Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n\n- The idea for Trubar emerged during a family trip to Disney, where existing snack options left Groussman feeling \u201cucky\u201d and \u201cuncomfortable.\u201d<\/li>\n
- She started selling protein bars by the checkout counter at local stores. <\/li>\n
- Groussman sold Trubar for $173 million earlier this year, and she stayed on as CEO.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
She started with a wooden tray from Bed Bath & Beyond, a handful of protein bars and a simple proposition for local businesses: Put these on the counter, and see if customers buy them.<\/p>\n
They did. Then the small businesses ordered more.<\/p>\n
That scrappy test would become the foundation of Trubar<\/a>, the better-for-you snack company Erica Groussman<\/a> built into a business now in 32,000 U.S. retail locations. The company\u2019s journey has included early retail wins, a stint under the umbrella of a public company and an eventual $173 million acquisition<\/a>. Trubar has shipped nearly 46 million protein bars in 2026, and the business grossed about $100 million in 2025.\u00a0<\/p>\nErica Groussman holding a Daydreaming About Donuts bar. Credit: Trubar<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThrough it all, Groussman says that her secret is hard work.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that one of the biggest secrets is working your butt off,\u201d Groussman says. \u201cReally getting it into every hand that you can possibly get it into.\u201d<\/p>\n
The origins of a better protein bar<\/h2>\n
Groussman didn\u2019t start out in the food industry. Early in her childhood, her mother gave her a newspaper route, an early lesson in earning money and showing up for work.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Groussman ended up studying communications at UCLA, then worked in film finance and real estate before getting married and having children. She was a stay-at-home mom raising two children when she got the idea for Trubar.<\/p>\n
It all began during a family trip to Disney. Groussman had packed snacks, including a protein bar from an established brand. It tasted good, she recalls, but it did not make her feel good afterward.<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember just feeling very ucky,\u201d she says. \u201cMy belly was very distended and uncomfortable. That was my epiphany. There has to be a better way.\u201d <\/p>\n
Her goal was not merely to develop a protein bar with a health-forward label. It had to satisfy a more difficult standard: tasting like a dessert while avoiding the unpleasant aftermath she associated with other bars on the market.<\/p>\n
To create it, Groussman worked with a food scientist, relying on research, conversations and people in her personal network to find the right collaborator. The work was iterative and sensory. She still approaches product development by tasting, evaluating texture and diagnosing aftertastes.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll taste the bar, and I\u2019ll say what I taste,\u201d she says. \u201cWhat am I getting afterwards? What\u2019s the aftertaste? What do I want to see more of? Do I want more crunchy?\u201d<\/p>\n
Getting products to customers<\/h2>\n
After developing the concept, Groussman raised funds from family and friends and partnered with a food scientist and co-manufacturer to bring the product to life. Trubar officially launched in 2018, with Groussman serving as CEO.<\/p>\n
The earliest flavors included Daydreaming About Donuts<\/a>, Oh Oh Cookie Dough<\/a>, Saltylicious Almond Love<\/a> and Smother Fudger Peanut Butter<\/a>. The cookie dough flavor was an early bestseller.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"Popular](\"https:\/\/www.entrepreneur.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/10\/Popular-Trubar-flavors-including-Get-in-My-Belly-PB-Jelly-Oh-Oh-Cookie-Dough-and-Daydreaming-About-Donuts.-Credit-Trubar.jpg?w=1024\")
Popular Trubar flavors, including Get in My Belly PB & Jelly, Oh Oh Cookie Dough and Daydreaming About Donuts. Credit: Trubar<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nGroussman\u2019s early proof of demand came from getting products into people\u2019s hands. She placed bars on counters wherever local businesses would let her. Juice shops, delis, beauty salons and independent stores became her first sales channels.<\/p>\n
\u201cI put it on any counter I could possibly get, and I would just be like, \u2018Here, sell these,\u2019\u201d she says. <\/p>\n
The shops set their own prices, generally around $3 to $4 a bar, and ordered more when the initial stock sold through. For Groussman, that simple loop validated the concept.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s how I knew it was good because they were selling,\u201d she says. \u201cPeople were buying them and then asking to buy more.\u201d<\/p>\n
Making a costly mistake<\/h2>\n
Groussman felt it was time to expand beyond small stores. She says she initially sought help from an individual she believed had more experience running a protein bar business. At the time, she was balancing running the company with raising her children and building a home.<\/p>\n
Groussman brought the individual on to help manage Trubar, though she remained CEO. The arrangement ultimately proved costly; the person\u2019s spending outpaced the company\u2019s early sales. <\/p>\n
In retrospect, she says, she underestimated her own capabilities.<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew more than I thought I knew,\u201d Groussman says. \u201cWe always doubt ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n
