Before Protein Was Cool

In 1995, I put 20 grams of protein on the wrapper of a nutrition bar. Today that sounds normal, but at the time it was considered radical. There were no protein aisles, no high-protein snacks everywhere, and most consumers were not counting protein grams. I wasn’t trying to follow a trend. I was trying to solve a problem.

As a woman passionate about health and fitness, I saw a gap in the market. Many convenient foods were loaded with sugar and lacked nutritional value. I believed consumers deserved better. When we launched the first thinkThin® bar with 20 grams of protein and no sugar, many questioned whether anyone would buy it. Some thought the protein level was too high. Others believed sugar-free would never appeal to the mainstream.

What many people don’t realize is that building a category takes years. It requires educating consumers, retailers, media, and sometimes even the industry itself. The conversations around protein, sugar reduction, and gluten-free living did not happen overnight. These movements took decades.

Now when I walk through grocery stores, I see entire sections dedicated to protein, sugar-free products everywhere, and gluten-free aisles that didn’t exist when I started. Every time, I smile. Not because I did it alone, but because I know I helped start a conversation before it became popular.

Entrepreneurship is often about seeing something years before the rest of the world does. The goal isn’t to be right overnight. The goal is to create something meaningful enough that it changes the way people think. That is what makes me proud.