Bear Naked is a food company that makes whole grain granolas, granola bites, and oatmeal. The company was launched in 2002 by Kelly Flatley and Brendan Synnott. In 2007, Bear Naked was purchased by
Kashi, a subsidiary of the
Kellogg Company
The Kellogg Company, doing business as Kellogg's, is an American multinational food manufacturing company headquartered in Battle Creek, Michigan, United States. Kellogg's produces cereal and convenience foods, including crackers and toas ...
, one of the biggest food corporations in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
. Bear Naked is based out of
La Jolla
La Jolla ( , ) is a hilly, seaside neighborhood within the city of San Diego, California, United States, occupying of curving coastline along the Pacific Ocean. The population reported in the 2010 census was 46,781.
La Jolla is surrounded on ...
,
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
.
History
Kelly Flatley and Brendan Synnott are the co-founders of Bear Naked granola. Flatley came up with the name – “bear” which evoked the outdoors, while “naked” implied the absence of additives. In college, Flatley made granola in her dorm room and shared it with friends. Flatley met Synnott in 2002 in
Darien, Connecticut
Darien ( ) is a coastal town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. With a population of 21,499 and a land area of just under 13 square miles, it is the smallest town on Connecticut's Gold Coast. It has the youngest population of any ...
. Flatley was making her granola through the night and delivering it to local stores the next morning. They became business partners and began using a commercial kitchen. They were the only employees of the company at the time, so they created, distributed, and marketed the granola themselves. Initially, commercial distributors would not sell them raw materials, so they bought bulk from their local
Costco
Costco Wholesale Corporation (Trade name, doing business as Costco Wholesale and also known simply as Costco) is an American multinational corporation which operates a chain of membership-only Big-box store, big-box retail stores (warehouse c ...
. Synnott and Flatley pitched their products to organic and natural markets and increased the company's presence in stores. In 2003,
Stew Leonard’s supermarket chain in New York picked up their granola, which helped pull the company into commercial success.
Acquisition by Kellogg
In 2007, Flatley and Synnott were approached by Kashi, a subsidiary of the Kellogg Company. The partners sold Bear Naked for over $60 million. Flatley and Synnott stayed for a year to make a smooth transition to the new parent company. Today, Kellogg’s Kashi Co. organic unit manages the Bear Naked brand, from La Jolla, California.
Marketing
Design
For its initial design, Bear Naked used a logo with three slashes suggesting bear claw marks. They chose a bear symbol because of its appetite for nuts, fruit, and honey. After a redesign in 2015, “Kevin” the bear was introduced. He now appears on all packaging, social media, and the company website. The new design uses orange, the signature color of Bear Naked's flagship Fruit and Nut granola. The color is meant to be energetic and hopes to appeal to millennials and others with active lives.
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Packaging
Bear Naked’s marketing strategy included presenting its product in a resealable
cellophane
Cellophane is a thin, transparent sheet made of regenerated cellulose. Its low permeability to air, oils, greases, bacteria, and liquid water makes it useful for food packaging. Cellophane is highly permeable to water vapour, but may be coated ...
pouch with a transparent window. In 2019, Bear Naked made its stand-up pouch from 100% recyclable materials.
Products
Granola
Classic Granola
* Banana Nut
* Cacao and Cashew
* Fruit & Nut
* Maple Pecan
* Peanut Butter
Bear Naked Granola Fit (Reduced Sugar)
* Vanilla Almond
* Triple Berry
* Peanut Butter Crunch
Gluten-Free and Grain Free
* Maple Cinnamon
* Chocolate Almond
Protein Granola
* Original Cinnamon
* Honey Almond
Granola bites
* Dark Chocolate Sea Salt (Chewy)
* Peanut Butter and Honey (Chewy)
* Honey Oat (Crunchy)
* Chocolate Chip (Crunchy)
Oatmeal
* Maple Pecan Steel Cut Oatmeal and Crunchy Granola Topper
* Fruit and Nut Steel Cut Oatmeal and Crunchy Granola Topper
References
External links
Company Website
Food manufacturers of the United States
Kellogg's brands
Kellogg's cereals
Cereal bars
Food and drink companies established in 2002
2002 establishments in Connecticut
Companies based in Norwalk, Connecticut
Companies based in San Diego
2007 mergers and acquisitions