(And What’s Coming Down the Pipeline!)
By: Jason Winn, Founder of Bonk Breaker Nutrition
Twenty years ago, I was a new college grad with a hunger for something new. And I mean hunger in every sense. Hungry to learn as a young professional. Hungry to test myself as a D1 quarterback-turned-triathlete. And literally hungry, as a broke 23-year-old training for my first IRONMAN.
Back then, sports nutrition looked very different. Sure, there were energy bars, but they felt like work to eat. Taste and texture were an afterthought to convenience and portability. I knew there had to be a better way to fuel.
The Spark
As a kid, I lived on PB&J sandwiches in my mom’s kitchen. Years later, I realized that PB&J might be the perfect sports fuel: protein and fat from the peanuts, quick energy from the jelly, comfort from the nostalgia.
So I went back to that same kitchen with a blender, some baking sheets, and a lot of trial and error. By day, I bartended to make ends meet. By night, I experimented with recipes, spending my tip money on ingredients and handing out prototypes to friends and family.
Eventually, it clicked: a peanut butter bar with a real layer of jelly in the middle. Packed with energy, easy on the stomach, and actually enjoyable to eat. It was different. It was better.
Word spread quickly. First to friends of friends, then to racers, then to shops. Before I knew it, my late-night kitchen experiment had become a company: Bonk Breaker.
The Adventure
From there, the adventure took off. Bonk Breaker grew into a full lineup of flavors and products, earned shelf space across the country, and even found its way into the hands of world-class athletes (shoutout to Wes Welker and Rinny Carfrae!). We sponsored the IRONMAN triathlon series. We ran the streets of Kona in Bonk Breaker Speedos. It was a wild ride.
The Shift
Then 2020 hit. COVID shut down races, slowed retail to a crawl, and turned consumer behavior on its head. As a small brand, we were stretched thin.
In 2022, I joined forces with Alete Active Nutrition, the team behind fast-growing brands like SaltStick. With their expertise in sales, marketing, and operations, we modernized packaging, refreshed our website, and grew our presence on Amazon and beyond. We even broke into collegiate and professional sports.
It was amazing having a team behind me!
Changing the Game, Again
Along the way, we didn’t just update the look; we reinvented the product lineup.
Before joining Alete, I had launched Energy Chews because I was frustrated with other chews and gels that stuck to your teeth. Our chews solved that problem with a proprietary design that delivered quick energy without the gummy mess.
Once at Alete, everything accelerated. We expanded from two flavors to six, introduced variety packs, even rolled out sour-dusted options. Suddenly, Energy Chews weren’t just a side project. They became our best-selling product line, outpacing the original bars that started it all.
The Now
Every business has to evolve. Consumer tastes change. Competition increases. And as ingredients become more expensive, it’s hard for smaller brands to keep pace without cutting corners. That’s not something I was ever willing to do.
The truth is, today’s energy bar market looks nothing like it did 20 years ago. Our PB&J Bar was innovative then, but now the space is saturated. We’ve faced the hard reality that it’s no longer sustainable to deliver Bonk Breaker Bars at the quality we demand without pricing them out of reach.
At the same time, our Energy Chews have skyrocketed in popularity. But to keep up with a fast-moving category, we need more scale, more awareness, and a stronger platform.
A Salty Next Chapter
So here’s what’s next:
After 20 incredible years, it’s time to close the Bonk Breaker chapter. Our Energy Bars and Energy + Protein Bars will be retired as we run through remaining inventory. But our Energy Chews—the product that’s taken on a life of its own—will relaunch later this year under the SaltStick brand.
The Bonk Breaker spirit isn’t disappearing. It’s evolving. Under SaltStick, we’ll have the scale to reach more athletes than ever, without changing what makes our chews so special. (Don’t worry, we’re not going to touch the product formula!) In fact, we’re already working on new flavors we can’t wait to share.
One Last Thank You
I know how much the PB&J Bar has meant to so many athletes. To honor that legacy, we’re going out the same way we started: by sharing them.
From now until they’re gone, buy any Bonk Breaker product and you’ll get a box of PB&J Bars free. Use code ONELASTBOX at checkout at bonkbreaker.com. (And yes, the code stacks—buy two items, get two boxes. Buy five, get five.)
This is our way of saying thank you for 20 years of support and amazing memories.
It’s bittersweet to say goodbye, but I believe this evolution is exactly what we need to keep pushing forward. Bonk Breaker was born from a simple PB&J in my mom’s kitchen. Today, the spirit of that kitchen lives on in a product that’s fueling more athletes than I ever dreamed possible.
Here’s to the next chapter.
With gratitude,
Jason Winn
Bonk Breaker Founder