The outside operator, she says, \u201cran it into the ground,\u201d leaving the business with $7 million in debt. Trubar had made some early sales to smaller retailers, but that paled in comparison to the millions of dollars of debt the business had accrued.<\/p>\n
Groussman\u2019s husband urged her to view the venture as a loss and move on. But she could not let it go. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a part of me,\u201d she recalls telling him. \u201cI really want to keep it going.\u201d<\/p>\n
Expanding into Whole Foods and Costco<\/h2>\n
Groussman turned to scrappy tactics to get Trubar into bigger retailers. One pivotal breakthrough came at Whole Foods. Groussman says she reached out persistently to a contact on LinkedIn and secured a trial in 30 locations around 2020. With no marketing budget, Trubar became the top-selling bar in those stores, she says, competing alongside established brands such as RXBAR and Kind.<\/p>\n
Costco was another early milestone, though not an immediate victory. Trubar first entered Costco in Canada with a single truckload during the Covid-19 period, Groussman says. The brand struggled there, partly because it was less established in the Canadian market and may have faced a pricing disadvantage as a U.S. brand.<\/p>\n
The U.S. rollout came later and proved far more successful. That experience reinforced a practical point for CPG founders: A difficult launch in one market does not necessarily invalidate the product. Distribution strategy, brand familiarity, price positioning and timing all matter.<\/p>\n
Becoming the CEO of a public company<\/h2>\n
While Trubar was expanding into larger retailers, Groussman was simultaneously making behind-the-scenes changes. <\/p>\n
In 2021, Trubar was acquired<\/a> by a publicly traded holding company as part of a broader corporate transaction. Groussman agreed to this structure because it allowed the business to expand and her to remain CEO without taking on personal debt. <\/p>\nThe holding company had a portfolio that included a skincare brand and a CBD company. Eventually, the other businesses failed while Trubar emerged as the strongest brand in the group.<\/p>\n
Groussman says the experience was frustrating. She describes a period when money generated by Trubar was used to support other businesses in the portfolio, even as her own brand was gaining traction. <\/p>\n
But the upheaval also reshaped her role. She remained founder and CEO of Trubar, a title she had held since the brand\u2019s inception. In 2024, she added an additional role. She became CEO of the publicly traded company, which was renamed<\/a> around the Trubar business and included Trubar alongside other businesses in its portfolio. <\/p>\n\u201cI was the only one standing,\u201d she says. \u201cI was a CEO of a publicly traded company.\u201d<\/p>\n
A hands-on CEO<\/h2>\n
Today, Groussman says Trubar has approximately 28 employees. Her management approach is deliberately hands-on. Rather than positioning herself as a distant executive with a high-level view of the business, she stays closely involved in operations, product decisions and emergencies.<\/p>\n
She says employees can come to her when they need help, and she tries to lead by example. \u201cI will not ask you to do something that I wouldn\u2019t do myself,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
That philosophy recently played out during a new product launch for Walmart. One of the shipments was expected to arrive late, threatening the timeline. Groussman began calling packaging contacts outside the company\u2019s normal supplier network and found a provider that could complete the job in two weeks.<\/p>\n
\u201cI like to make sure the wheels are moving,\u201d she says. \u201cWhen anything is slightly going wrong, I\u2019m like mama bear. What do I gotta do? Who do I need to talk to?\u201d<\/p>\n
Another issue involved a mislabeled product box. The products and ingredient list were correct, she says, but a front-facing element incorrectly referred to cashews instead of almonds, or vice versa. The team immediately sourced green circular stickers from nearby Staples stores and applied them on-site to correct the error before delivery.<\/p>\n
The immediate response mattered, but so did the follow-up investigation. \u201cThe next week after we fixed it all and it\u2019s all okay, that\u2019s when you go back, and you say, \u2018Where did this mistake happen?\u2019\u201d she says. \u201cWhat is broken in our path?\u201d<\/p>\n
Advice for CEOs<\/h2>\n
Groussman\u2019s larger operating philosophy is to solve first and diagnose problems second. She says teams can become paralyzed by a desire to have every detail in place before acting. She says that instinct can become a liability for founders.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust get 80%, just go,\u201d she says. \u201cJust start, just do what you can do and just start etching away and moving in the direction.\u201d<\/p>\n
She has a similarly pragmatic view of hiring. \u201cYou interview for your resume; you hire for chemistry,\u201d Groussman says. In a fast-moving and sometimes chaotic environment, she looks for people who can make decisions, take initiative and thrive.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI want my team to be able to make decisions and to grow,\u201d she says. \u201cIf they come up with an idea, try it. What\u2019s the harm?\u201d<\/p>\n
Scaling after an acquisition\u00a0<\/h2>\n
