily Chinese medicine concept” in the liquor store channel.

Stateside, Olson sees the lower-priced bar format as a way to compound the foundation the brand has built in granola with its goal to make adaptogenic mushrooms “more palatable” to mass consumers. In the U.S., Forij is focused on expanding distribution with new foodservice, corporate offices and wholesale accounts.

As part of a brand refresh at the beginning of this year, Forij adopted a lighthearted look and introduced brand mascots, dubbed “foragers,” that customers can create on the brand’s website. With these customizable, colorful blobs in his back pocket, Olson believes Forij has a new opportunity to develop a closer personal connection to its fans.

“We can make these custom creatures for people and then leverage that asset to make a person a part of the brand,” explained Olson. “With these meal bars, on the packaging, [the foragers] are a real consumer. [It’s] like Snapple or Jones Soda’s concept where we take customer’s orders, randomize and choose [certain ones] to put on all of our products. I think there’s a lot more room there for growth.”

However, the concept of an adaptogen-infused snack bar isn’t as novel a concept as it once was. Forij is up against a range of competitors including keto, vegan, paleo-friendly IQBar, protein-focused MOSH and function-forward newcomer Wise Bar (formerly Wise Owl CBD). The brand’s more established rivals – IQBar and MOSH – both use a mix of dietary preferences and protein to differentiate themselves but in this crowded set, Olson believes Forij’s focus on function, clean ingredients and continually connecting with, and educating, its consumers will be key to the brand’s success.