Co-founder of RXBAR invests in the “fresh granola bar” business.
The manufacturer of chilled oat bars, Mooski, is growing its manufacturing and retail presence with fresh support from a seasoned professional in the field. Co-founder of RXBAR Jared Smith has become an advisor and investor in the snack firm located in San Diego.
The creator and CEO, Robert Broome, stated that the company is expanding “coast to coast,” stocking shelves at Foxtrot Market, Fresh Thyme, and Central Market. The firm sells and distributes a variety of bars that are modeled after the traditional Swiss breakfast cereal muesli. The cross-country effort comes at the same time as a new Midwest manufacturing collaboration, according to Mr. Broome, has enhanced the quality of the bars. The ingredients of the dark chocolate-coated, gluten-free bars include nut butter, almond flour, organic agave, and oats without gluten. Chocolate peanut butter, cookie dough, and peanut butter banana are some of the flavors.
“We conducted numerous trials there, and everything went extremely well,” Mr. Broome stated to Food Business News. Scaling up typically requires sacrifice. When we expanded, everything improved. The oats became softer and smoother.
As the company expands outside of California, the move away from self-manufacturing is anticipated to greatly boost capacity, according to Mr. Broome.
He remarked, “We were basically self-manufacturing, working eight-hour shifts, producing two to three thousand units a day.” “We’re working between 30,000 and 40,000 in an eight-hour shift now.”
Mr. Broome previously worked with RXBAR and Clio Snacks in marketing and innovation capacities. He started experimenting with the idea of a “fresh granola bar” a few years ago in response to the growing customer demand for chilled, ready-to-eat products that are marketed as high-quality and devoid of preservatives. He brought on Chelsea Sherman, a fellow former RXBAR employee, to oversee finance and supply chain not long after the brand’s start last year.
With his investment in Mooski, Mr. Smith has entered the nutrition bar market for the first time, almost five years after Kellogg Co. paid $600 million to purchase RXBAR. Mr. Smith has also made investments in food and beverage companies including Olipop, Omsom, and A Dozen Cousins through his family office, Villam Ventures.
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“Mooski introduces innovation with a fresh product format in the rapidly expanding refrigerated bar industry,” stated Mr. Smith. There is a large unrealized potential to own the area and be the first to market with a fresher alternative to granola bars. Front-end and back-end specialists Robert and Chelsea make the ideal team, and their enduring bond is based on honesty and humility.
According to Mr. Broome, the company intends to promote its new retail agreements with in-store sampling, digital promotions, and other activations. Additionally, Mooski is releasing updated packaging that better conveys the features of the product.