Culinology - September 2016 - 37

EXPERT voices Are you broadening your consumer base with the repositioning of PowerBar? Nick Stiritz: With the mainstreaming of protein and everyone seeking to get more protein in their diet, we see this as an opportunity for PowerBar to build its protein credentials. We have a very successful line of bars, Protein Plus bars, which are leaders in the category. Building on those strengths there and then innovating to some of these other areas with protein-forward formulations has really guided how we're bringing products to the market this year and in the foreseeable future. As we look to innovation in the years ahead, there are other energy sources out there that we have our eyes on in making sure we continue to innovate and stay ahead of the game in bringing energy to the people however they want it. The bar category has become more crowded. How does PowerBar stand out? Mr. Stiritz: The bar category is very competitive. You walk into your local supermarket, and there will probably be 100 different bar items there on shelf. It is a challenging marketplace to play in, and protein continues to be hotter and hotter. We're doing a much better job of communicating to consumers. For example, we just refreshed our entire product line with new packaging to better call out our protein benefits as well as some of our other nutritional benefits because consumers are becoming much smarter about what they need. PowerBar has been around for 30 years. Does that help or hurt the brand as you try to reach more consumers? Mr. Stiritz: We have a fantastic benefit of being PowerBar. In many cases, we are the category generic term for active nutrition bars. I've been in supermarkets before where you have the milk aisle, the cereal aisle, and I've seen the sign that says "power bars." It's great to be PowerBar has refreshed its packaging to better call out the protein benefits of its products. the Google or Xerox of the world where people just refer to your entire category as your brand name. But...we were born as an in-sport brand that was squarely targeted on that endurance athlete, and the products were all designed for that specific need. There is still a need for the slab bar. There are still people out there running marathons and doing triathlons, and we will continue to meet their needs, but also the category has expanded greatly. You see products like Kind and Clif Bar as examples that bring a more approachable product and brand to the marketplace, and consumers can really connect with it. We have completely been relaunching this brand to show off that shift in our positioning and who we are talking to because what we realize is that 30 years ago when PowerBar was invented...to be considered an athlete you had to be running a marathon or running a 10K in under 40 minutes. Today's athlete is very different than that. We realize this whole society of athletes in sports has moved on from being that intense, hardcore, narrowly focused, almost semi-professional athlete, to people going out there and playing sports with their friends...The SoulCycles, the CrossFits, the various boot camps of the world are getting people involved in sports and bringing it into their daily lives. SEPTEMBER 2016 | Culinology | 37

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Culinology - September 2016