About this episode

Caitlin Bricker interviews Mackenzie Muth and Nolan Spencer about their journey in creating the first bone broth protein bar and the lessons learned from their experiences in the CPG industry.

In this Founder Feature, host Caitlin Bricker sits down with Mackenzie Muth and Nolan Spencer, co-founders of HOL Health Club, makers of the first and only bone broth protein bar - with 20 grams of protein and no protein powder. Mackenzie and Nolan met in an accounting class at Indiana University and are now married co-founders. Both spent six years in investment banking on Wall Street before starting HOL - Mackenzie in consulting and then at Lazard's consumer group, where she worked on the Siete Foods sale to PepsiCo, and Nolan in technology investment banking. It was the public backlash to the Siete deal that pushed them to leave finance and build a "better-for-you" brand designed to scale without ever selling out. They ditched their jobs, bought an RV, adopted two golden retrievers, and hit the road to sell HOL bars in person across the country. Caitlin, Mackenzie, and Nolan dig into what the Siete sale revealed about the better-for-you category, why they built their bar around bone broth instead of protein powder, the surprising R&D process that led to a real-food formula, and what it's actually like to run a fast-growing CPG brand out of an RV - from 0 to over 200 retail…

People in this episode

Host: Caitlin Bricker

Guests: Mackenzie Muth, Nolan Spencer

Topics covered

• entrepreneurship
• food innovation
• consumer trust
• health and wellness
• CPG brands
• startups

Keywords

• bone broth
• protein bar
• better-for-you
• consumer packaged goods
• R&D process
• retail growth
• investment banking

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: HOL Health Club, Siete Foods, PepsiCo

Places: Indiana University, Wall Street

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