Bear Naked

Bear Naked is an all-natural food and lifestyle company that offers a complete line of granolas, bites, and oatmeal made with real whole grains and premium ingredients. It was launched in 2002 by entrepreneurs Kelly Flatley and Brendan Synnott who had a successful granola recipe. In 2007, Bear Naked was purchased by Kashi Company, a subsidiary of the Kellogg Company, the largest breakfast cereal maker and one of the biggest food corporations in the US with over 31,000 employees and $12 billion in annual sales.[1] Today, Bear Naked is based out of La Jolla, California and is available in more than 10,000 retail stores across the country.  

Bear Naked
TypeSubsidiary of Kellogg Company
IndustryConsumer Goods
Founded2002 Norwalk, Connecticut
FounderBrendan Synnott and Kelly Flatley
HeadquartersLa Jolla, California, U.S.
ProductsGranola
Bites
Oatmeal
ParentKellogg Company
Websitehttp://www.bearnaked.com/

History

Kelly Flatley and Brendan Synnott are the co-founders of Bear Naked granola. Kelly came up with the name – “bear” evoked the outdoors, while “naked” implied the absence of additives. In college, she made granola in her dorm room and shared it with friends. Everyone loved her granola because it was soft-baked and moist unlike other brands that were dry and hard. In the summer of 2002, Brendan ran into Kelly in Darien, Connecticut. Kelly was making her granola through the night and delivering it to local stores the next morning. She told Brendan about her business, and he invited himself to her kitchen to see her operation. The next day he accompanied her on a sales call. Soon after, they decided to become partners and began making the granola in a commercial kitchen. They were the only two in the business so they created, distributed, and brokered the granola seven days a week. Since they did not have enough credit, distributors would not sell them raw materials, so they bought it in bulk from the local Costco. Eventually, Brendan told Kelly instead of just local markets they needed to grow the business and pitch to organic and natural markets; soon after, new stores were being added every day. In 2003, they got their big break when Stew Leonard’s supermarket chain in New York picked up their granola. The couple used Stew Leonard’s market as a classroom to learn about the food business. They spent time on the loading docks, worked with managers, and backed up U-Haul’s to unload their product. They eventually learned the entire process of how one sells a product to a store and gets it on the shelves.[2][3]

Acquisition by Kellogg

In 2007, Flatley and Synnott were approached by Kashi, a subsidiary of the Kellogg Company. The partners sold Bear Naked for over $60 million. Kelly and Brendan stayed on for a year in order to make a smooth transition to the new parent company. Today, Kellogg’s Kashi Co. organic unit manages the Bear Naked brand from La Jolla, California. The sale provides Kashi with a tremendous growth opportunity with expansion to new consumers and products, especially healthy snacks to health-conscious customers. Today, Bear Naked is sold through Target, Whole Foods, Stop and Shop, Costco, Stew Leonard’s, and many other stores.[4]

Marketing

Design

For its initial design, Bear Naked used a logo that featured three slashes suggesting bear claw marks. They chose a symbol of a bear because of its appetite for nuts, fruit, and honey which were all relevant to granola. After a redesign in 2015, “Kevin” the bear was introduced. He now appears on all packaging, social media, and the company website. He is said to give a welcoming bear hug to all new Bear Naked consumers. The new design uses the color orange which was the signature color of Bear Naked's flagship Fruit and Nut granola. The color is energetic and targets millennials living active lives.[5]

Social Media

Bear Naked has a large social media presence that includes Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and YouTube. Marketing with social media allows Bear Naked to increase brand awareness, target new customers, and conduct market research. Bear Naked’s slogan is “Feed Your Bear.” The company has an obsession for bears. Their “Our Story” states that bears make all the decisions. They choose the ingredients, make new flavors, and taste every new batch of granola. Bear Naked claims that bears keep them genuine because their instincts always point them to high quality food found in the outdoors.[6]

Packaging

Bear Naked’s marketing strategy included presenting their product in a cellophane, resealable pouch with a transparent window. They were one of the first companies to market their granola in plastic bags. At one point, the owner of a supermarket told them they needed to package their granola in a box. They wanted customers to see the ingredients and feel their product so they ignored the advice.[7] In 2019, Bear Naked decided to take action on plastic waste. Their stand-up pouch is the first that is made from 100% recyclable materials that customers can drop off to 18,000 retail locations in the US.[8]

Products

All Bear Naked products are made with whole grains and contain no artificial flavors, artificial preservatives, trans fat, cholesterol, hydrated oils, or high fructose corn syrup. All are vegetarian-friendly and kosher certified.[6]

Classic Granola
  • Banana Nut
  • Cacao and Cashew
  • Fruit & Nut
  • Maple Pecan
  • Peanut Butter

Bear Naked Granola Fit (Reduced Sugar)
  • Vanilla Almond
  • Triple Berry
  • Peanut Butter Crunch

Gluten Free and Grain Free
  • Maple Cinnamon
  • Chocolate Almond

Protein Granola
  • Original Cinnamon
  • Honey Almond

GRANOLA BITES
  • Dark Chocolate Sea Salt (Chewy)
  • Peanut Butter and Honey (Chewy)
  • Honey Oat (Crunchy)
  • Chocolate Chip (Crunchy)

OATMEAL
  • Maple Pecan Steel Cut Oatmeal and Crunchy Granola Topper
  • Fruit and Nut Steel Cut Oatmeal and Crunchy Granola Topper

Nutritional Facts

Below are the nutritional facts for their flagship product Bear Naked Classic Granola Fruit and Nut.[6]

Servings Per Container About 5

Serving Size 1/2 Cup (60 g)

Amount Per Serving
Calories 270
Amount/Serving % Daily Value*
Total Fat 12 g 15%
Saturated Fat 3 g 15%
Trans Fat 0 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 3.5 g
Monounsaturated Fat 5 g
Cholesterol 0 mg 0%
Sodium 0 mg 0%
Total Carbohydrate 39 g 14%
Dietary Fiber 5 g 18%
Total Sugars 13 g
Includes 10g Added Sugars 10 g 20%
Protein 6 g
Vitamin D 0 mcg 0%
Calcium 30 mg 2%
Iron 1.8 mg 10%
Potassium 190 mg 4%
Phosphorus 10%
Magnesium 15%
Zinc 10%

See also

References
  1. "Bear Naked". Cornucopia Institute. Retrieved 2022-04-22.
  2. "Kelly Flatley & Brendan Synnott". NPR.org. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
  3. "Bear Naked's growth: Stew Leonard to $65M - Feb. 6, 2008". money.cnn.com. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
  4. CT), News-Times, The (Danbury (2007-11-26). "Kellogg swallows up Norwalk granola maker". NewsTimes. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
  5. "Bear Naked". Ptarmak. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
  6. "Bear Naked". Bear Naked. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
  7. Sherman, Ruth (2007-10-17). "Leadership: Bear Naked Entrepreneurship". Fast Company. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
  8. "Kellogg's Bear Naked Granola Brand Develops First Ever 100% Recyclable Cereal Pouch". Green Queen. 2020-03-10. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
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