Baking & Snack - February 2019 - 162

NEW PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT

PURE ENERGY

No Cow's new bar line gives consumers a natural boost.

No Cow Energy Bars When Denver-based No Cow wanted to introduce a new
contain 45 mg caffeine. line of energy bars, it went straight to consumers to see
No Cow
what was missing from the segment. "Pretty much everyone ate granola bars or energy bars daily because of
convenience," said Daniel Katz, founder and CEO of No
Cow. "The one pain point for these consumers was the
sugar content - it was always super high."
Luckily, this complaint played to the company's
strength. Launched in 2015, No Cow made its mark on
the segment with its lineup of dairy-free, high-protein
bars that contained only 1 g sugar. Two years later the
company caught the attention of 301 INC, a venture unit
of Minneapolis-based General Mills, which decided to
invest in the company.
Building off its debut line's success, No Cow created
a new, healthier spin on energy bars. "I wanted to create an energy bar that wasn't just another candy bar in
disguise," Mr. Katz said. "The No Cow Energy Bar has
45 mg of caffeine to give you seriously sustained energy
without all that sugar."
Unlike other products that can have up to 20 g sugar
per bar, No Cow Energy Bars have 1 g sugar and contain
a patented coffee bean flour, which acts as an equivalent
to a half cup of coffee. Like the company's initial line,
these bars are made with natural ingredients such as
oats, nuts, and almond butters; include 12 g protein; and
are free from gluten, soy and GMOs.
To maintain the product's low sugar count, the com-

162 Baking & Snack February 2019 / www.bakingandsnack.com

pany tested multiple formulations. "After the first trial,
the energy bars did not have the proper sweetness we
were looking for," Mr. Katz explained. "We had to take a
few steps back in the lab and explore some different ingredient options as well as optimize our processes at the
plant to create the product out on shelves today."
Without using loads of sugar to boost the bar's taste,
the No Cow team focused on introducing flavors that
would entice consumers. "We knew from our protein
bars sales that people love chocolate and peanut butter,
so we had a great hunch to launch with those flavors,"
Mr. Katz said. The company settled on four varieties
for the line's debut: Chocolate Peanut Butter, Chunky
Peanut Butter, Chocolate Sea Salt and Coconut Almond.
No Cow Energy Bars were introduced at Natural
Products Expo East and at a variety of consumer events
like the New York City Marathon before its rollout last
November. After receiving positive feedback, the product was immediately launched and is now available
across a variety of national retail and online outlets for
$1.99 per 1.77-oz bar.
The company seeks to maintain the positive momentum and reshape the bar segment. "This product really opens us up to a wide market," Mr. Katz noted. "We
hope to change the perception of what an energy bar can
be. We think consumers and retailers are really going to
like this new product and its flavors."
- Anna Wiber

http://www.bakingandsnack.com

Baking & Snack - February 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Baking & Snack - February 2019