Art created an incredible gourmet dinner for actress Andie MacDowell and her family in her beautiful home. A true vegan feast, the extravagant dinner commenced with a Mexican tortilla soup, followed by spicy ‘chorizo’ tamales, homemade tacos with roasted sweet potatoes and black beans, and a roasted corn ensalada. The menu items were paired with sides of vegan queso, lime cilantro ‘sour cream’ and a roasted tomato cilantro salsa. Homemade limeade, made with fresh lime juice and agave nectar, was the drink of choice and a vegan hazelnut flan was served for dessert.

The dinner boasted wonderful conversation, as Art shared with the group suggestions on vegan recipes, nutritional expertise, and answered extensive health and lifestyle related questions.

Art said of the evening, “[it was] an exciting menu of south of the border delights [with] the warmest, most gracious hostess and dinner companions anyone could wish for!”

Every successful business reaches a point when it’s time to give back. PROBAR is there. That’s how PROBAR president Jules Lambert came to talk to MBA students at Columbia Business School this fall at the university’s invitation.

Jules told students at the Eugene Lang Entrepreneurship Center in New York that it’s vital for a start-up to establish connections and develop relationships with successful people in business who can advise and teach. That theme resonated with the audience. Clifford Schorer, entrepreneur-in-residence at the center, said in a note afterward to Jules,

“Your warmth and sincerity came through and sent a great message to these young people. Life is more about honest and truthful relations, and if you take that path the money will follow.”

Brendan Burns, an adjunct professor at Columbia Business School, noted, “Our students were captivated by the combination of, and connection between, (a) customer focus (b) cohesive team (c) value-based approach to business and (d) relentless and optimistic drive.”

“The PROBAR story is special on many levels, but it really resonated with the students (and the professors!) to hear a firsthand account of world-class brand-building and distribution from the zero stage to thousands of distribution outlets and broad name recognition in less than five years,“ Burns said. “The passion and dedication that Jules brought to our class was truly infectious and inspirational. It was also special to hear about a company that is remaining true to its founding values as it grows.”

But most success doesn’t come overnight. Jules reinforced with students that success requires long-term commitment and passion, business traits that he knows well. In PROBAR ’s early years, Jules and his family lived in an RV while he made sales stops around the country, spreading the word mile by mile and call by call. And success doesn’t mean the selling stops. PROBAR founder Art Eggertsen is traveling around the United States in an RV now to share the whole foods message, and Jules still travels much of the year.

This last week Jules and PROBAR CEO Jeff Coleman also met with students at Westminster College in Salt Lake City. The students enjoyed the message and have commented on the PROBAR facebook fan page. Like from Erika Stevens:

Thanks for an awesome presentation! You inspired me to find my authentic dream. You guys rock!

My name is Mike Moshier. I just wanted to send you a quick thank you and share a little story with you.

When I met my wife 8 years ago I was in decent shape (and had a pretty high metabolism). Since then though life has gotten busier and I started to fall out of shape.  Traci (my wife) and I have three wonderful kids.  With three kids and working a retail schedule my workouts became less and less frequent.  And unfortunately my weight gain became more and more frequent.

About three years ago I decided I was going to get my butt into shape.  I started working out on a regular basis, started competing in adventure races and last year decided I was going to run a triathlon.  Well I got in to shape, but because I didn’t change my eating habits my weight didn’t go down much.

In June, I decided that I was going to begin really watching what I ate.  I began watching my calories (obliviously I kept up on my training) and every day for lunch I have either an Art’s Original or a Whole Berry Blast.  The change in my weight was almost instant.  I dropped 5 pounds the first week and now two months later and 25 pounds lighter.  I feel more energized and better about myself.

So long story short…Thanks!  And your bars are awesome!

Mike Moshier

Each customer whose “Your PROBAR Story” is published here on the blog will receive a Seventh Heaven Pack which is one PROBAR of each of the original flavors. We love to hear from our customers about their PROBAR story so if you’ve got one share it with us.

I just returned from a summer trip to the magic islands in northern Norway and it wasn’t complete without PROBAR. We took lots of climbing gear and of course nearly a hundred PROBARs!

The most satisfying part of the trip was sitting on a belay ledge, high on a granite bigwall overlooking the crystal clear blue water and reenergizing with a delecious PROBAR. They came in handy when we were depeleting our protein stores, losing energy and needing a wonderful taste in our mouths! PROBAR hit the spot every single time.

Since they worked so well, we knew that they were an essential part of our team while we established our own new 1000 foot route on a deserted island. When our hunger called, we answered with calorie packed PROBAR. By the end of our two week adventure, every member of our 5 member team was hooked on PROBAR. Thanks so much.

