Get Your JAM On! Introducing JAMBAR, the Organic Energy Bar on a Mission
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jennifer Maxwell, Founder of PowerBar® and Inventor of the Energy Bar Category, Is Back with the Launch of JAMBAR®, Organic Artisan Energy Bars with 50% of Profits Benefitting Music, Communities and Active Living.
SAN RAFAEL, Calif. (September 6, 2022) — When Jennifer Maxwell and her late husband Brian created the original PowerBar® in their kitchen in 1985, they had no idea they were launching the entire energy bar category. Today, that category, valued at nearly $5 billion globally, is one of the most vibrant product sections in any retail food store.
Now, inspired by her family and the continuation of her and Brian’s lasting mission of innovation, quality and nutrition — combined with a love of music and organic food and farming — Jennifer is back with a product for a new generation of healthy lifestyle consumers: JAMBAR, an artisan energy bar made with all organic ingredients, high quality protein and fiber.
Using only certified organic, whole food ingredients, JAMBARs are crafted in small batches in the company’s own facility by a team of dedicated employees who share the company’s mission. Using organic ancient grains, berries, nuts, premium chocolate, proteins from sunflowers and organic dairy, and real syrup, juices and honey as sweeteners, JAMBAR delivers a convenient, incredibly tasty bar you can take anywhere.
“That’s the beauty of real food,” said Maxwell. “JAMBAR is pure, natural and organic from the get-go. Every ingredient in our energy bar you could eat right off a spoon. But if you’re too busy to carry a spoon, that’s where JAMBAR comes in,” she said.
JAMBAR donates 50% of all after-tax profits to support music, active living and community connections. Using a donor-advised fund managed by the Marin Community Foundation, these proceeds will be provided directly to qualified nonprofits doing amazing work in these fields, Maxwell noted.
“Partnering with the Marin Community Foundation in this venture allows JAMBAR to focus on delivering the best products, knowing that the administrative and financial aspects of our nonprofit support are being handled by an expert team,” said Maxwell.
The causes JAMBAR supports include the California Jazz Conservatory, Bread and Roses, Positive Coaching Alliance, Marin County Bicycle Coalition and other organizations. Visit here to learn more about JAMBAR’s philanthropic mission and the organizations the company supports.
A Legacy of Athletics, Entrepreneurship, Music … and the Grateful Dead
A long-distance runner since the age of 13, Jennifer studied food science, nutrition and exercise physiology at U.C. Berkeley, where she met her husband Brian. After developing the original PowerBar® energy bar recipe in 1985, together Jennifer and Brian began building the business from a small apartment they shared, growing the company to more than $150 million in annual sales before they decided to sell the company in 2000 to Nestle. When Brian passed away unexpectedly in 2004 at age 51, Jennifer focused on raising her six children. She discovered the healing power of music and learned to play the drums. Today, in her free time, she performs regularly in two bands in the San Francisco Bay Area.
“Music was transformative for me. Brian passed away in 2004, and I was raising the kids — my youngest was seven months old in 2004, and my other children were four, seven, nine, 12 and 14. In the beginning, it was a struggle. I had always had athletics, but after Brian died, that part of me died. I still ran, but not like I did before. Music came into my life. It just appeared, particularly the drums. Drums are all about rhythm and timing. It was a continuation of the cadence, of the pulse of running,” Maxwell told Marin Magazine.
But the food scientist and entrepreneurial drive never really left her, and in 2016, Jennifer set about crafting the next generation of energy bars with the cleanest label possible.
“When JAMBAR started, I was talking about energy bars with my daughter, and how I didn’t like anything out there. The bars on the market weren’t bad, but there weren’t any that I felt good about eating. I wanted more natural sweeteners — no brown rice syrup or tapioca syrup. And dates are too sweet. I wanted more whole foods, not just dried fruit, and I wanted to eat organic,” Maxwell shared.
And that is exactly the product line she created with JAMBAR.
“Our slogan is ‘Get Your JAM On,’ as music is a huge emphasis for us,” Maxwell said.
And the Grateful Dead connection? “We completely gutted and rebuilt a building in San Rafael that once served as a recording studio for the Grateful Dead. However, we found and preserved a small mural that was painted on a wall by none other than Jerry Garcia! Another, larger mural we saved was painted by Rick Griffin, who illustrated concert posters and album covers for the Grateful Dead and many other well-known bands. You can still see their artwork when you visit us today,” Maxwell added.
JAMBAR Is Available in These Certified Organic Flavors:
Chocolate Cha Cha — Find your rhythm with a luscious blend of premium Guittard chocolate, real food ingredients and organic ancient grains. Dancing on the edge of decadence, it’s a bar to make brownies jealous! Fair Trade Certified, non-GMO and gluten free, Chocolate Cha Cha delivers 10g of protein per serving.
Malt Nut Melody — Peanut and maple malted magic mixed with a touch of sesame and vanilla for an amazing medley of flavors, Malt Nut Medley is non-GMO, with 10g of protein per serving.
Jammin’ Jazzleberry — A jazzy combo of strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries, it’s “berry” delicious and vegan, gluten free and contains 10g of plant-based protein per serving.
Musical Mango — Energy goes exotic with delicious mango and a blend of ancient whole grains. The Musical Mango bar is vegan, gluten free and contains 10g of plant-based protein per serving.
JAMBARs are available online at JAMBAR.com, on Amazon.com, and also at leading natural food and specialty stores including Good Earth Natural Foods, United Market, Scotty’s Market and more. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
For wholesale inquiries, contact jammin@jambar.com, tel 877-JAMBARZ.
Media Contacts
Steven Hoffman, Compass Natural, steve@compassnatural.com, tel 303.807.1042
Debbie Pfeifer, JAMBAR, pfeiferworks@gmail.com