While in the midst of my health and wellness journey at the University of Colorado Boulder, I became increasingly frustrated with the processed, packaged food options available, especially protein bars. They were marketed as healthy, but most were filled with questionable ingredients, and the “clean” ones usually had barely any protein. I wanted to set a new standard. So I started experimenting in my college kitchen, trying to create a bar with minimal, real ingredients of the highest quality, including dates, honey, and grass‑fed protein. When I finally had something I felt proud of, I took it to the Boulder County Farmers Market to see if anyone else liked it. The packaging was a sticker I designed myself on a plastic baggie. The next year, I increased the protein, refreshed the logo and packaging, and saw more sales at the market. But I still couldn’t break into retail, and online orders were nonexistent.
After graduating, I moved back home to Austin, Texas, to continue building Brave Bar and take it more seriously. In Austin, while working full‑time, I started getting online sales, entered a few local retailers, and treated Brave Bar like something worth growing. But I still felt the bar wasn’t where it could be. That’s when I entered a new era of experimentation. Every day I’d tweak the recipe based on feedback from anyone willing to try the bar around town and at local gyms. After months of trial and error, Brave Bar finally became what it is today. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.