Rob Pizem : )

Each customer whose “Your PROBAR Story” is published here on the blog will receive a Seventh Heaven Pack which is one PROBAR of each of the original flavors. We love to hear from our customers about their PROBAR story so if you’ve got one share it with us.

Last month the first one to go through the test was Blueberry fruition and here are some highlights from the review:

All of these fine ingredients blend together perfectly, delivering a consistency that’s slightly chewy, but sticky and soft, with just the right balance of fruit and grain flavors. Nutritionally, the bar has 160 calories, 3g of protein, 4g of fiber, calcium and iron, making it something that will certainly help satisfy your hunger and replenish you between meals. Packaging is a nice extension to the style that PROBAR has been using on its flagship line, with illustrations of fruit that should whet just about anyone’s appetite.

Bottom line from BarsAreFood.com was that they could “definitely eat [it] on a regular basis” to which we happily agree ourselves.  Be sure to check out BarsAreFood.com to see the other fruition and PROBAR reviews they’ve done.

The reviewer was in the middle of a 7 day detox when she decided to take a break from it to try fruition.  Here’s a snippet of what she had to say:

Though I was visibly low on energy as I walked out the door yesterday afternoon, slowly un-peeling my Strawberry Fruition bar, I was ready to go once I reached my destination.  The fruit and chia seeds gave me the punch of energy I desperately needed.

Check out the rest of the reivew at FitnessMagazine.com

So when the good folks at DailyHiker.com got a hold of both the PROBAR Meal Replacement bars as well as the new fruition bars we were anxious to hear their feedback.  Here’s the intro from the review:

These days, one has so many options to choose from when it comes to meal and energy bars. While looking for a meal bar with a less-processed ingredient list, we discovered PROBAR (and their new, snack-size bars, Fruition). Both the PROBARs and Fruition bars are made from whole-food, organic ingredients. Started in 2001 by Art Eggertsen, after being disappointed with the available options for energy bars. The perfect necessity as the mother of invention story.

Be sure to check out the entire review from DailyHiker.com as it’s worth the read.

As a soldier in the U.S. Army, active duty, I travel frequently. While visiting my family in Colorado during “Rest and Recovery” of my second deployment in Iraq, I shared a Cocoa Pistachio PROBAR with my twin sister. She is a vegan so it takes extra effort to surprise her with a meal.

I had seen an award for Best of Foods in 2009 in Whole Foods Magazine, which gave me the idea. Eating out can be limiting for vegans, so this was convenient and new for her. While away, I often worry she is not getting sufficient nutrition in her diet, so it was great to introduce her to a meal option that she enjoys.

I myself have shipped boxes of different PROBAR flavors to my camp in the desert. The bars are small enough to carry in my cargo pockets, or toss into a backpack. I enjoy them while out on mission, or as a healthy meal replacement anytime. Now my twin sister and I have something extra to share while we are apart.

Each customer whose “Your PROBAR Story” is published here on the blog will receive a Seventh Heaven Pack which is one PROBAR of each of the original flavors. We love to hear from our customers about their PROBAR story so if you’ve got one share it with us.

As I innocently stocked our shelves with the mundane, boring old bars that we usually carry in the store where I work I saw, no it couldn’t be! Yes, it is, a NEW BAR!! But, could it be as flavorful and healthy as the package made it seem? Or, would it simply be another one of “those” bars. You know the ones, hard as a fossil, tastes like gritty protein horse feed and looks like, well something awful. I cautiously opened the package and BAM had a Willy Wonka Golden Ticket moment! It looked like REAL food. The first taste would seal the deal, would this be the bar that could bring me back from the depths of blandness? Yes! YES!! This is my BAR SAVIOR!

Each customer whose “Your PROBAR Story” is published here on the blog will receive a Seventh Heaven Pack which is one PROBAR of each of the original flavors. We love to hear from our customers about their PROBAR story so if you’ve got one share it with us.

I recently attended a screening of the new documentary, Food Inc. I had come straight from work and was running late. With no time to grab dinner, I grabbed a large popcorn (extra butter, please!) for my husband and I to split. Fifteen minutes into the movie, I looked down at the half eaten bucket of corn and felt disgusted. No only did the meal reflect everything that the movie opposes, but it made my body feel terrible. After the film, I resolved to become a full fledged vegan (before which, I was a lacto-vegetarian). A vegan friend recommended PROBAR as a healthy, animal friendly snack and since then, I have been hooked! Now, next time I am on my way to see a flick, I will grab a guilt free, Kettle Corn PROBAR to satisfy my hunger.

Each customer whose “Your PROBAR Story” is published here on the blog will receive a Seventh Heaven Pack which is one PROBAR of each of the original flavors. We love to hear from our customers about their PROBAR story so if you’ve got one share it with us.