In 2013, friends launched RXBAR with $10,000; Kellogg bought it for $600 million four years later

In 2013, two childhood friends from Glen Ellyn, Illinois, pooled $10,000 to buy egg whites, dates, and nuts. They made their first batch of protein bars in a suburban basement using a food processor. Four years later, global food company Kellogg Company bought their business for $600 million. Peter Rahal and Jared Smith founded Chicago Bar Company LLC, the Chicago-based company behind RXBAR, after growing tired of the long lists of artificial ingredients in regular protein snacks. With no outside investors, corporate office, or formal business experience, the pair built one of North America's fastest-growing natural food brands. The sale in October 2017 gave the founders a huge financial return and made RXBAR a major success story in the health food industry.Starting out in a family basementThe business began with a simple problem. Rahal and Smith had been close friends since primary school. Both were active CrossFit athletes who regularly ate protein bars. However, they struggled to find products made with simple, whole food ingredients and no added sugar or artificial additives. In early 2013, the pair decided to make their own alternative. Each put in $5,000 from personal saving...