PowerBar is an American
brand
A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create an ...
of
energy bar
Energy bars are supplemental bars containing cereals, micronutrients, and flavor ingredients intended to supply quick food energy. Because most energy bars contain added protein (nutrient), protein, carbohydrates, dietary fiber, and other nutri ...
s and other related products including
sports drink
Sports drinks, also known as electrolyte drinks, are functional beverages whose stated purpose is to help Sportsperson, athletes replace water, electrolytes, and energy before, during and especially after training or competition. There are many ...
s,
gels
A gel is a semi-solid that can have properties ranging from soft and weak to hard and tough. Gels are defined as a substantially dilute cross-linked system, which exhibits no flow when in the steady-state, although the liquid phase may still dif ...
, and the ''Pria'' bars targeted at women. The former company had been established in 1986, being then acquired by
Nestlé
Nestlé S.A. (; ; ) is a Switzerland, Swiss multinational food and drink processing conglomerate corporation headquartered in Vevey, Vaud, Switzerland. It is the largest publicly held food company in the world, measured by revenue and other me ...
.
History
The PowerBar company was founded by
Brian Maxwell
Brian Leigh Maxwell (March 14, 1953 – March 19, 2004) was a British born Canadian track and field athlete, track coach, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. He founded PowerBar, a maker of energy and nutritional products for athletes. Maxwell ini ...
, a
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
athlete and entrepreneur, along with Jennifer Biddulph, and Mike McCollum. They started in Maxwell's kitchen, where they formulated the recipe using the knowledge of Jennifer Biddulph, a nutritionist. The two would eventually marry. They used $55,000 in cash to launch the company in 1986 in
Berkeley, California
Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and Emer ...
. This was the first "energy bar" for use during competition by endurance athletes, such as ultra marathoners, and cyclists.
["Raising the Power Bar: The Brian Maxwell story"]
''Running Magazine'', Dan Hill, September 21, 2010. Retrieved November 10, 2017. They eventually acquired a headquarters building in downtown Berkeley.
The company eventually reached $150 million in sales before being purchased by
Nestlé
Nestlé S.A. (; ; ) is a Switzerland, Swiss multinational food and drink processing conglomerate corporation headquartered in Vevey, Vaud, Switzerland. It is the largest publicly held food company in the world, measured by revenue and other me ...
in 2000 for $375 million.
In February 2007, PowerBar moved its headquarters from Berkeley, California, to the
Nestlé
Nestlé S.A. (; ; ) is a Switzerland, Swiss multinational food and drink processing conglomerate corporation headquartered in Vevey, Vaud, Switzerland. It is the largest publicly held food company in the world, measured by revenue and other me ...
headquarters in
Glendale, California
Glendale is a city in the San Fernando Valley and Verdugo Mountains regions of Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, California, United States. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. Census the population was 196,543, up from ...
.
On February 3, 2014,
Post Holdings
Post Holdings (officially Post Holdings, Inc.) is an American consumer packaged goods holding company headquartered in St Louis, Missouri with businesses operating in the center-of-the-store, refrigerated, foodservice and food ingredient categori ...
announced it had reached an agreement to acquire PowerBar, Musashi and related worldwide assets from
Nestlé
Nestlé S.A. (; ; ) is a Switzerland, Swiss multinational food and drink processing conglomerate corporation headquartered in Vevey, Vaud, Switzerland. It is the largest publicly held food company in the world, measured by revenue and other me ...
.
In 2021, PowerBar regained control of their brand and became a registered trademark of Premier Nutrition Company, LLC.
See also
*
*
List of food companies
This is a list of food companies, current and past businesses involved in food production or processing.
Africa
* All Joy Foods
* Bakers
* BOS Ice Tea
* Cevital
* Choppies
* Clover
* Colcom Foods
* Distell Group Limited
* Famous Brand ...
References
External links
*
"PowerBar founder collapses"(20 March 2004), ''
San Francisco Chronicle
The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. de ...
''
Center.spoke.com: Mike McCollum, Board Member
1986 establishments in California
American brands
American companies established in 1986
Companies based in Berkeley, California
Companies based in Glendale, California
Dietary supplements
Energy food products
Food and drink companies based in California
Food and drink companies established in 1986
Food manufacturers of the United States
Post Consumer Brands brands
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