When Amanda Ament was in her mid-20s, she realized she was eating too much sugar. So she challenged herself to give it up for three weeks. “I felt great,” she says. “My skin cleared, I slept better, and I had more energy.”
After experiencing the benefits of her new regimen, she added weeks, then months, and eventually years to her challenge. Her biggest problem was finding snacks, especially snack bars, that didn’t contain sugar, and tasted good. “I started mixing nuts, seeds and superfoods, like chia seeds and matcha, with honey and maple syrup, and baking those in the oven,” says Amanda.
When she moved to the United States from Switzerland in 2022, she eventually settled in Franklin because the area reminded her of the beautiful country she left behind. There, that same year, she founded SIMPLE ® bars and partnered with a co-packer in Nashville. To cut down on the sugar content altogether, their food scientists replaced the honey and maple syrup with allulose, another natural sweetener. “Some natural sweeteners have an aftertaste, but not allulose,” says Amanda. “You just need a little, and it barely has any effect on insulin, so it’s good for diabetics too.”
The company will be selling allulose pouches soon, too, for people to use at home as a sugar alternative. Her sister, Mélanie, who has a background in the food industry and marketing, also moved to the U.S. and joined Amanda in this adventure.
Today SIMPLE® offers four flavors - Almond & Dragon Fruit, Almond Matcha & Chia, Walnut & Golden Spices, and Chocolate Sea Salt.
All the bars are whole grain and made with minimal ingredients. “The dragon fruit bar is really pink, so kids love it,” says Mélanie. “They’re all wrapped in clear packaging so people can see the colors and what they’re buying.” The sisters also hope to offer small bites in addition to the whole bars.
SIMPLE® bars can be purchased on its website, at The Turnip Truck in Nashville, and can also be found in hotels, gyms, and various corporations, with more locations coming soon. SimpleBars.com
“I started mixing nuts, seeds and superfoods, like chia seeds and matcha, with honey and maple syrup, and baking those in the oven.” -- Amanda Ament
