With a degree from the Culinary Institute of America and a bachelor’s degree in nutrition, marathon runner Erica Hopper was not satisfied with the quality of store-bought energy bars. Her health and fitness lifestyle inspired her to create her own brand of energy bars, Simple Bites Gourmet, that are gluten, dairy and preservative free.

Hopper began running after her father’s heart attack her junior year of high school. She ran her first marathon in 2006, in Knoxville, Tenn., and has run 14 since then. While studying nutrition at the University of Tennessee, she began waiting tables at a restaurant in addition to her frequent exercise.

“I was running so much, and I was waiting tables and needed energy,” Hopper said. “I was looking at the nutrition facts of energy bars, and they really weren’t all that healthy. I could probably make something similar and make it better.”

Hopper began experimenting with ingredients to make different flavors for her energy bars. All of her ingredients are natural and contain agave nectar instead of sugar, as well as antioxidant-rich sunflower oil. The bars have a nut-butter base including peanuts, almonds and cashews and are flavored with dried blueberries or pineapple, chocolate and unsweetened coconut. Hopper said her bars are packed with protein and carbs for people on-the-go and are approximately 75-percent organic.

“I think what makes them better flavor-wise is that they just taste better,” Hopper said.  “They don’t have any chemical or gritty taste and since I have a degree in nutrition, I know what the human body needs.”

With the help of her cousin, a graphic design major who assisted with the bar’s packaging, Hopper makes the bars at home and sells them through word of mouth and her Etsy web store.

“I would love if they would end up in local running and health food shops,” Hopper said. “Places like Whole Foods and Earth Fair, the bigger health food chains.”

In regards to her future plans, Hopper hopes to develop an all-natural organic baby food. She believes living a healthy life starts at a young age, and a picky eater is not a healthy eater.

“It is important to feed our kids everything that they need to expand their palate at a young age, so they aren’t picky eaters when they’re older,” Hopper said. “I’m pretty passionate about childhood health, so doing food geared toward children is my next step.”

Hopper graduated last May from UT and started her business just six months later.  Encouragement from friends and family inspired her to further her pursuit in manufacturing healthy energy bars.

“I think if anyone has a goal like this never say no to yourself, always reach for your goals,” Hopper said. “Healthy food doesn’t have to be difficult or bland and everyone can have fun and be healthy.”

Hopper hopes to spread her brand and have her all-natural energy bars in select retail stores within the next couple of months.

“I will never change my passion for the way they’re made,” Hopper said. “The integrity of the product will remain the same.”