BEND, Oregon. (January 4, 2017) – Picky Bars, the Oregon-based energy bar company founded by professional athletes Jesse Thomas, Lauren Fleshman, and Steph Bruce—announce today a collaboration with Elyse Kopecky to lead new product development. Kopecky, an avid trail runner herself, brings a wealth of experience as a graduate of the Natural Gourmet Institute, and as New York Times Bestselling author of Run Fast, Eat Slow.
With nine flavors currently available of their real food energy bars, Fleshman felt it was time to create more Picky Foods that can be relied on when convenience trumps kitchen time. Expanding into new foods required more expertise than they held though, leading them to Kopecky.
“I knew Elyse from my early Nike days, almost ten years ago,” said Lauren Fleshman, Co-Founder of Picky Bars. “When Elyse moved to Bend we got to catch up. Hearing her passion for changing the culture around nourishment for athletes, I knew she’d be a great fit for us.”
“I love that Picky Bars is built on the same real food ethos that I believe in.” said Elyse Kopecky, chef, nutrition coach, New York Times bestselling author. “Athletes need an incredible amount of nutrition to stay healthy. This collaboration enables me to get crafty with some of my favorite ingredients for energy and recovery.”
Picky Bars’ partnership with Kopecky is the first step in expanding their product line outside of the real food energy bars they’ve become known for. Picky Bars can be found at pickybars.com, REI, and other natural, grocery and sports specialty retailers across the country. Picky Clubbers can also look forward to first tastes of future kitchen experiments, sign up for monthly deliveries at pickybars.com.
About Picky Bars
Picky Bars creates real food products to “Fuel Great Experiences.” Founded in 2010 in a home kitchen by a husband (Jesse Thomas), wife (Lauren Fleshman), and friend (Steph Bruce)—all professional endurance athletes— with a goal to create a real food bar built for performance, fueling, and recovery. Picky Bars are gluten, dairy, soy, and GMO free, and have a balanced 4:1 carb to protein ratio. The 100 percent athlete-owned business is based in the outdoor mecca of Bend, Oregon. Learn more at pickybars.com or follow @PickyBars on social media.
About Elyse Kopecky
Elyse Kopecky is a chef, speaker, nutrition coach, and Bestselling Author. Her first cookbook, Run Fast Eat Slow: Nourishing Recipes for Athletes, co-authored alongside 4-time Olympian Shalane Flanagan, climbed its way onto both the Publishers Weekly and the New York Times Bestseller lists. Run Fast Eat Slow features Elyse’s “indulgent nourishment” food philosophy for long-term health and happiness.
Elyse ran cross-country and track at UNC Chapel Hill, and after graduation moved west to Portland, OR, to work for Nike Running. During a successful 10 year international marketing career, Elyse began cooking to fuel her athletic endeavors. She discovered that by incorporating more fats into her diet she was stronger, healthier, and happier than ever before. Quitting her job to pursue the chance to help others eat right, she moved to New York City to study nutrition at the Natural Gourmet Institute, the nation’s top health-supportive culinary school. Today, Elyse can be found in her kitchen and on the trails in Bend, Oregon.
