SHANE EMMETT, co-founder, Health Warrior: Most Americans are overfed and undernourished
While chia seeds are now appearing in everything from breakfast cereal to yogurt, it’s easy to forget that until surprisingly recently, the only place you could find them was in a health food store or on the web in “ziploc bags with the label written with a sharpie”, observes Health Warrior Inc co-founder & CEO Shane Emmett.
Indeed the explosive success of Health Warrior’s 100-calorie chia bars - which were launched in December 2011, went national with Whole Foods in 2012 and are now in 7,000+ stores from Target to Safeway - has in no small part contributed to chia’s stunning rise from niche to mainstream in food culture.
But while the last three years have been so action-packed they've felt like “dog years”, Emmett says they are still just scratching the surface: “There are still loads of Americans that haven’t discovered chia."
As for his own journey, Emmett says: “I’d say the last three years have been a humbling experience. And I thought my last job was tough. Let’s just say I look significantly older than I did three years ago, and I’ve got a lot less hair. But it’s been worth it.
“Most folks are overfed and undernourished. We have a product that is full of nutrition and satiating with just 100 calories.”
Click HERE to read our recent interview with Health Warrior.