Background
You Bar/You Shake was started in Aug. 2007 by a mom and son team (she's a snowboard instructor, he's a marathon runner) who were fed up with off-the-shelf nutrition bars that didn't cut it. The idea is to build your own nutrition bar or protein shake online the way you like it, then have them mail it to you.
What I find interesting is that this product seems to try and blur the market segments. The nutrition bar market in the U.S. has been divided into three diverse segments—health/wellness, diet, and athletic/sports bars. The ability to build your own bars and shakes allows you to create something highly nutritious, diet conscious, or packed with carbs and proteins. In theory, something for everyone.
Web Site (www.youbars.com)
The YouBars web site is easy to navigate and the step-by-step process for building a nutrition bar is intuitive and straightforward. But for me, it's way too many choices--literally hundreds of possible combinations. You're asked to select your ingredients from eight categories: base, protein powders, nut/seeds, dried fruits & berries, sweeteners, seasonings/chocolate and other tasty additions, grains/cereals, and infusions. I'm not a nutritionist and don't know the first thing about what ingredients I would prefer or which combination is the best for me. What are infusions, anyway? Stevia? Never heard of it.
What are the nutritional benefits of chia seeds? What's a goji berry? Sounds exotic, packed with protein and probably has medicinal properties discovered by a small tribe in the Amazon, but I've never heard of it. Will organic ginger really make any difference? Organic galaxy granola sounds like marketing fluff. I don't buy that one at all. For the confused and nutrition illiterate folks like me, they offer ready made choices.
Thankfully, the protein shakes have less than half the ingredient options available for bars. I've made some strawberry banana smoothies in a blender, but once you start adding other ingredients, it starts to taste pretty bad. Can't tell you how many smoothies I've tried at local shops and they all taste awful despite their claims and marketing hype. Sort of makes me think a healthy drink needs to taste bad or it probably isn't good for you.
The very unique feature on the web site is a counter that pops up as you build your own product. As you click on each ingredient, it will count your total calories, fat, carb, and other nutritional factoids you would normally find on a label. That's the real differentiator for this product.
The web site also has a fun section filled with photos of celebrities endorsing the product. I've never heard of most of these people, but I don't read People magazine or follow the Hollywood buzz. And I don't really care what Randy Jackson thinks. But if this were my company, I'd probably want testimonials, too.
Pricing
You pay $2.89 - $3.19 a bar (20, 30, 40 grams) for 13 bars for the privilege of creating your own concoctions. Frankly, I'm not willing to pay $38 - $41 plus $7.99 shipping & handling for a package of 13 shakes. I don't know anyone who spends that kind of money on a nutrition bar. Of all the things I spend money on for my multi-sport lifestyle--race fees for ~25 races a year, equipment and maintenance, GU and GU2O, club memberships, a new pair or running shoes every five weeks, more equipment--nutrition bars and shakes don't fit in my budget. (I'm already blowing my budget on all the races, but I can't help myself.)
Packaging & Labels
Can't say that I've ever tried a breakfast shake from a plastic package. One was simply labeled, "Breakfast Shake." The other two were "Vanilla Dream" and "Blended Bliss." OK, I sort of know what to expect with the vanilla variety, but I need to go straight to the label to find out what bliss I will find in the other package: whey protein, organic cane juice, organic strawberries, organic bananas, organic vanilla powder (organic sucrose, organic vanilla bean extractives. What's an extractive? Is it different from an extract? I Googled it and couldn't find it. I've become a skeptic of any label that uses the word "organic" six times. Are these ingredients really void of antibiotics, hormones, pesticides, irradiation or bioengineering? Hard to know. And the USDA makes no claim that organically produced food is safer or more nutritious than conventionally produced food.
The bigger and much simpler issue with the labels, however, is that there are no instructions. Do I mix it like chocolate milk powder or throw the stuff in a blender? Do I mix with water, milk, OJ? And how much liquid per serving size? Most labels say something like, "Mix with 8 oz. of milk" or something like that. Nothing of the sort with these labels. Finally, the labels themselves really need a face lift. The current design does not look appetizing at all.
The Taste Test
I tried three different YouShakes with 8 oz. of milk. They all tasted fine, but I couldn't get the powdered mix to fully dilute in the milk. I finally gave up and drank the chunky mixture. As mentioned earlier, I still don't know if I'm supposed to mix or blend. Then I tried the bar labeled, "The Best Bar." Interesting name. Intentionally non-descriptive, but delicious nonetheless. Again, the packaging is so ugly you don't expect the item inside to be so tasty. The Honey Cashew bar was just as good.
Summary
As a consumer, YouBars is not for me; but as a fellow business owner, I know the trials and tribulations of starting a small business, so I sincerely wish YouBars all the success in the world. My sense is that this product is great for the person who counts calories, saturated fats, and a host of other details I've never followed very closely. I don't have the patience, time or analytical mind to study this level of detail...for a tiny snack. But if this is your sweet spot, you will have a great time creating your own YouBars and YouShakes.
Editor's Note: This review was written by associate review Lynn Astalos. Please take a look at his blog I Swim Bike Run for more product reviews. Please note that while youbars does advertise on this web site, this review is an independent opinion expressed by the associate reviewer.