UPDATE: November 2011
JEN Bars Ships!
JEN Bars now have insulated shipping containers for long distance shipping.
JEN Bars is pleased to announce we now have the capacity to ship our bars anywhere in the U.S. Our shipping boxes have a 1 1/2" Styrofoam cooler for keeping our product fresh.
In addition to the food/medicinal grade cooler, we use gel ice inserts and dry ice to make sure our bars stay cool during transport. We have 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 or 12 dozen capacity boxes. We ship via FedEx, and can ship anywhere in the continental U.S. in 2-4 days.
UPDATE: October 2011
New Packaging
JEN Bars is proud to introduce brand new packaging for two of our flavors!
JEN Bars now have individual sealed packages for our Almond and Walnut flavored bars. The individual sealed bars are wrapped in a FDA approved 2 mil plastic wrap designed to keep the bars fresher longer. The bars have nutritional labels on the backs with UPC codes for individual bar sales.
In addition, we have introduced a new outer package for our 12 packs, a perforated paperboard box. Our new boxes have the nutritional information printed right on the box, as well as UPC codes for our vendors.
UPDATE: February 2010
JENergy Blog!
Join me, the CEO (Chief Energy Officer) at my new blog http://jenbars.typepad.com/jenergy/ here we will discuss all things fitness related. Join us for information, education, and a little humor to make things a little easier to digest!
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UPDATE: October 2009
This is an article written about us and the JEN Bars by an independent journalist who just happens to be a fan of ours as well. Look for the article in an upcoming edition of Natural Awakenings Healthy Living Magazine. Enjoy!
By Dennis Huspeni
Like many inventions, Linda Emerson came up with the one she and her husband Larry are trying live off of by the necessity of feeding her son. At the time, then 9-year-old Matthew would only eat four things – and none of them healthy. So Emerson mixed up a batch of energy bars from a recipe that called for peanut butter and chocolate. Matthew loved them, ate them and actually started gaining weight, Emerson said.
A decade later – and after tweaking that recipe countless times - the Emersons of Highlands Ranch are selling gluten and preservative-free JEN bars almost faster than they can make them. The name means "just energy nutrients." “It’s all based on sound nutritional science, the bar breaks down slowly so people feel full,” said Linda Emerson. “But it doesn’t matter how healthy they are, if it’s not tasty no one is going to eat it.”
Larry Emerson works as exercise physiologist and used to be the fitness coordinator for the Highlands Ranch Recreation Center. They used to give the bars free to people. But they heard “you should sell these” enough times that they finally did. “Business model? We don’t have one. We’re kind of making it up as we go,” Larry Emerson said.After getting all the necessary clearance from the Colorado Health Department and other regulatory agencies, the Emersons mixed up the first big batches in a local commissary and began selling them at farmers markets two years ago. While sales were steady, people had no way to get them when the Farmers Markets ended in October.“We used to drive them to people and sometimes we still do,” Larry said. He remembers sending the bars packed in dry ice to as far away as New York. “We don’t make money on those sales – but we felt bad. They were almost begging to get the bars!” Since they still wrap each one by hand with a thin, paper-like wax paper, package them by the dozen in bio-degradable cardboard boxes and don’t include any preservatives in the bars – retailers like Whole Foods couldn’t sell them. Though Larry said they liked the taste. “We didn’t want to use plastic. We wanted it all natural and organic as much as it could be,” he said. So the Emersons started selling them through health, nutrition and exercise stores. They also sell them at the Pajama Baking Company on Pearl Street.
“They’ve got a pretty big following,” said Russ Tearney, owner. “They’re great in many ways: flavor and the whole concept of clean foods …These are made right, and local, which is why we carry them.”
Tearney said they don’t carry other energy bars because many are “full of sugars.”
“These have no preservatives, no real fillers and have a good balance of carbs, fats and protein,” he said. The Emersons said they are just at the point of turning a profit and being able to live off the JEN bars. It’s really a family affair. Linda’s parents moved in for a time to help with production. Linda is able to care full-time for her 3-year-old girl during the day while making the bars in the evening. Larry handles the books and marketing. The couple’s boys help sell the bars at farmers markets. “We’re proud and working very hard on this,” Linda said. “The rewards are great. Especially when you hear from people about how much they like the bars.”
On the web: www.jenbars.com
http://www.milehighnaturalawakenings.com/
Dennis Huspeni
(719) 648-0055
DenManH@AOl.com
www.denmanh.com
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UPDATE: June 2008
Locations – Check out our Where To Find Us page for current locations that carry JEN Bars. If you know of retailers in your area that would be open to carrying our bars, drop us a line and let us know. We are always open to new locations and relationships.
Packaging – We have recently added individually wrapped bars to our inventory. We have individual bars for sale at our Farmers Market locations, and hopefully soon in our retail outlets.
Varieties – We have experimented with a Macadamia flavored bar which has been enthusiastically received by test audiences. We hope to add this flavor to our regular product line in the very near future. Other flavors are in the early testing stages, so stay tuned!
Farmers Markets – Most of you have come to JEN Bars through your local Farmers Markets. This year, JEN Bars hopes to participate in at least 10-12 Farmers Markets each week, double our participation of last season. To do this, we are going to need help, and are currently interviewing candidates to man our booths this coming season. You will see some new faces at the JEN Bar tent this summer, but we promise they will be friendly, knowledgeable, and happy to see you! Currently we are planning on doing the markets at Southlands Mall, Parker, Old South Pearl Street, and the Highlands in Denver.
Costs – Many people have asked if JEN Bars will raise our prices soon. With the current economic situation, our costs have risen significantly. We hope to establish commercial accounts soon with ingredient suppliers that will allow us to maintain our current price structure. We know our bars are not inexpensive, but that is the cost of not compromising on quality or integrity. We will do everything in our power to not raise prices until absolutely dictated by market conditions. We guarantee!
Testimonials – We appreciate all the great comments we hear about our bars, and it makes us happy that you love our products. How about putting those comments down in an e-mail, and letting us use it on our Testimonials page of the website? We promise to only use your first name and last initial to protect your identity. Let the rest of the world know what you think of our bars!