Earlier this year, Trubar was acquired by Eti Gida, a Turkish snack company, for $173 million<\/a>, according to Groussman. She remains at the helm as CEO and continues to run day-to-day operations. Her team is also still intact, a condition she viewed as essential in evaluating potential partners.<\/p>\nFor Groussman, the acquisition marks a new stage rather than an ending. Trubar launched Trubar Kids<\/a> last year and recently introduced Trubar Pro<\/a>. She also sees room to extend the brand into other categories.\u00a0<\/p>\n\u201cIt was always known that they wanted to keep me as well as my team,\u201d she says. \u201cI\u2019m not done. It\u2019s my baby.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
She started with a wooden tray from Bed Bath & Beyond, a handful of protein bars and a simple proposition for local businesses: Put these on the counter, and see if customers buy them.<\/p>\n
They did. Then the small businesses ordered more.<\/p>\n
That scrappy test would become the foundation of Trubar<\/a>, the better-for-you snack company Erica Groussman<\/a> built into a business now in 32,000 U.S. retail locations. The company\u2019s journey has included early retail wins, a stint under the umbrella of a public company and an eventual $173 million acquisition<\/a>. Trubar has shipped nearly 46 million protein bars in 2026, and the business grossed about $100 million in 2025.\u00a0<\/p>\n Through it all, Groussman says that her secret is hard work.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI think that one of the biggest secrets is working your butt off,\u201d Groussman says. \u201cReally getting it into every hand that you can possibly get it into.\u201d<\/p>\n Groussman didn\u2019t start out in the food industry. Early in her childhood, her mother gave her a newspaper route, an early lesson in earning money and showing up for work.\u00a0<\/p>\n Groussman ended up studying communications at UCLA, then worked in film finance and real estate before getting married and having children. She was a stay-at-home mom raising two children when she got the idea for Trubar.<\/p>\n It all began during a family trip to Disney. Groussman had packed snacks, including a protein bar from an established brand. It tasted good, she recalls, but it did not make her feel good afterward.<\/p>\n \u201cI remember just feeling very ucky,\u201d she says. \u201cMy belly was very distended and uncomfortable. That was my epiphany. There has to be a better way.\u201d <\/p>\n Her goal was not merely to develop a protein bar with a health-forward label. It had to satisfy a more difficult standard: tasting like a dessert while avoiding the unpleasant aftermath she associated with other bars on the market.<\/p>\n To create it, Groussman worked with a food scientist, relying on research, conversations and people in her personal network to find the right collaborator. The work was iterative and sensory. She still approaches product development by tasting, evaluating texture and diagnosing aftertastes.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll taste the bar, and I\u2019ll say what I taste,\u201d she says. \u201cWhat am I getting afterwards? What\u2019s the aftertaste? What do I want to see more of? Do I want more crunchy?\u201d<\/p>\n After developing the concept, Groussman raised funds from family and friends and partnered with a food scientist and co-manufacturer to bring the product to life. Trubar officially launched in 2018, with Groussman serving as CEO.<\/p>\n The earliest flavors included Daydreaming About Donuts<\/a>, Oh Oh Cookie Dough<\/a>, Saltylicious Almond Love<\/a> and Smother Fudger Peanut Butter<\/a>. The cookie dough flavor was an early bestseller.\u00a0<\/p>\n Groussman\u2019s early proof of demand came from getting products into people\u2019s hands. She placed bars on counters wherever local businesses would let her. Juice shops, delis, beauty salons and independent stores became her first sales channels.<\/p>\n \u201cI put it on any counter I could possibly get, and I would just be like, \u2018Here, sell these,\u2019\u201d she says. <\/p>\n The shops set their own prices, generally around $3 to $4 a bar, and ordered more when the initial stock sold through. For Groussman, that simple loop validated the concept.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s how I knew it was good because they were selling,\u201d she says. \u201cPeople were buying them and then asking to buy more.\u201d<\/p>\n Groussman felt it was time to expand beyond small stores. She says she initially sought help from an individual she believed had more experience running a protein bar business. At the time, she was balancing running the company with raising her children and building a home.<\/p>\n Groussman brought the individual on to help manage Trubar, though she remained CEO. The arrangement ultimately proved costly; the person\u2019s spending outpaced the company\u2019s early sales. <\/p>\n In retrospect, she says, she underestimated her own capabilities.<\/p>\n \u201cI knew more than I thought I knew,\u201d Groussman says. \u201cWe always doubt ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n The outside operator, she says, \u201cran it into the ground,\u201d leaving the business with $7 million in debt. Trubar had made some early sales to smaller retailers, but that paled in comparison to the millions of dollars of debt the business had accrued.<\/p>\n Groussman\u2019s husband urged her to view the venture as a loss and move on. But she could not let it go. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a part of me,\u201d she recalls telling him. \u201cI really want to keep it going.