With consumer interest in healthy snacking showing no sign of slowing, Mondelēz International’s fast-growing Perfect Snacks refrigerated protein bars are hoping to ride that momentum to become one of the Oreo maker's next $1 billion brands, according to a top executive.
Perfect Snacks has been a bright spot in Mondelēz’s sprawling snack portfolio since the food maker purchased it in 2019 as the brand benefited from demand for healthy, organic and high-protein offerings with a recognizable ingredients list. It’s a big reason why Mondelēz, a company known for billion-dollar brands such as Chips Ahoy! and Cadbury, has high hopes for the 20-year-old snack.
Perfect Snacks has seen sales surge about 20% to $156.4 million during the past year, according to Nielsen data provided by the snacking giant. Dollar growth for the brand is not only outpacing the refrigerated snacking category but the broader protein bar segment, where it’s expanding nearly five times faster.
“We’ve been very clear with Mondelēz that we’re sitting on a $1 billion brand,” Cara Liebrock, Perfect Snacks’ CEO, said in an interview. “Our ambition is to continue to scale the business while continuing to protect the unique DNA of the brand.”
After taking over in 2022, Liebrock observed Perfect Snacks was “well ahead of its time” due to its better-for-you attributes, but the brand would have to overcome some obstacles to continue its growth. Perfect Snacks needed to expand its presence into more stores, broaden its product offerings and educate more people about the refrigerated section as an option for protein bars.
During the last three years, Perfect Snacks has added thousands of locations to its distribution and rolled out mini options, new flavors and chocolate-covered versions. The company has turned to celebrities, social media influencers and sampling to boost awareness of the product, with the brand recently sponsoring the Chicago Marathon. The marketing blitz is paying off, with brand awareness up 40% to just over a fifth of the population.
Once shoppers try a Perfect Bar, 63% of them turn into repeat customers, according to the company.
Still, reminding consumers about the product’s presence outside of the traditional snack bar aisle remains a challenge. Liebrock is hopeful the presence of competitors such as Mush and Once Upon a Farm will help build out the category and make refrigerated bars more top-of-mind for shoppers.
We’re spending “a disproportionate amount of focus in making sure that we resolve this for consumers,” she conceded.
As Perfect Snacks looks to reach even more customers, the brand is planning to launch in 2026 innovations that “address attributes important to consumers” and capitalize on whitespace opportunities within the bar arena.
“We do see opportunities for us to be extending our portfolio, and I think we’re really thoughtful in how we do that,” she said. “It’s always going to be a bit of a balance on bringing innovation but continuing to focus on scaling the business that [Mondelēz] bought.”
