I have to admit, I had hesitation when it came to starting this company. I’ve always been a hard worker, so when my husband and I decided to start Gratisfied, I knew I had a long road (yet a fulfilling one) ahead of me. That is not what scared me (too much). What it meant was putting my health coaching business on the back-burner, a business I spent years building and had self-proclaimed as my calling. Some part of me felt that all of my hard work would have been for nothing.
It sounds silly now, because I don’t think I would be doing this if it weren’t for my health coaching clients and a question I came across with almost every one. A question I never felt I could answer with 100% confidence. My main message to clients was this: “eat primarily real food, and less of those foods that come in a package.” I understand however, that sometimes busy schedules/travel/lack of time necessitate we eat food already made for us. And that is completely OK. But given the shape of the packaged food industry, options are slim when trying to maintain healthy eating goals. Even those more nutritious bars lack satiation, taste and texture. I created these Empower Bars for myself and for my clients, because when they asked me for snack/meal replacement bar recommendations, there was not one bar I felt I could completely get behind.
Therefore, the Empower Bar was created out of the dissatisfaction for all of the bars on the market. I felt as if I had to take matters into my own hands. I developed a recipe of a baked bar to be made in my own kitchen; a recipe written with real food, plant-based nutrition and blood sugar balance in mind (hello healthy fats, high quality protein, low sugar). The result was an actually healthy and delicious on-the-go snack or meal if needed. I was eating one almost every day, and not only did I feel good physically, these bars assuaged any “food anxiety” when I traveled or had a busy day ahead of me. Trust me – they have seen the inside of every airplane and hotel room since 2017.
These bars changed my life…bold statement, but it’s true. To be guaranteed that I will no longer experience “hanger” or be left without options is quite life-changing! Knowing I wanted to share them with a larger audience, I took to the shelves myself, and here we are. Running a natural-foods company, building a brand, and sharing one of my favorite foods with the world (with hopefully much more to come!).
I hope the share them with you too.
