06/20/2026
🎬 Episode 2: What Is a Co-Packer?
As we continue sharing the story behind why Muscle Up Bars have been sold out, we thought we’d start with a question many people have never even heard before:
What is a co-packer?
A co-packer is a specialized food manufacturer that produces products for food brands like ours. We partner with a co-packer because they have the expertise, equipment, quality controls, and food safety systems necessary to manufacture products in an FDA-compliant facility.
When we launched Muscle Up Bars, production lead times were about 6 weeks. Today, those same lead times have grown to 12–16 weeks, which means planning for production starts many months before a single bar is made.
Most consumers never see what happens behind the scenes before a protein bar reaches a store shelf. We’re pulling back the curtain to show you the realities of the food business and the steps required to bring a quality product to market.
Thank you for joining us on this journey and for your continued patience and support.
🇺🇸 Helping Americans make healthier choices, one bar at a time.
Coming up next: Episode 3: We Thought Everything Was On Track…Then Our Whey Protein Supplier Left the Business.
That’s where the story really starts to get interesting.
