Learn More about PROBAR

Holly from ProBar

Sisters and Brothers in Chocolate, please help me welcome Holly Hansen to our blog today. We'll be featuring a product from PROBAR® the company she works for on Saturday but today she's going to help us learn more about them and share a bit about herself as well.

Welcome, Holly, to The Chocolate Cult. Would you tell us who you are and what you do for PROBAR®?

I am a Michigan native who has lived in Salt Lake City for over 12 years now. My main reason for moving west was my passion for the mountains and all the trail running, skiing and climbing they have to offer. My career path has paralleled my passions as a Marketing Professional in the outdoor industry. I am the Marketing Communications Manager at PROBAR®. Which means I manage the sports marketing (our ambassador program), social media, sales support as well as new product and innovation support.

Your products are sold in so many stores as well as online but where was PROBAR® first started and sold?

PROBAR® was first started in Park City when CEO Jeff Coleman had an epiphany about what energy bars should be and taste like and how they should perform. He went on to hire our President Jules Lambert who took it upon himself to make and sell bars out of his RV while travelling and living out of it with his family. The rest is history and we are now a nationally recognized brand that has not once sacrificed on quality along the way.

More info can be found here.

ProBar Variety

The PROBAR® mission on the website is "PROBAR® creates delicious, convenient, healthy, plant-based food products. We strive to become the leading provider of REAL FOOD choices, always maintaining our commitment to quality, sustainability and fantastic taste." can you tell us a bit more about what this means?

It is sometimes hard to find an energy bar that meets all of your needs as far as taste, energy, consistency, quality ingredients (that you can read!) and dietary limitations. At PROBAR® we strive to fulfill all of those needs by providing real ingredients that are Non-GMO, derived from organic farms, gluten free, plant based and are a full nutritious meal on the go from a company that genuinely cares about helping people.

A lot of folks think of energy bars as only for athletes but do you think these products can and should appeal to the average person?

Absolutely! PROBAR® products are perfect for athletes given the fuel they provide and great taste. However, they are also perfect for the busy mom skipping meals here and there, a kid’s backpack, the college student running between classes, the professional who forgot to pack their lunch. This is because our products are REAL food, highly nutritious and convenient. Did I mention they taste great?

Base Bar

One of the features of PROBAR® products that some of our readers might be interested in and surprised by is that your creations are Organic Certified and non-GMO. That must add some cost to your products so why make that extra effort when so many energy, meal, and snack bars do not?

Because we wouldn’t be PROBAR®. Because we would have sacrificed our core values, what we wanted to create in the first place, to cut costs. It would be pulling our support of responsible farming and business. That is not helping people. It is offering them cheaper product at the expense of their health.

We couldn't agree more on The Chocolate Cult!

How did you get involved with PROBAR®, Holly?

I have worked as a marketing professional in the Outdoor Industry for 11+ years. Specifically, with ski and climbing hard goods as well as high end stainless steel drinkware most recently.

As a runner/climber/skier myself, I have always been a user of energy bars and have interest in nutritional science. When PROBAR® had a job opening in their marketing department I applied and here I am!

Do you use PROBAR® products yourself and what is your favorite product?

I have been using PROBAR® products since they came out about 12 years ago. They just tasted better and didn’t upset my stomach during exercise.

My favorites are:
The Meal bar in Original Trail Mix and Almond Crunch

Base bar in Chocolate Super Greens – these are higher in protein and taste more indulgent (lots of chocolate!)

Nut Butter in all flavors! But my favorite is Koka Moka….because I like coffee and chocolate

One of the most important questions for us here, do you like chocolate? If so, what type of chocolate do you prefer?

Is that a trick question? YES! The darker the better. And with sea salt.

Are there any more chocolate varieties of your products in the works for the future that you could tell us about?

There are some new products in the works that have chocolate, peanut butter and almond butter options. You will just have to wait and see ☺

Thank you, Holly, for talking with us today. Saturday we'll look at some of the PROBAR® line and we'll work our way through their line of products through 2017 so keep coming back to learn more.

Readers, how many of you have tried PROBAR®? Leave a comment below and let us know. If you have any other questions for Holly about PROBAR® ask it in a comment.