Adventurers Launch Mule Fuel
23 February, 2008
A pair of adventure addicts have developed and launched their own energy bar after inspiration came to them while scaling peaks in the Andes.
Since then, when they were not climbing up or biking and boarding down mountains, Alex Smith and Jonathan Docherty (known as Jimmy) have spent days and nights in the kitchen perfecting recipes for their big idea - Mule Bars.
The pair went on to form their company, Fuel for Adventure Ltd, and now Mule Bars are winning plaudits in the adventure sport world and putting a spring in the step of elite athletes in their challenges around the globe.
Alex explains: "Like anyone who loves pushing their body to the limits, in whatever way, Jimmy and I relied on various energy snacks to keep us going when things were getting tough, whether it was climbing, MTB racing or triathlon. The trouble is many of them were, frankly, either inedible or indigestible!
"It was fairly obvious to us that there was a gap for an energy bar that was made of really good stuff, tasted as you would want it to taste and which gave you the performance boost you needed from it - so we set about seeing if we could create it."
With the aid of sports nutritionist Matt Lovell, who works with elite rugby players, Alex and Jimmy have created a range of bars with fascinating flavours and all-natural ingredients, such as mango, fig, hunza nut, ghoji berries and cocoa.
They have focused on using Fairtrade and organic ingredients wherever they can obtain them.Now their Mule bars, named in homage to the beasts who who carried Alex and Jimmy's kit in the Andes, are winning fans in the adventure and endurance sports community and, as their reputation spreads, are being shipped to multiple countries.
Jimmy said: "From those late nights experimenting in the kitchen and trying recipes on our families, it's amazing to see Mule Bars now being carried off around the world by people who are relying on them for critical fuel in their challenges. It's actually quite humbling."
Mule Bars are now available increasingly widely in the UK and Spain, as well as New Zealand and France, and Jimmy and Alex are actively seeking more distributors around the world.
Fuel For Adventure has set up a headquarters in Salisbury called, appropriately, The Stable! Jimmy and Alex have also been busy establishing a website and blog at www.mulebar.com.
Despite building a business their priorities stay the same, so Alex and Jimmy are currently in training for the ABSA Cape Epic MTB race at the end of March, involving 950km over 9 days with 18,000 metres of climbing. A hefty supply of Mule Bars will be going with them...
ENDS
For more information, or to arrange an interview with Jimmy or Alex, please contact: mules@mulebar.com or call Jimmy on +44 7971 546424 or Alex on +34 627 443395.
Images are available to download for publication. Go to http://www.waughcomms.co.uk/mulebar
NOTES TO EDITORS
- Fuel for Adventure is a registered 1% for the Planet company, committed to donating 1% of annual profits to support the work of environmental groups.
- So far two of the Mule Bars are certified as Fairtrade. Jimmy and Alex are working with fruit producers and other ingredient suppliers around the world to expand on this as soon as possible.
- Fuel for Adventure nutritionist, Matt Lovell, has worked closely with Jimmy and Alex to ensure Mule Bars are an excellent source of sustainable energy and protein, making them ideal for recovery or fuelling high octane activities. Matt has worked for many years with world class rugby players and brings a wealth of practical experience and knowledge to the Mule Bar.
- Jimmy and Alex fit their lives around the beckoning of mountain ascents and MTB endurance races around the world. They have many stories to tell and would be delighted to share them with you.
- A list of current Mule Bar stockists is available on mulebar.com.
- Mule Bars have even been spotted in the wild on the slopes of Mount Everest...