How Huppy gluten free energy bar started with an accident

Like any good story, the tale of Huppy Bar – a delicious soy free, dairy free and gluten free energy bar – begins on a river with the line, “there I was on my boat.”

Lyndsay Hupp was working as a river guide in the Grand Canyon. Conscious about what she was putting in her body, especially during long days on the water, she always brought home-made snacks to work. She created dense snacks that were portable, but also gave her fat, protein and calories. By making her own food, she avoided fillers and unnecessary soy and dairy.

There she was on her boat, on a hot day, and her snack mix of cashews, dark chocolate and cranberries melted into a hardened clump.

She ate it anyway. It was delicious.

At home she started putting ingredients into a blender, pulverizing different nuts, chocolates and whatever else she thought sounded good, recreating that first accidental treat.

“It was just me wanting to experiment and play,” Lyndsay said.

Soon she was sharing with her gluten free energy bars with fellow boatmen and then passengers. People started saying she should wrap them up and sell them, but Lyndsay was happy as a river guide, playing in the outdoors.

It took several years before Lyndsay finally made the move to open shop and start Huppy Bars in 2013.

Lyndsay started small, with the opportunity to sell Huppy Bars at her friends’ bike rental company on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.

The first flavor she introduced was chocolate berry love.

The second flavor she created was coconut date ginger. She didn’t even like coconut, but made it for a friend. It’s now the most popular flavor she sells.

Next came chocolate java, combing two of her favorite things. The apple cinnamon raisin is the most recent Huppy Bar flavor she created.

All the bars are small, but high calorie.

“They are incredibly powerful chunks of food,” Lyndsay said.

Her company is based in Flagstaff and this summer it’s more of a full-time job. Lyndsay, who also works as a biologist in the Mojave Desert, still makes everything by hand and still takes her own creations out on the river.

Mini Review of Huppy Bars

I took a chocolate java Huppy Bar on a hike this weekend. Here’s what I thought.

Pros

The size. They are so small. I’m training for a long trail run and these are easy to carry. While hiking I kept it in my pants pocket, so I could nibble on it without stopping.

Nutrition. They pack a punch. The tiny square had about 200 calories in it, perfect when you are trying to get as much fuel in your body as possible. Plus they are soy, dairy and gluten free, making them easy to digest. They are also free of GMOs and refined sugars. The first ingredients listed were almonds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, flax seeds and walnuts, followed by more seeds.

Taste. The chocolate java tasted like a chocolate covered espresso bean. In other words ... delicious. It was a unique flavor, which is great to break the monotony of bars and gels that all start to taste the same.

Texture. These were easy to eat and, most importantly, chew and swallow while moving. And while they were the size of a gel, they were undoubtedly real food.

Cons

Nutrition. These pack a lot of calories. Save them for when you really need energy and calorie counting means getting as many as you can.

Taste. This had a very strong taste. While it tasted good, sometimes when I’m really fatigued I want bland. You’ll also want to try them before a trip, or have backup options. The taste is so strong that if you don’t like it, it’ll be hard to get down.

Bottom line: I’m judiciously picking what to put in my pack as I get ready for a trail race next weekend. At least one Huppy Bar will make the cut.