Barebells

What Barebells makes

Barebells is a Swedish brand that launched in 2016 and works from Stockholm, as part of the Vitamin Well Group. It stays in one narrow niche: protein snacks that taste like confectionery. Most products are made inside the EU and the brand is now sold in around forty markets. The range splits into four groups: original bars, Soft bars, vegan bars and ready-to-drink milkshakes. All of them are high in protein and made without added sugar.

The four formats suit different moments

The original bars have a firmer, chewier bite under a milk chocolate coating. Soft bars sit closer to a caramel bar: a softer core, more coating, and they melt faster if they spend the day in a warm gym bag. The vegan bars use plant protein, and one of them, Caramel Peanut, is built on wheat protein, so it contains gluten. The milkshakes are lactose-free and gluten-free, and you can finish one in a minute when chewing after a hard session feels like too much. If you want to compare texture and price across makers, our wider selection of protein bars is the place to look.

No added sugar does not mean no sweeteners

The bars get their sweetness from sugar alcohols such as maltitol, plus polydextrose as added fibre. That is how you get a dessert-like bar without added sugar. It also explains the most common complaint we hear: bloating or a loose stomach when someone eats two or three bars in a day. Start with one a day and see how you react. The dairy bars contain milk protein, so they are not the right pick if you avoid lactose. In that case the milkshakes work better, and you can also compare them with other ready-to-drink protein shakes. Barebells states that none of its products contain palm oil.

Why we stock Barebells at BONO

We judge a protein snack the same way we judge a capsule: how much protein per portion, which sweetener does the work, and whether the label tells you the whole story. Barebells is open about its sugar alcohols, its gluten traces and its milk protein, which is why it clears our compliance check. We buy straight from the brand, with no intermediaries, so what reaches you is authentic. We taste and test products ourselves, and independent labs spot-check batches. We would tell our own mother the same thing we tell you: a bar is a useful top-up on a busy day, not a meal. Read how we choose our brands.

Who it genuinely suits

Barebells fits you if you train regularly and keep falling short of your protein target by mid-afternoon. Protein contributes to the growth and maintenance of muscle mass, and a bar is a simple way to add 20 grams without cooking. It also suits anyone who wants something sweet after lunch but would rather it carried protein. If you prefer powders, or want a cheaper cost per gram, other brands in our range will serve you better. Barebells earns its place on taste and convenience, and that is exactly what it is for.