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Bear Naked Granola—September 2009"Bear Naked Granola" “Pure.” “Natural.” “Utterly naked.” Just a few words your typical nudist might use to describe their latest social venture, right? Actually, they’re taken directly from the description for “Bear Naked” ™ granola, a company that prides itself on manufacturing tasty products free of artificial flavors, hydrogenated oils, cholesterol, and other hindrances to a healthy snack. Bear Naked was started in 2002 by childhood friends Brendan Synnott and Kelly Flatley. Both athletes themselves, the two realized a need for a natural product to fuel an active lifestyle. Already known for her granola, Kelly decided to take it to a higher level, with the business help of Brendan. As the company grew, the two hired high school and college friends to help them go national. Together, they poured money and countless hours into the venture. Today, it’s paid off: Bear Naked granola products are on shelves not only in small natural food stores, but in huge national chains like Sam’s Club, Costco and Target. In 2005, Bear Naked had the #1 granola product in the nation. Bear Naked isn’t being greedy with its success, though. In partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation, Bear Naked created “Trees and Trails,” an endeavor to replant 50,000 trees in areas damaged by national disasters. Bear Naked supports sustainable living: though their bags are not recyclable, the company encourages consumers to send them in so they can be transformed into umbrellas, shower curtains and tote bags. In their efforts to promote a spirit of adventure, Bear Naked also sponsors a team of athletes who share a love of nature, and are partnered with multiple athletic events. Though they may not wish to embrace it yet, Bear Naked has more in common with nudism than the pun in their name. Bear Naked’s philosophy is to “strip away the clutter and enjoy the variety and splendor Mother Nature unfurls.” Rather than only promoting their product, the company tries to show how a completely natural granola can be a small part of the bigger picture. Just as being naked is only a small part of the bigger picture of nudism; yes, we’re naked, but the story behind it is something much more important. Being completely free of distractions and unhealthy additives and just plain living is a common goal many of us share, nudist or non-nudist. Bear Naked wants to provide us with “fulfillment of the mind, body and spirit.” To achieve this, we may want to be one with nature, and we all have different ways of reaching this goal. Healthy, natural food is one. Nudism is another. So, we’re not all so different after all. Currently, Bear Naked is holding an online promotion for visitors to share how they “Live Bear Naked.” If we can share our stories of enjoying Mother Nature as it was intended, we can convince some that living naturally might mean more than they know. Go to www.bearnaked.com to contribute. Oh, and don’t forget to sign up for a free sample.
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