Brand Overview#
Quest Nutrition is an American protein bar and high-protein snack company founded in 2010 by Tom Bilyeu, Mike Osborn, and Ron Penna in El Segundo, California. The company became famous as one of the fastest-growing private companies in the US (57,000% growth in 3 years). Acquired by The Simply Good Foods Company in 2019 for $1 billion, Quest is now a sister brand to Atkins.
History#
- 2010: Founded in El Segundo, CA by Tom Bilyeu, Mike Osborn, and Ron Penna
- 2010: First Quest Bar created in founder’s kitchen, hand-rolled
- 2012-2013: GNC named Quest bars best protein bars on market
- 2013: Revenue reached $82.6 million
- 2014: #2 fastest growing private company in US (Inc.)
- 2015: VMG Partners minority investment ($900M valuation)
- 2016-10: Tom Bilyeu leaves to start Impact Theory
- 2017: Restructuring, outsourced manufacturing
- 2019-08-22: Acquired by Simply Good Foods for $1 billion
Corporate Structure#
Pre-Acquisition (2010-2019)#
- Type: Private company (bootstrapped first 5 years)
- Headquarters: El Segundo, California
- Investors: VMG Partners (2015)
Post-Acquisition (2019-Present)#
- Parent Company: The Simply Good Foods Company (Nasdaq: SMPL)
- Parent HQ: Denver, Colorado
- Status: Wholly-owned subsidiary
- Sister Brands: Atkins, SimplyProtein, Atkins Endulge
Founders#
Tom Bilyeu#
- Co-founder (2010-2016)
- Left October 2016
- Founded Impact Theory media company with wife Lisa
- Inspired by obesity in his family
Mike Osborn#
- Co-founder
- Previously sold Awareness Technologies (data loss prevention)
Ron Penna#
- Co-founder
- Wife Shannan Penna (fitness trainer) developed first bar recipe
- Previously sold Awareness Technologies
Product Focus#
- Product Count: 86 products (iHerb)
- Formats: Bars, chips, cookies, powder, shakes, frozen pizza, pasta
- Philosophy: High protein, low carb, no added sugar
- Specialty: Protein bars, keto-friendly snacks
Key Product Lines#
| Line | Description |
|---|---|
| Quest Bars | Flagship protein bars (20-21g protein, 4-5g net carbs) |
| Quest Chips | Protein chips and crisps |
| Quest Cookies | High-protein cookies |
| Quest Protein Powder | Whey/casein blends |
| Quest Pizza | Frozen high-protein pizza |
| Quest Candy | Protein candy bars |
Best-Selling Flavors#
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
- Birthday Cake
- Chocolate Chip
- Double Chocolate Chunk
- Mint Chocolate Chunk
Quality Standards#
- Whey protein isolate and milk protein isolate
- Gluten-free
- Soy-free
- High protein (20-21g per bar)
- Low net carbs (4-5g per bar)
- No added sugar
Marketing Innovation#
Quest pioneered influencer marketing in the fitness industry:
- Sent free protein bars to fitness influencers
- Leveraged social media before it was mainstream
- Built brand through authentic community engagement
Financial Journey#
| Year | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 2010-2015 | Bootstrapped |
| 2013 | $82.6M revenue |
| 2014 | 57,000% 3-year growth |
| 2015 | $900M valuation (VMG investment) |
| 2019 | $1 billion acquisition |
Retail Presence#
| Channel | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Official Website | ✅ Active | questnutrition.com |
| Amazon | ✅ Active | Official store |
| iHerb | ✅ Active | ~86 products |
| GNC | ✅ Active | Major retail partner |
| Walmart | ✅ Active | Wide distribution |
| Target | ✅ Active | National retail |
| Grocery Stores | ✅ Active | Mass distribution |
UPC Information#
Multiple UPC prefixes identified:
- 888849 - Primary prefix
- 785923 - Secondary prefix
- 793573 - Additional prefix
Investigation Notes#
- DSLD Presence: Present in database
- UPC Prefix: 888849 (primary)
- Business Model: Mass retail distribution
- Ownership: The Simply Good Foods Company (Nasdaq: SMPL)
- Key Differentiator: Pioneered fitness influencer marketing
Status Determination#
| Criterion | Finding |
|---|---|
| Official Website | ✅ Active (questnutrition.com) |
| Retail Availability | ✅ Mass distribution (Walmart, Target, GNC) |
| DSLD Presence | ✅ Present |
| Parent Company | ✅ Simply Good Foods (public, SMPL) |
| Industry Position | ✅ Leading protein bar brand |
Status: active (High Confidence)
Relationships
From this profile →
- → Founded by: Tom Bilyeu (external) (2010)
- → Founded by: Mike Osborn (external) (2010)
- → Founded by: Ron Penna (external) (2010)
- → Acquired By: The Simply Good Foods Company (2019-08-22)
- → Sister Brand: Atkins (2019)
← Linked from
- ← Atkins is subsidiary of (2017-07-07)
- ← Atkins sister brand of (2019)
- ← Quest Nutrition acquired (2019-11)
- ← Quest Nutrition acquired (2019-08-22)