The Paleo Diet has been a trending diet for many years now. Essentially, it encourages people to eat what humans ate during the Paleolithic period. That means no legumes, gluten, processed sugar, dairy, or certain types of nuts. As you can imagine, there aren't a lot of ready-to-eat meals that fall into this category, which makes convenient Paleo snacking difficult. The Paleo Diet Bar aimed to fill that void, offering a convenient, on-the-go snack option for those adhering to the Paleo lifestyle.
The Promise of the Paleo Diet Bar
The Paleo Diet Bar was marketed as a gluten-free, grain-free, soy-free, dairy-free, fiber-rich, and protein-rich, preservative-free optimal nutrition bar for the hunter-gatherer lifestyle. Powered by rich-protein sources containing all 9 essential amino acids, it combined the finest all-natural ingredients to strike the tastiest balance without compromising nutritional value. The bar was exclusively endorsed by Dr. Loren Cordain, the leader of the Paleo movement and has trademarked “The Paleo Diet”.
A Colorado Creation
The Paleo Diet Bar from Paleo Braaap, LLC was a husband/wife owned company (Shauna and Todd Sledge) launched in Fort Collins, CO October 2013. Colorado is a very active and health conscious state. The Sledges, both fitness and wellness fanatics, first founded Braaap Nutrition, LLC. in 2010 and launched Braaap nutrition bars. But, as they were telling people about their product, Shauna said they kept hearing that people liked the bars, but they didn’t fit into the paleo lifestyle a lot were adopting. After developing gluten, grain, soy and dairy-free paleo bars, the Sledges approached Cordain.
Shauna first met Dr. Loren Cordain, the founder of the Paleo Diet, in her work as a dental hygienist in Fort Collins, Colorado. She told him about her snack bars and at the time received his endorsement for the product. At that time, Sledge's brand was the only one to receive such an endorsement.
Ingredients and Nutritional Value
This is the first product I had seen use Egg White Protein Powder. You usually see whey protein. Whey is derived from milk, which would be considered a dairy product and not allowed in the Paleo Diet. The Paleo Diet Bar follows the guidelines to the Paleo Diet according to Dr. Loren Cordain.
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Comparing calories the Paleo Diet Bar has 310 and Lara Bars have 200-250. If you are looking for protein (17g) this bar has 4 times the amount of protein compared to a Lara Bar. It has a lot of sugar (22g) but so do other bars with fruit and dates.
A Dive into the Flavors
The Paleo Diet Bar has a similar texture and shape to the Lara Bar, but is much larger. The bar is not greasy or sticky in your hand, and is very dense.
The available flavors included:
- Cinnamon Raisin: In this flavor, the ingredient I tasted most was the cinnamon.
- Cranberry Almond: This flavor was sweeter and I enjoyed the taste more than the Cinnamon Raisin. It tasted like most protein bars do.
The "Shark Tank" Experience
To compete, Sledge sought some fresh investment to help boost her brand. Accompanied by a confused and jumpy caveman (whom we learn is her husband), Sledge made her pitch to the sharks in season 6, episode 27. As Sledge and her caveman actor made their way down the runway, Mark Cuban let out a less than thrilled, "Oh, lord," at the sight. Sledge explained that eating like a caveman doesn't mean you have to live like a caveman. She added that her bars are a convenient, Paleo-friendly snack, and stated that she was seeking $150,000 for a 20% stake in her company.
Robert Herjavec shared that he thought the bars were great and tasted a lot better than other protein-boosting foods he usually ate. Cuban, on the other hand, questioned why the bars had so much sugar. Sledge went on to give more details about the diet's principles after the panelists remarked that she was extremely fit. Those comments prompted her to add that she's also a fitness instructor as well as a mother to three children and a dental hygienist. This made several of the sharks skeptical of her ability to commit fully to the company. Lori Griener revealed that she did not enjoy the taste of the bars and was the first to bow out. Sledge suggested being open to changing the recipe after receiving the investment. That wasn't enough to convince the sharks that the company was worth betting on. One by one, the other judges declined to make a deal.
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Questions from the Sharks
The Paleo Diet Bar was featured on Shark Tank - Shauna presented The Paleo Diet Bar to the Sharks on May 1st (Season 6 episode 27). One Shark thought it tasted good and much better than the other “protein bars he was eating”. The female shark, Lori did not like the taste. Another asked why so much sugar? Shauna explained that the fruit ingredients accounted for the sugar content. What about the egg white powder, isn’t that a dairy product? How is the egg white powder made? Where do you get your ingredients from? Are any of the ingredients organic? “No. The priority was the gluten free label. “It can be used as a diet product because it can be a meal replacement.
The Aftermath of "Shark Tank"
Not securing a deal on "Shark Tank" does not always mean the end for a company. Sadly, Paleo Diet Foods is no more. This could have happened for several reasons. For one, protein and diet-specific snack bars really do have an endless list of competitors. Currently, there are dozens of Paleo-specific snack boxes, bars, and meat snack options available on Amazon. Even though the Paleo Diet traces its roots back to the Paleolithic era, it's still a trendy fad diet. As such, is likely to cycle out every few years or so. Also, one of Paleo Diet Foods' key selling points was that it was the only product that had Cordain's official endorsement, which got him 5% equity in the company and 10% in royalty payments. That endorsement likely stopped carrying as much weight as Cordain and his trademark became more available to other brands.
From Paleo Bars to CBD Products
While it's never easy to pick back up after closing operations on a company, especially one you founded yourself, Sledge seems to have done just that. After shutting down Paleo Diet Foods in 2016, Sledge continued to work as a spinning instructor and dental hygienist as she has done for over 25 years. In 2019, Sledge launched a new product line called Corejuv, a line of premium CBD products that include tinctures, softgels, and salves. The Instagram account is current but it would appear Sledge uses it as a personal page now.
Pricing and Availability
The Paleo Diet Bar Sampler Pack included one Cinnamon Raisin and one Cranberry Almond bar for $8.50 with free shipping. This comes to about $4.25 a bar. On Amazon, Cranberry Almond retailed for $50.98 including shipping and usually ships within 6-10 days. When you purchase an item from Amazon, the prices and shipping continually are changing. Per bar when sold online (I’m not near a store I can purchase one from) is more expensive than other options on the market.
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