Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What kind of products does YouBar offer?
A: We offer a wide range of 'better for you' nutrition products, including protein bars, nutrition bars, protein powders, toaster pastries, protein cookies, cinnamon rolls, filled bites, and nutrition balls.
Q: What makes YouBar's products 'better for you'?
A: Our products are made with high-quality, all-natural ingredients that hit a range of nutritional ideals, including plant-based, low sugar, high protein, Paleo, Keto-Friendly, and vegan. We believe that the best way to fuel your body is with whole, nutrient-dense foods.
Q: What stores are products made by YouBar sold in?
A: Under our clients’ brands’ names, YouBar makes products that are sold in every major national retailer in the United States, including Target, Walmart, Costco, Whole Foods, GNC, Sprouts, Vitamin Shoppe and Amazon. Most of our clients choose to put their own brand names only on their packaging and so instead of saying “Manufactured by YouBar” on the label, the labels read: “Manufactured for Client Company Name.”
Q: What certifications does YouBar have?
A: We offer numerous quality assurance certifications, including SQF, Non GMO Project Verification, Organic and GFCO Gluten Free. These certifications are product-specific and our clients choose which certifications they want for their particular products.
Q: Is YouBar a Certified Organic Facility?
A: Yes! We offer Organic Certification for any custom formulation. We can make Organic Protein Bars, Organic Nutrition Bars, Organic Protein Cookies, Organic Powders, Organic Toaster Pastries, Organic Cinnamon Rolls, Organic High Protein Breakfast Cereals, Organic Bites and Organic Balls.
Q: Is YouBar SQF Certified?
A: Yes! Both our facilities in Los Angeles are SQF certified.
Q: Is YouBar able to produce products that are Non-GMO and/or Non GMO Project Verified?
A: Yes! We offer Non GMO Project Verified Certification for any custom formulation. We can make Non GMO Project Verified Protein Bars, Non GMO Project Verified Nutrition Bars, Non GMO Project Verified Protein Cookies, Non GMO Project Verified Powders, Non GMO Project Verified Toaster Pastries, Non GMO Project Verified Cinnamon Rolls, Non GMO Project Verified High Protein Breakfast Cereals, Non GMO Project Verified Bites and Non GMO Project Verified Balls.
Q: Does YouBar offer Gluten Free and/or GFCO products?
A: Yes! In fact, both of our production facilities are completely gluten free. We offer Gluten Free Certification for any custom formulation. We can make Gluten Free Protein Bars, Gluten Free Nutrition Bars, Gluten Free Protein Cookies, Gluten Free Powders, Gluten Free Toaster Pastries, Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls, Gluten Free High Protein Breakfast Cereals, Gluten Free Bites and Gluten Free Balls. Any of our products can also be certified GFCO Gluten Free.
Q: Does YouBar offer Vegan products?
A: Yes! We offer Vegan Certification for any custom formulation. We can make Vegan Protein Bars, Vegan Nutrition Bars, Vegan Protein Cookies, Vegan Powders, Vegan Toaster Pastries, Vegan Cinnamon Rolls, Vegan High Protein Breakfast Cereals, Vegan Bites and Vegan Balls.
Q: Where is YouBar located?
A: We are located in Los Angeles, California. We have two manufacturing facilities. One focuses of non-baked products, such as slab bars and extruded bars. The other focuses on baked products, such as protein cookies, low sugar toaster pastries and cinnamon rolls.
Q: What are YouBar's costs?
A: Our costs vary depending on the product, ingredients, and order quantity. We strive to offer competitive pricing for our high-quality products. Please contact our Chief Innovation Officer, Emily Vencat, to discuss pricing options (emily@youbars.com).
Q: What are YouBar's lead times?
A: Our lead times vary depending on the product and order quantity. We typically require 4-6 weeks to produce and ship a custom order, but this does not include the additional time required to do R&D or source and stage ingredients. If you are ‘starting from scratch,’ it typically takes 6-12 months to get all the way from idea to market with us.
Q: What are YouBar's minimum order quantities (MOQs)?
