Bars

Watermelon rinds, apple cores and other overlooked plant parts add fiber to a new line of snack bars created by the founder of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams. Earlier this year, Jeni Britton mounted her second entrepreneurial act with the launch of Floura, a brand focused on gut health.

When Brad Charron became the “re-founder” and CEO of ALOHA, he saw “untapped enormous potential” in the distressed brand. Seven years later, the company is a profitable, employee-owned B Corporation with more than $100 million in sales. “I love to compete, and I love to compete for something that’s worthwhile fighting for,” he said. How… Read more »

Forty million Americans experience migraines. One Austin, Texas-based startup wants to help ease the pain by creating a new category of “trigger-free” foods.

Growth equity firm SEMCAP Food & Nutrition has paid $68 million for a “significant” minority stake in plant-based protein brand ALOHA.

RXBAR co-founder Peter Rahal is back in the protein bar business and out as a managing partner at Humble Growth.

IQ Bar is allocating some of its brainpower to the retail shelf. Though the Boston-based brand has so far garnered half its business from e-commerce, it recently entered 1,000 Kroger stores, increasing its retail footprint to about 6,000 doors.

After striking success with natural pita chip company Stacy’s, sold to PepsiCo in 2006, Stacy Madison is jumping back in the CPG game, launching refrigerated bars into retail under new brand BeBold. At this year’s Natural Products Expo East trade show in Baltimore, Madison told NOSH reporter Beth Kaiserman that despite entering a crowded category, having superior ingredients can mean a bold future in bars.

While some industry leaders think this is a fleeting fad, others think it’s here for the long haul and are increasingly formulating with egg whites. They’re even taking it one step further by directly calling out the ingredient on their front labels.

The collision of seemingly complementary consumer preferences — the desire to cut sugar and the desire to have a “clean label” — has actually created a conundrum for nutrition bar makers, and they’re making tough strategic decisions regarding the use of sugar alcohols as a result.

Protein is breaking free from the nutrition bar, which historically has been the most popular format for protein-supplemented CPG outside of powders. In this deep-dive, we explore why brands are interested in new protein snacking formats: bites, balls and everything in between.