On this episode, we’re joined by Alex Witt, Co-founder and CEO of Battle Bars, a fast-growing, veteran-owned protein bar brand known for its Rice Krispie-like texture and nostalgic flavors.

A Navy veteran turned entrepreneur, Alex has taken Battle Bars from a side hustle to a multi-million-dollar brand with nationwide distribution.

Alex shares how he and his co-founder took inspiration from childhood snacks and Muscle Milk to create a new format in the crowded bar category. He unpacks the hard-earned lessons from their co-packer journey - including five months of production shutdown - and how they ultimately became part owners of their new co-packer to enable more control and to create aligned incentives.

We dig into fundraising, the evolution of their packaging identity, and how Battle Bars leverages gyms (including Alex’s own) as a launchpad and feedback loop. Alex also reflects on what brands get wrong about scaling and why he pulled back from Meta and Google ad spend.

Episode Highlights:

🍫 Battle Bars’ nostalgic taste strategy (and Muscle Milk inspiration)
🛠️ Surviving co-packer hell and becoming a minority owner
🥥 Reformulating with coconut oil and the cost realities
🏋️ Gyms as both a testing ground and a beachhead
🚀 Why growing too fast nearly killed the business
🎯 Lessons from breaking into traditional retail
📦 Packaging that stands out and signals “indulgence”
💰 Fundraising, paid media pullbacks, and retail velocity focus
🔥 The brand Alex is most hyped on right now (that’s not his)

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Table of Contents:

00:00:00 – Intro
01:19:19 – Battle Bars origin story
04:28:03 – The transition from the military to entrepreneurship
10:43:17 – Formulation and flavor, Muscle Milk as an inspiration
16:38:05 – The marshmallow crisp technology, navigating co-packer “hell”
21:18:10 – Becoming a minority owner in their new co-packer
22:25:06 – Vetting co-packers, trusting your gut
28:04:21 – Shifting from canola oil to coconut oil, evolving the formulation, cost implications
31:28:19 – Gyms (including the ones Alex owns) as a beachhead and a testing ground
35:34:24 – Selling into gyms vs. traditional retail
38:14:03 – Breaking into retail: learning lessons and recommendations
40:02:20 – Growing too fast is a problem
42:57:01 – Visual identity and packaging design
44:22:18 – Fundraising
48:07:12 – Backing off from Meta and Google
49:41:01 – The brand he’s most hyped on (that’s not Battle Bars)

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Links:

Battle Bars – https://www.battlebars.com
Follow Alex on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-witt-6a7a8b7a/
Follow me on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-martin-steinberg/
Check out https://www.kitprint.co/ for CPG production design support