PowerBar

PowerBar
Company type	Subsidiary
Industry	Food processing
Founded	1986; 40 years ago
Founder	Brian Maxwell, Jennifer Biddulph
Fate	Acquired by Nestlé in 2000, becoming a brand.
Headquarters	Glendale, California, United States
Area served	North America, Europe
Products	Energy bars, sports drinks, gels
Revenue	US$175 million (2013)
Owner	Nestlé (2000–14); Post Holdings (2014–pres.);
Parent	Active Nutrition International GmbH
Website	powerbar.com

PowerBar is an American brand of energy bars and other related products including sports drinks, gels, and the Pria bars targeted at women. The company was established in 1986 and was acquired by Nestlé in 2000 and by Post Holdings in 2014.

PowerBar is part of Germany-based Active Nutrition International alongside Premier Protein and Dymatize. It is a subsidiary of BellRing Brands, of which Post Holdings is the majority owner.

History

Bay Area (pictured in 2005), with PowerBar sign just recognizable, at top of high rise in downtown Berkeley (center left)

The PowerBar company was founded by Brian Maxwell, a Canadian 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. This was the first "energy bar" for use during competition by endurance athletes, such as ultramarathoners and cyclists.^[1] They eventually acquired a headquarters building in downtown Berkeley.^[2]

The company eventually reached $150 million in sales before being purchased by Nestlé in 2000 for $375 million.^[1] In February 2007, PowerBar moved its headquarters from Berkeley, California, to the Nestlé headquarters in Glendale, California.^[3]

On February 3, 2014, Post Holdings announced it had reached an agreement to acquire PowerBar, Musashi and related worldwide assets from Nestlé.^[4]^[5] Following the acquisition, PowerBar became part of Active Nutrition International, which is headquartered in Munich, Germany.^[6]^[7]

References

1 2 "Raising the Power Bar: The Brian Maxwell story", Running Magazine, Dan Hill, September 21, 2010. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
↑ Natividad, Ivan (23 February 2024). "A history of innovation: Berkeley founders, movements that influenced our culture". Berkeley News. Retrieved 16 April 2026.
↑ Mara, Janis (17 July 2023). "'The melting pot of ideas keeps us here': Why sports nutrition maker GU calls Berkeley home". Berkeleyside. Retrieved 16 April 2026. PowerBar moved to Nestle headquarters in Glendale after being acquired by that company in 2007.
↑ Johnsen, Michael (3 February 2014). "Post acquires PowerBar, Musashi brands from Nestlé". drugstorenews.com. EnsembleIQ. Archived from the original on March 15, 2016. Retrieved 17 April 2026.
↑ Schroeder, Eric (3 February 2014). "Post buys PowerBar". www.foodbusinessnews.net. Food Business News. Retrieved 17 April 2026.
↑ "Active Nutrition International". ecosio.com. Retrieved 17 April 2026.
↑ "Brands". Active Nutrition International (in German). Retrieved 17 April 2026.