Founder’s Story

Nonfiction — Minimal Ingredient Protein Bars

At Nonfiction Protein, we don’t believe in shortcuts. With just 5 ingredients in each bar, every ingredient was carefully picked for the most discriminating consumer. Proudly born and made in Canada, each bar contains 15 grams of protein, 4 grams of fibre, and 1 daily recommended serving of almonds.

Your name: Jeremy Kim

Year the company was started: 2025

Company brand tagline: Not all protein bars are created equal.

Where is your product made: Proudly made in Canada.

What is the “key ingredient” that makes your product line special: The #1 ingredient (over 50% by volume) in each bar is nature’s superfood: almonds! Each bar contains 1 daily recommended serving in a delicious, soft bar with crunchy almond pieces.

What motivated you to start your company and create the products that we see today?

I loved the idea of a protein bar - a fast, healthy snack that can be packed in your bag or pocket - but like many people, I experienced gastrointestinal distress when eating the protein bars found in the market today from the artificial sweeteners, sugar alcohols, and fake fiber syrups (ex. maltitol, chicory root syrup/inulin, tapioca syrup, soluble corn fibre, erythritol, sucralose, etc.).

In many countries around the world - for ex. in Europe or in Australia and New Zealand - products containing maltitol need a warning label that it may cause laxative effects, but in North America, in an effort to show better macros and tout low carb/sugar claims, many protein bar companies basically mix protein powder with these sugar alcohols that wreak havoc on your gut, and then slather it in chocolate to mask the chalky texture and the aftertaste.

Many brands also like to make claims that they are low in sugar and high in fibre - in most cases, it is derived from chicory root syrup/inulin which causes GI distress for most people and has been linked to liver damage. Yet, in a race to achieve better macro profiles, our competitors leave the consumers to suffer the aftereffects.

I found that to be highly deceiving and that is also the reason why I’ve named the brand Nonfiction - there are no fake ingredients, and we only use minimal, real food ingredients.

What are your company’s core values?

My wife and co-founder was born and raised in Italy, and Italians believe food should be simple with few high-quality ingredients. This is the same approach we take with Nonfiction - only the highest quality ingredients, even when our competitors resort to using cheaper alternatives. For example, we chose almonds over peanuts for its myriad of health benefits, honey over brown rice syrup for the taste and natural qualities, and whey protein because it is the gold standard when it comes to protein.

If you could tell a retailer three things about what makes your brand different, what would they be?

1) Just 5 high-quality, real food ingredients with zero cheap substitutes and no artificial sweeteners, flavours, or preservatives, and no sugar alcohols or fake fibre syrups.

2) The only bar to deliver 1 whole daily recommended serving of nature’s superfood almonds in every bar along with 15 grams of protein and 4 grams of fibre.

3) The bars were formulated with taste in mind first and foremost, not macros! While some protein bars can feel like chewing on an old shoe, our bars are soft with crunchy pieces of roast almonds and real dark chocolate chips or real fruit.

What are some of the challenges that you’ve overcome to bring your business to its current state?

Being a privately-owned, bootstrapped family business with no outside investors, I was always asked how I plan to compete against the major players in the industry with annual revenues in the billions. For Nonfiction, it meant raising brand awareness while building credibility and trust, going above and beyond for our loyal supporters, and educating the public to make healthier choices when it comes to what goes inside their body. While there have been too many challenges to list, I’m always reminded of this quote: “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts”.

What do you enjoy doing outside of work?

Having grown up in beautiful North Vancouver, being in nature is where I find my inner peace. Ever since I was a child I’ve had an affinity for water, and in high school I received my lifeguard certificate, and having received multiple advanced diving certifications I’ve gone deep sea diving in oceans around the world. I am also an avid snowboarder and love to travel in my spare time.