"The High Protein Version of Dive Bar Nutrition"

As the founder of Dive Bar Nutrition, I’ve heard a lot of things from our community over the years: “These bars are unreal!”, “It tastes like candy but fuels like a meal!”, and more recently — “Hey, could you squeeze in a few more grams of protein?”

At first, I brushed it off. Dive Bars weren’t trying to be some lab-grown, macros-obsessed brick of artificial sweetness. They were real — fresh, flavorful, and meant for people who needed fuel that didn’t feel like punishment. But over time, the comments kept coming. At expos, in DMs, on social media comments. A recurring theme started to emerge: “Love the taste, love the energy — wish it had just a bit more protein.”

I knew that just one taste of a Dive Bar would convince people that the extra 2 grams of protein they wanted were worth finding elsewhere - in a bite of egg or even a little extra milk. After all, if we started to deliver the same macros as some other bars, we would end up like the other bars: dry, fake, and complete with a protein aftertaste!

Still, it broke my heart when we would meet someone new in person, and they would dismiss Dive Bars over a few grams of protein. This brand was started because I knew the inner working of the protein bar industry: 3 or 4 major players making the same crap bars for 99% of the industry. It truly breaks my heart when someone tells us they are sticking to brand X over 10 calories or a couple grams of protein, even if brand X is mass produced junk from a corporate chemistry lab.

So, I started to listen. Really listen. For a moment, I had to go back to a sort of zen place in my mind. I thought of Rocky 3 where Rocky has to find the eye of the tiger, and foregoes his luxury mansinon to does so in the rough area of Los Angeles, in the amateur boxing gym that made Apollo great. I realized I have been calling myself Professor Phil for several years, but somewhere along the way, I stopped behaving like him. The professor who created Dive Bar Nutrition from $30 worth of Walmart groceries and refused to accept "impossible" as an answer.

The original experimental bars made while working as a professor in the desert of New mexico. A $59 immitation kitchen aid mixer made dough for 11 bars at a time and into silicone soap trays it went!

After listening to the public's comments and suggestions, what I heard surprised me — our customers weren’t asking for a radical shift. They didn’t want a 40-gram isolate bomb. They just wanted a little more macro power. A few extra grams to help get the protein levels recommended by their doctor, trainer, or nutritionist. In their words, not mine: “Just enough to call it a real protein bar without ruining the flavor.”

Fair enough.

That kicked off what turned into one of the most challenging formulation efforts we’ve done since we started. I thought it’d be simple: add more whey, sub in some egg white protein, tighten up the macros a bit. Easy, right?

Wrong.

We went through 20 different test batches over several months. With every added gram of protein, we ran into new hurdles. The bar got drier. The taste shifted. The chew lost its “cookie dough meets Rice Krispies” magic. We refused to compromise on freshness or flavor, and that is what made it hard. If you’ve ever tried to get 18 grams of protein into a bar that still tastes like dessert and doesn’t feel like drywall, you know what I mean.

There were late nights in the test kitchen. Spreadsheets covered in macros. Group taste-tests that ended in awkward silence — you know the kind, when everyone’s chewing and no one wants to say, “This one kinda sucks.” We had to be honest with ourselves. Just “more protein” wasn’t enough. It had to still feel like the Dive Bars we know and love.

Then, something clicked. One batch came out soft, rich, and balanced. It had that signature Dive Bar feel — not too dense, not too sweet, and still packed with real fuel. We ran the numbers: 18 grams of protein, same no-caffeine promise, and the taste passed with flying colors. Then we did it again — a second recipe. Boom. We had two winners.

They’re officially launching this month, and to be honest, I’m pretty damn proud. Not because they’re perfect (though they’re close), but because they represent everything Dive Bar stands for: listening to our people, doing the work, and never cutting corners.

If you’re one of the customers who said, “Just a few more grams,” this one’s for you. You made us better. You pushed us to evolve without losing our soul.

This is more than just a label update or a protein bump. It’s a reminder that Dive Bar isn’t some faceless brand slinging bars from a giant factory. We’re a small team in Sarasota, Florida — making high quality/small batches, and reading every message that comes through. We’re in this because we believe in real food, real feedback, and real fuel for real people.

So whether you’re grabbing one on your way to the gym, the ER, or your third meeting of the morning, these new bars are built to keep up with you. More protein, same heart.

Thanks for believing in us and holding us to a high standard. We wouldn’t want it any other way!

 MUCHO LOVE ,  

Professor Phil