Bear Naked Redefines Granola

Bear Naked, which came to life nearly five years ago, is introducing two new flavors this month in the granola aisle, Peanut Butter and Jelly as well as Peak Protein Blueberry Walnut. The introductions come as the small company continues to claw its way to the top, challenging giants Kraft and General Mills for granola bar supremacy.

A spokesperson yesterday credited the company's founders for putting taste and premium ingredients at the top of their list of priorities and said their vision as well as the company's positioning as a fun, approachable firm have helped spur sales despite a lack of advertising.

"It's pretty much word of mouth," she said.

Data from A.C. Nielsen's GDMx indicate that Bear Naked is the No. 2 granola in the grocery channel, excluding Wal-Mart, for the June 2006 year-to-date period, while SPINS, which is allied with Nielsen, shows Bear Naked to be the No. 1 granola in the natural foods channel.

Bear Naked bills itself as "the all-natural food and lifestyle." Since two 23-year-olds founded the company by baking through the night, it has introduced five granola flavors and two product lines, and established a national distribution network.

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"Industry data indicate that Bear Naked is responsible for reviving the once-stagnant granola category," said co-founder Brendan Synnott. "We did it by mixing one part fun branding with one part great taste and one part all-natural ingredients you can actually pronounce."

Synnott claims the brand is responsible for generating 20% of cold cereal growth and 60% of granola category growth over the past year.

Bear Naked Peanut Butter and Jelly and Peak Protein Blueberry Walnut are all-natural granolas made from whole grain oats, real dried fruit and whole nuts. All flavors are free of trans fat, hydrogenated oils, preservatives, cholesterol, artificial flavors and high fructose corn syrup.

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