In 2015, nutritionist Veronika Larisova was preparing to trek the Kokoda Trail – a 96km single file track through the Owen Stanley Range in Papua New Guinea.
Hiking the trail normally takes between four to twelve days and, needing to take her own food, Veronika needed something highly nutritious that would last without refrigeration.
So, she starting looking for packaged snacks that fit the bill and her first stop was protein bars, but most are full of artificial ingredients and/or far too much sugar.
She also considered jerky and biltong, but the issue there was most are made with nasty preservatives and again, in some cases, far too much sugar.
It dawned on Veronika that there really aren’t any healthy snacks on the market and after returning from Kokoda she was determined to create one!
That’s how Chief Nutrition was born. Veronika convinced her co-founders Libby, Justin and Brock there was a new, untapped market and within a few months (with the help of a food scientist) they’d created their first product.
But, it wasn’t all smooth sailing, it turns out creating healthy products without artificial binders, thickeners, sweeteners and sugar alcohols is extremely difficult.
It took them years of frustrating trials but they finally cracked it, and now, the team at Chief have a range of extremely healthy and tasty snacks, including their Collagen Protein Bars which come in 6 delicious flavours:
- Double Choc (covered in chocolate) – best seller
- Choc Peanut Butter (covered in chocolate) – best seller
- Hazelnut Brownie
- Peanut Butter
- Cashew Shortbread
- Lemon Tart
Being made from nut butter they have a unique and delicious biscuity texture, and the new chocolate covered range have already shot to Chief’s top seller list. Even more indulgent flavours are in the works and will be released early 2024.
“We make all our products for ‘pack flippers’ – the person that looks at the back of the pack to check the ingredients and nutrition information because they care about what they put in their body,” says Veronika.
Attesting to this, Chief’s Collagen Protein Bars are 5-Star Health Rated and I Quit Sugar approved.
Chief also support Thankful For Farmers, who partners with brands to raise money to support sustainable farming and regional communities across Australia. Over 90% of all money generated by Thankful For Farmers goes to fund programs and initiatives to support local farming, regional and rural communities.
About Chief Nutrition
Chief Nutrition targets the convergence of the 3 fastest growing sectors of food:
- Healthy
- Sustainable
- On the go convenience
Chief is now a major player in Australia’s healthy snacking scene and is found in thousands of stores around the country. They’re also a big business online and retailers can capitalise on the strong brand recognition for Chief products Australia wide, particularly in a convenience environment.
About Chief Collagen Protein Bars
Chief Collagen Protein Bars retail at $5.95 per bar with a wholesale price of $3.39 + GST (37% margin; 60% mark-up).
Find out more at wearechief.com