Simply Better Brands
Simply Better Brands (rebranding to TRUBAR Inc.) is a Canadian CPG brand accelerator operating plant-based protein nutrition bars (TruBar) and clean skincare (No B.S.) across 15,000+ retail locations in North America, targeting health-conscious Millennial and Gen Z consumers.
- Company typePublic
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersVancouver, Canada
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Simply Better Brands does
Simply Better Brands Corp. (rebranding to TRUBAR Inc., effective 2025) is a Vancouver and Toronto-based consumer packaged goods (CPG) brand accelerator operating primarily in the plant-based protein nutrition category. Founded in 2019 as PureKana Holdings Corp., the company acquired and built a portfolio of brands spanning plant-based protein bars (TruBar, acquired August 2021), clean-ingredient skincare (No B.S. Skincare, acquired February 2021), and CBD wellness (PureKana and Seventh Sense). In February 2024, the company suspended PureKana CBD operations and refocused on the high-growth TruBar brand, which now generates approximately 96% of consolidated revenue. TruBar is positioned as an "indulgent nutrition" plant-based protein bar combining clean, simple ingredients with dessert-like taste, targeting health-conscious Millennial and Gen Z consumers.
The company's underlying capability centers on clean-ingredient plant-based protein bar formulation, supplemented by AI-assisted innovation tooling in the No B.S. Skincare brand. TruBar is sold through an omni-channel distribution platform spanning 15,000+ retail locations across major U.S. and Canadian chains — Costco, Walmart, Sam's Club, CVS, Whole Foods, Walgreens, Albertsons, GNC, and convenience store networks — plus direct-to-consumer e-commerce (trubar.com, livenobs.com) and emerging channels including GoPuff and metaverse commerce. The company partners with sales and marketing agency Acosta for retail acceleration and Sodexo for foodservice channel development.
Simply Better Brands is publicly traded on the TSX Venture Exchange (SBBC) and OTCQB/OTCQX (SBBCF), upgraded to OTCQX in January 2025 and named to the 2025 TSX Venture 50. The company has been funded through a mix of debt (BMO $10M facility, EDC-guaranteed Tier One Canadian bank facility at 3.5–4% cost of capital) and equity (multiple non-brokered private placements across 2022–2024). Leadership is anchored by CEO and Chairman J.R. Kingsley Ward (Managing Partner at VRG Capital), with TRUBAR CEO Erica Groussman operating the core brand and a board including former Kellogg President North America Paul Norman and former Mars Chief Global Customer Officer Richard Kellam.
Simply Better Brands firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Simply Better Brands
- Legal name
- Simply Better Brands Corp.
- Website
- https://simplybetterbrands.com
- Company type
- Public
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Simply Better Brands (rebranding to TRUBAR Inc.) is a Canadian CPG brand accelerator operating plant-based protein nutrition bars (TruBar) and clean skincare (No B.S.) across 15,000+ retail locations in North America, targeting health-conscious Millennial and Gen Z consumers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Simply Better Brands industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Plant-Based Nutrition Snacks
- NAICS
- Specialty Food Retailers (4452), Cosmetics, Beauty Supplies, and Perfume Retailers (45612)
- SIC
- Sugar & Confectionery Products (2060), Perfumes, Cosmetics & Other Toilet Preparations (2844)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Snack Bars (Granola, Protein, Cereal Bars) (CRADABAG)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Better-for-You / Functional Snacks (Low Sugar, Keto, Probiotic, Fortified) (CRADABAM)
Keywords
Where Simply Better Brands is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Vancouver
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Simply Better Brands business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Product Sales - TruBar: Revenue from sale of plant-based protein nutrition bars through retail and DTC channels. TruBar generated $43.7M revenue in fiscal 2024, representing 77% growth vs 2023.
- Product Sales - No B.S. Skincare: Revenue from clean ingredient skincare products sold through omni-channel distribution including Walgreens national rollout.
- Product Sales - PureKana CBD: Revenue from CBD wellness products including expanded pet portfolio. Brand growing 362% vs year ago in 2022.
- Wholesale/Distribution: Revenue from wholesale distribution through retail partners including Costco, Walmart, Sam's Club, CVS, GNC, Whole Foods, convenience stores, and international markets.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Consumer retail pricing for protein bars and skincare products |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels11 records
Marketing channels4 records
Simply Better Brands product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Simply Better Brands is a brand accelerator that develops and sells plant-based protein nutrition bars (TruBar) and clean-ingredient skincare products (No B.S. Skincare) to health-conscious Millennial and Gen Z consumers. Products are distributed through major U.S. and Canadian retailers including Costco, Walmart, Sam's Club, CVS, Whole Foods, Walgreens, and Albertsons, complemented by direct-to-consumer e-commerce. The company is repositioning itself as TRUBAR Inc. following its 2024-2025 strategic focus on the TruBar brand.
Product overview
Simply Better Brands (now rebranding to TRUBAR Inc.) is a brand accelerator in the global protein-based nutrition and wellness category. The company operates a portfolio of consumer brands with two current primary brands: TruBar, a plant-based protein nutrition bar positioned in the indulgent-snacks segment targeting Millennials, and No B.S. Skincare, a clean-ingredient skincare brand targeting Gen Z and Millennial consumers. The company previously operated PureKana (CBD wellness) and Budapets (pet wellness) brands, but PureKana operations were suspended in early 2024. The company sells through omnichannel distribution including major retailers (Costco, Walmart, Sam's Club, CVS, Whole Foods, Albertsons), convenience stores, and direct-to-consumer e-commerce.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- TruBar: First-of-its-kind plant-based protein nutrition bar inspired by indulgence of dessert, combining amazing taste with clean, simple ingredients. Target demographic: Millennials. Indulgent Nutrition brand positioning.