\u201d<\/p>\n Groussman turned to scrappy tactics to get Trubar into bigger retailers. One pivotal breakthrough came at Whole Foods. Groussman says she reached out persistently to a contact on LinkedIn and secured a trial in 30 locations around 2020. With no marketing budget, Trubar became the top-selling bar in those stores, she says, competing alongside established brands such as RXBAR and Kind.<\/p>\n Costco was another early milestone, though not an immediate victory. Trubar first entered Costco in Canada with a single truckload during the Covid-19 period, Groussman says. The brand struggled there, partly because it was less established in the Canadian market and may have faced a pricing disadvantage as a U.S. brand.<\/p>\n The U.S. rollout came later and proved far more successful. That experience reinforced a practical point for CPG founders: A difficult launch in one market does not necessarily invalidate the product. Distribution strategy, brand familiarity, price positioning and timing all matter.<\/p>\n While Trubar was expanding into larger retailers, Groussman was simultaneously making behind-the-scenes changes. <\/p>\n In 2021, Trubar was acquired<\/a> by a publicly traded holding company as part of a broader corporate transaction. Groussman agreed to this structure because it allowed the business to expand and her to remain CEO without taking on personal debt. <\/p>\n The holding company had a portfolio that included a skincare brand and a CBD company. Eventually, the other businesses failed while Trubar emerged as the strongest brand in the group.<\/p>\n Groussman says the experience was frustrating. She describes a period when money generated by Trubar was used to support other businesses in the portfolio, even as her own brand was gaining traction. <\/p>\n But the upheaval also reshaped her role. She remained founder and CEO of Trubar, a title she had held since the brand\u2019s inception. In 2024, she added an additional role. She became CEO of the publicly traded company, which was renamed<\/a> around the Trubar business and included Trubar alongside other businesses in its portfolio. <\/p>\n \u201cI was the only one standing,\u201d she says. \u201cI was a CEO of a publicly traded company.\u201d<\/p>\n Today, Groussman says Trubar has approximately 28 employees. Her management approach is deliberately hands-on. Rather than positioning herself as a distant executive with a high-level view of the business, she stays closely involved in operations, product decisions and emergencies.<\/p>\n She says employees can come to her when they need help, and she tries to lead by example. \u201cI will not ask you to do something that I wouldn\u2019t do myself,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n That philosophy recently played out during a new product launch for Walmart. One of the shipments was expected to arrive late, threatening the timeline. Groussman began calling packaging contacts outside the company\u2019s normal supplier network and found a provider that could complete the job in two weeks.<\/p>\n \u201cI like to make sure the wheels are moving,\u201d she says. \u201cWhen anything is slightly going wrong, I\u2019m like mama bear. What do I gotta do? Who do I need to talk to?\u201d<\/p>\n Another issue involved a mislabeled product box. The products and ingredient list were correct, she says, but a front-facing element incorrectly referred to cashews instead of almonds, or vice versa. The team immediately sourced green circular stickers from nearby Staples stores and applied them on-site to correct the error before delivery.<\/p>\n The immediate response mattered, but so did the follow-up investigation. \u201cThe next week after we fixed it all and it\u2019s all okay, that\u2019s when you go back, and you say, \u2018Where did this mistake happen?\u2019\u201d she says. \u201cWhat is broken in our path?\u201d<\/p>\n Groussman\u2019s larger operating philosophy is to solve first and diagnose problems second. She says teams can become paralyzed by a desire to have every detail in place before acting. She says that instinct can become a liability for founders.<\/p>\n \u201cJust get 80%, just go,\u201d she says. \u201cJust start, just do what you can do and just start etching away and moving in the direction.\u201d<\/p>\n She has a similarly pragmatic view of hiring. \u201cYou interview for your resume; you hire for chemistry,\u201d Groussman says. In a fast-moving and sometimes chaotic environment, she looks for people who can make decisions, take initiative and thrive.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI want my team to be able to make decisions and to grow,\u201d she says. \u201cIf they come up with an idea, try it. What\u2019s the harm?\u201d<\/p>\n Earlier this year, Trubar was acquired by Eti Gida, a Turkish snack company, for $173 million<\/a>, according to Groussman. She remains at the helm as CEO and continues to run day-to-day operations. Her team is also still intact, a condition she viewed as essential in evaluating potential partners.<\/p>\n For Groussman, the acquisition marks a new stage rather than an ending. Trubar launched Trubar Kids<\/a> last year and recently introduced Trubar Pro<\/a>. She also sees room to extend the brand into other categories.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt was always known that they wanted to keep me as well as my team,\u201d she says. \u201cI\u2019m not done. It\u2019s my baby.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nThe origins of a better protein bar<\/h2>\n
Getting products to customers<\/h2>\n
Making a costly mistake<\/h2>\n
Expanding into Whole Foods and Costco<\/h2>\n
Becoming the CEO of a public company<\/h2>\n
A hands-on CEO<\/h2>\n
Advice for CEOs<\/h2>\n
Scaling after an acquisition\u00a0<\/h2>\n