Karen Nation hopes the Sharks bite on her Creation Nation, her “do it yourself protein bars from scratch,” in Shark Tank episode 1223. Nation grew up in foster homes and struggled with food allergies as a child. Now, as a certified sports nutrition specialist, she likes to eat a healthy, balanced diet and provide one for her clients.
In 2014, she decided to start her company to provide an alternative to “blah” protein bars on the market. Most of those, she says, “are nothing but glorified candy bars.” What she offers is a ready to make mix to make your own protein bars at home. All you do is provide a liquid (yogurt, applesauce or a nut milk) and a fat (almond butter, avocado or ghee). All you do is mix everything together and add a sweetener if desired. The mixes work with a vegan, keto or paleo diet. It’s fresher than prepackaged protein bars and more eco friendly since Nation’s packaging is reusable.
The mixes come in four flavors: Oat Yes Chocolate Chip, Cocoa for Coconuts, Whey Hip Chocolate Chip and Peas Love and Cocoa. They range in price from $7.99 to $12.99 per bag and each bag makes 8 protein bars.You can find Creation Nation’s products in select Walmart stores, Whole Foods, Hyvee, Albertson’s and other smaller grocers. She also sells from her Amazon store. While Karen did a good job getting her products on the shelves, she’d love a Shark to take a bite and help her grow even faster.
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Posts about Creation Nation on Shark Tank Blog
Protein Bar Mix by Creation Nation
Creation Nation Shark Tank Recap
Karen enters the Shark Tank seeking $300,000 for 12% of her business. She tells her story and introduces the products while she whips up a batch of snacks. She has pre-prepared treats for the Sharks, which they like. She’s in regional tests with Whole Foods on the west coast, Costco in the mid west and Wal Mart on the east coast. It costs $2-$3.50 to make and they sell for $7-$11. She tells how the foster care situation molded her love for nutrition. She did $500,000 last year and is on track to sell the same this year. Her biggest problem was she had issues with their previous co-packer which they had to withdraw from shelves. When Covid hit, she tripled sales.
Kevin doesn’t like the fact Karen can’t answer a question about profits; he’s out. Lori doesn’t think it’s the right investment for her; she’s out. Alex likes her mission and her story, but he goes out because Karen doesn’t know her numbers. Barbara thinks there’s no money in this deal; she’s out. Mark thinks it’s too much work; he’s out too.
Creation Nation Shark Tank Update
The Shark Tank Blog constantly provides updates and follow-ups about entrepreneurs who have appeared on the Shark Tank TV show. The business got a big post show bump and Karen credits her appearance on the show with growing her direct to consumer business.
As of July, 2021, she still has product in Albertson’s, Hyvee Stores, Whole Foods, and around a dozen smaller grocery chains. She also has an Amazon Store. She also introduced cookie, energy bite and protein bar mixes. The business won a Good Housekeeping Best Snack Award in 2023. As of October, 2023, they were in Sprouts, Thrive, and Central Markets. Annual revenue is over $1 million.
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