A: Our MOQs vary depending on the product and order quantity. For single process unbaked bars, breakfast cereals, protein bars and powders our MOQs typically start at 10,000 servings (ie; 10,000 nutrition bars, which would be roughly 940 boxes of 12 bars each). MOQs are higher for baked goods. Please contact us to discuss your specific needs and MOQs that would be required for your concept.
Q: Does YouBar offer white label products?
A: No, we do not offer pre-formulated “white label” products, and we do not have a catalogue of ‘ready to go’ recipes that you can simply put your logo on. Everything we produce is customized for each individual client.
Q: Will the phrase "Manufactured by YouBar Inc" be printed on my packaging?
A: You can put that phrase if you’d like. However, most of our clients choose not to have “YouBar” anywhere on their packaging (the fact that clients work with us is typically a secret). Most clients have packages that read: "MANUFACTURED FOR CLIENT COMPANY NAME, CLIENT COMPANY ADDRESS."
Q: If I develop my own custom recipe with YouBar, what will my per bar price be at the end of the process?
A: That completely depends on you. Cost depends on ingredients used, type of product, size of product, run speed and order quantity. For example: we have bars that cost as little as 30 cents each and as much as $2 each and everything in between.
Q: What ingredients can I use to create my custom product?
A: You can start by checking out our Master Ingredient List. This itemizes all the ingredients that we carry ‘as standard.’ We can source anything for you that is not on the list (as long as it meets our Quality Assurance criteria and is FDA compliant), but there is a sourcing fee per ingredient for this.
Q: Would there be a fee still if I sent the custom ingredients directly to YouBar instead of YouBar sourcing them?
A: Yes, the fee would still have to be charged as it covers our in-house FDA compliance checks on new ingredients being introduced into our kitchen.
Q: If I create a custom recipe with you will I “own” the recipe?
A: Recipes cannot technically be owned through copyright law, and are nearly impossible to patent. 'Ownership' of recipes generally falls simply under 'trade secrets.' Some examples of recipes as trade secrets include the recipes for Coca-Cola, Dr. Pepper, Bush's Baked Beans, etc. But, all of that being said, your secret is safe with us. We will never disclose your recipe to anyone. We are always happy to sign a Non Disclosure Agreement. Please let us know if you’d like us to send you an NDA at any time.
Q: What is your recipe disclosure policy?
A: We will never disclose any of our proprietary private recipes. If you are creating a custom recipe with us then we offer this service at an additional cost.
Q: Does YouBar make pet food if it is “human grade”?
A: Unfortunately, we are unable to make any food that will be marketed to non-human consumers (ie; pets or animals) -- even if it is 'human grade.' This is because, in the United States, pet food manufacturers must follow regulations not only by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which governs human food, but also the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO). As a company, we do not work with the AAFCO at all. Some of the regulations that animal (non-human) food manufacturers must comply with include ensuring that they use ingredients that are safe for consumption by dogs/cats/other animals and meet certain nutritional standards for those animals.
Q: Can I come and take a tour of YouBar’s facility?
A: We always love to meet our wholesale clients and give them tours of our commercial kitchen! We are proud that all of the kitchen photos on this website are of our own kitchen, with our own awesome staff. Please note that tours need to be arranged in advance (and are only available at certain times) because we have established NDAs with many of our clients, and because of the proprietary processes we utilize.
Q: Do you have international clients? Do you ship outside of the United States?
We do have some international clients, but we don’t offer international shipping directly. Our international clients use freight-forwarder companies, such as Shipitto.com or MyUS.com to get our bars shipped to them. Creating an account with Shipitto.com or MyUS.com is easy and free. When you create an account, they will provide you with a U.S. address, which you use as your address when making a purchase with us for energy bars. Once we make your bars, we will send your bars there (to the address they provide) and then they will take care of the international shipping, and provide you with the rate options.
Please note, however, that – as we do not ship internationally directly – you will be responsible for ensuring that the product complies with local regulations, and you will be responsible for any import taxes that may be incurred.
Q: How do I start working with YouBar?
A: Simply email Emily Vencat, our Chief Innovation Officer, at emily@youbars.com