The RXBAR Story
It’s 2013, and we called B.S. on protein bars.
CrossFit’s taking off. And protein bars are loaded with ingredients no one can even pronounce. We couldn’t believe there wasn’t a more nutritious and simpler protein bar out there. Maybe we were a little naïve, but we decided to stop talking and try to make it ourselves.
We started RX in our kitchen.
No venture capitalists. No consultants. No office. Just best friends. Eager and broke. Upfront about it. We don’t have anything against conventional wisdom. We just don’t always follow it. Even today - we’ve got healthy ambitions, the usual insecurities, and all the other stuff that keeps us human. And this will never change.
Like eating 3 egg whites, 2 dates, and 6 almonds.
It’s how we’ve always described our bars. What’s inside. What isn’t. We think it’s everything you need to know. Industry experts thought it was a big mistake when we put it on our packaging. Logo isn’t clear. No appetite appeal. Hey, we’re not designers, but we held our breath and did it. Haven’t looked back since.
We can get obsessive.
We never cut corners. If a product doesn’t meet our high standards, we won’t ship it. Period. ‘Okay’ is never good enough. Take our Coconut Chocolate bar. We’ve gone through over 250 formulations. Always improving, little by little. We kind of need to get it right. Strange, but it turns out fear of failure tastes pretty good.
Making wellness an easier choice.
Let’s be honest. Not everyone has the time to make a balanced snack or breakfast. But we all strive to eat better in some way, shape, or form. Our real food protein snacks are for the workout class aficionado. For the on-the-goer. For the parent who just wants a healthy snack for their kid. With clean ingredients, high-quality protein, and no artificial sweeteners, we try to make something for everyone to enjoy - no matter where they are on their wellness journeys.
Disclaimer:
*Not a low calorie food. See nutrition information for calories and sugar content.
Knowing what we are.
Starting a business with your best friend is great. It’s also really challenging. The reason RX works and we’re still friends is we know who we are - and who we’re not. Steadiness and risk-taking; together, we strike a good balance. We know when to hand something off, and when to take it ourselves. It’s the RXBAR culture.
Upfront about it.
Investors. Flavor scientists. Focus groups. It’s not us. We don’t have anything against conventional wisdom. We just don’t always follow it. We’re industry outsiders with a few healthy ambitions, the usual insecurities, and all the other stuff that keeps us human. We make protein bars with no B.S., and we’re real upfront about it.
RXBAR then and now
BFFs
August 2012
Best friends since 1st grade. Yin and yang. Our ability to complement each other, to offset our strengths and weaknesses, laid the groundwork for our partnership 21 years later.
August 2012 - March 2013
We set up a makeshift kitchen. Designed the first label in PowerPoint. Established ridiculously high standards for quality. We don’t believe in obstacles or barriers. We see a problem, solve it, and make things happen.
March - April 2013
We knew we were onto something pretty quickly.. We went all-in. Quit our day jobs. Invested $5,000 of our own. Moved our operations from mom’s basement and rented a small kitchen space. Let’s do this.
April - October 2013
Humility, grit, and hustle. A diet of protein bars, coffee, and ibuprofen. We made our first hires and started scaling production. We became mainstays on the CrossFit circuit, pushing product one bar, one box at a time. Most importantly, we always made time to say thank you. Because we understood from the start that every customer matters.
November 2013 - March 2014
No friction. No failures. We viewed (and still view) off-the-charts service as an opportunity. We were recognized by Whole30. We found a rhythm in making, packing, and shipping products. Still, we experienced growing pains trying to meet demand. We did whatever it took, humbling ourselves when necessary, to maintain our quality and service standards.
March - October 2014
You’ve got to plan. You need to take control of your fate. Things got real for us. We started shipping product by the pallet, by the truckload. We updated our label, making our simple ingredients plain and clear. We commercialized the business, but didn’t do it on our terms at first. We struggled a bit, but were able to correct our course. Lesson learned.
October 2014 - September 2015
We spent a year getting it right. Clawing for growth. Sometimes it was ugly, but we pushed forward. We learned a lot. About our business, about retail and ecommerce, about growing up our brand. We started building a team, and nothing is more important than bringing in the right people. That’s why we believe in putting people first.
September 2015 - Present
We launched our new packaging, which for the first time clearly reflected who we are and what we offer our customers. We landed our first regional grocery distribution deal and then the floodgates opened. It’s been a rocket ship. We added new flavors and new products, like our oats, kids bars, and nut butters. Always striving to make our products better and to bring the best foods to our customers, every time. When it comes to interacting with our brand, we want customers to leave better than when they found us.
