Meet the Caffeine Cowboys, Creators of the Coffee-Based BoomBar

The Co-Founders of Boom. Bring Good Energy to Those on the Go

Pounding Natty Lights and possessing a lifetime supply of Chubbies may have come to define the modern-day “fraternity boy,” but to tell this story, we’re setting stereotypes aside. BoomBar Protein Bar

Flashback to the spring of 2018; college student Daniel Puckett is sitting in an entrepreneurship class, sipping a cup of joe. The guest speaker of the day? The CEO of Clif Bar & Company.

Credit: Ryan Pavone

As he listened, sipping his coffee, Boom—it hit him. The ingredient missing from even the best energy bars was energy! With an idea to create a caffeinated bar, he bolted to the nearest grocery store, bought what he assumed were a few key ingredients (including espresso powder) and began making the first batch of what would later be called a BoomBar.

After piecing together what Puckett deemed “a really weird, shoddy first-generation bar,” he picked up the phone and called his fraternity brother, Lucas DeVries.

“I said, ‘Lucas, you gotta get over here.’ I gave him a quick rundown, explaining that there should be caffeine in an energy bar instead of just carbs and sugar.”

Taking a hesitant bite out of Puckett’s homemade creation, DeVries, pleasantly surprised, began to pick up what his brother was puttin’ down. BoomBar Protein Bar

Credit: Ryan Pavone

The two began what they refer to as “the kitchen chronicles”—a series of trial-and-error experiments. “Our first priority was to include caffeine, but our second was to make it healthy. Not too high in sugar, not too high in carbs,” says DeVries. “So we started with the basics: dates, espresso powder, almonds, maple syrup, cinnamon, etc., and we continued to tweak it. We wanted to use ingredients that people could pronounce.”

And before you could say boom, the Caffeine Cowboys had made over 20 different versions of their caffeinated bar, eventually perfecting the recipe they use now.

To this day, transparency has remained at the forefront of their mission to “bring good energy.” “The ingredient label is right on the front, which is an honest ode to RXBAR,” says DeVries. “There’s a certain integrity that is conveyed when it’s clear we aren’t trying to hide anything.” BoomBar Protein Bar

And while many energy bars are stuck in the nutritional past—depending on high sugar and carb content to provide energy—BoomBar offers a better buzz without the unnecessary ingredients and additives. “We set out to reinvent what an energy bar really is, and that’s what we’ve done,” says Puckett. “We’ve taken a bar and put 150mg of natural caffeine into it.”

But between the kitchen chronicles in Puckett’s apartment and creating the product they have today, the two received plenty of help from friends and mentors. “At first, we passed out bars to everyone we knew to get some honest feedback,” says DeVries. “Once we had a recipe people liked, we consulted with a food scientist to further fine-tune it and eventually turn it into something we could mass produce.” BoomBar Protein Bar

The final product clocks in at 190 calories, contains 11 grams of protein and is made up of less than 15 ingredients, all of which can be easily pronounced. And when it came to the packaging, the boys went with a black and cream color combo.

“It’s a little more subtle and mature even though we might not be,” Puckett says with a grin.

As for the future of Boom., the Caffeine Cowboys have more in store. “We’re building this generation’s energy brand; we think we can build a whole catalog of products,” Puckett says.

And while most fraternity boys are good at walking into bars, it turns out, these boys are actually good at making them.