- No B.S. Skincare (No BS Cosmetics)
- PureKana
Products and services
- TruBar Plant-based protein nutrition bar inspired by the indulgence of dessert, combining clean, simple ingredients with indulgent taste. Targeted at Millennials under the "Indulgent Nutrition" positioning; TruBar generated $43.7M in revenue in fiscal 2024, representing 77% growth year-over-year.
- No B.S. Skincare Clean ingredient skincare brand featuring real results and a radically honest beauty culture emphasizing authenticity, ingredient transparency, and achievable skincare outcomes. Distributed through Walgreens national rollout and DTC channels.
Quantifiable outcome
- 77% revenue growth for TruBar brand in fiscal 2024
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Simply Better Brands
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Simply Better Brands technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability1 record
Feature2 records
Simply Better Brands partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- AcostacoreTruBar brand partnered with Acosta, a leading sales and marketing agency, to accelerate their clean ingredient, indulgent protein bar distribution across North American retail channels.
- SodexominorTruBar brand to assist Sodexo in accelerating their clean ingredient, plant-based food efforts in foodservice channel.
- New Frontier PresentsminorStrategic partnership to enter the metaverse with expanded partnership to include metaverse shopping initiatives for the company's brands.
- The BRN Group Inc.minorSimply Better Brands announced intention to acquire The BRN Group Inc. for USD 10 million through nonbinding LOI. The acquisition included the Seventh Sense CBD brand, contingent on closing conditions with target date of January 31, 2022.
- Jones Soda Co.minorSimply Better Brands and Jones Soda Co. signed binding LOI for merger leading to accelerated scale and momentum in high growth categories. The LOI was later terminated due to unfavorable market conditions in June 2022.
- ChemesisminorBrand partnership with leading cannabis/CBD retailer Chemesis for expanded retail distribution of PureKana products.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Simply Better Brands competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Orgain: Plant-based protein nutrition brand spanning bars, shakes, and powders with national retail and DTC. Overlaps with TruBar in clean-label protein nutrition and Costco/Sprouts channel presence.
- Quest Nutrition: High-protein bar and snack brand with broad retail distribution in Walmart, Target, and grocery. Directly comparable product format, target consumer, and channel strategy to TruBar.
- RXBAR: Plant- and egg-white-based protein bar brand, now owned by Mondelez with national distribution. Direct competitor to TruBar in the better-for-you protein bar category.
- Aloha ( Aloha Inc.): Organic, plant-based protein bars sold through Whole Foods, Sprouts, Target, and DTC. Closest peer on the plant-based / clean-label positioning TruBar owns.
- Perfect Bar: Whole-food protein bar brand with national retail presence and DTC. Comparable 'indulgent + nutritious' positioning against TruBar in the refrigerated/shelf protein bar set.
Broad incumbents
- The Honest Company: Multi-category clean-ingredient CPG including personal care/skincare and wellness. Direct comparable for Simply Better Brands' No B.S. Skincare brand in clean beauty.
- Hain Celestial Group: Multi-brand natural and better-for-you CPG platform. Provides a strategic parallel as a multi-brand clean-label platform, though at materially larger scale than Simply Better Brands.
- Clif Bar & Company: Established better-for-you energy and protein bar brand owned by Mondelez. Competes with TruBar across grocery and natural channels and defines the bar category at scale.
- Kind Snacks: Major better-for-you snack bar brand (Mars-owned) competing with TruBar in grocery, club, and convenience channels on positioning and shelf space.
Emerging players
- Vital Proteins: Collagen and plant-based protein wellness brand with national retail (Costco, Whole Foods) and DTC. Comparable on the plant-protein nutrition/wellness thesis to TruBar, with adjacent format.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Simply Better Brands financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Simply Better Brands leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
Simply Better Brands subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries7 records
Simply Better Brands funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds4 records
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Simply Better Brands M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A2 records
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Simply Better Brands
What does Simply Better Brands do?
Simply Better Brands is a brand accelerator that develops and sells plant-based protein nutrition bars (TruBar) and clean-ingredient skincare products (No B.S. Skincare) to health-conscious Millennial and Gen Z consumers. Products are distributed through major U.S. and Canadian retailers including Costco, Walmart, Sam's Club, CVS, Whole Foods, Walgreens, and Albertsons, complemented by direct-to-consumer e-commerce. The company is repositioning itself as TRUBAR Inc. following its 2024-2025 strategic focus on the TruBar brand.
Is Simply Better Brands a public or private company?
Simply Better Brands is a public company. It is classified as public and is currently operating.
When was Simply Better Brands founded?
Simply Better Brands was founded in 2019. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Simply Better Brands based?
Simply Better Brands is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Simply Better Brands make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Product Sales - TruBar is the primary driver. The others are product Sales - No B.S. Skincare, product Sales - PureKana CBD and wholesale/Distribution.
Who are Simply Better Brands's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Orgain, Quest Nutrition, RXBAR, Aloha ( Aloha Inc.) and Perfect Bar. Broad incumbents are The Honest Company, Hain Celestial Group, Clif Bar & Company and Kind Snacks. Vital Proteins is listed as an emerging player.
Does Simply Better Brands have an API?
No public API is recorded for Simply Better Brands.
What industry is Simply Better Brands in?
Simply Better Brands's product category is Plant-Based Nutrition Snacks. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRADABAG, Snack Bars (Granola, Protein, Cereal Bars), with a secondary code of CRADABAM, Better-for-You / Functional Snacks (Low Sugar, Keto, Probiotic, Fortified). Its NAICS code is 4452 and its SIC code is 2060.