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Civil engineer Raúl González decided to leave his job in the construction business to turn his hand to producing energy bars. Now, in a small kitchen in Torre del Mar on the eastern stretch of the Costa del Sol, the entrepreneur produces Tree Natural Bars, which are made with healthy ingredients and without chemical additives or added sugar.
Pistachio, walnut, cashew and almond, dried fruit such as mango, banana and date and vegetable protein from peas and rice are the key ingredients that go into the bars.
As well as being made with natural ingredients, they are also vegan, suitable for coeliacs and people who are lactose intolerant. "Unlike many other energy bars, they do not contain whey protein and the ingredients are 100 per cent natural," explains Raúl, who has been selling the bars since the end of 2023.
Since the official launch, Tree Natural Bars has produced five varieties with different flavours and ingredients, but which, according to the entrepreneur, have very similar nutritional and health properties, as they all contain, for example, the same amount of vegan protein (around 10 grams).
Of the five flavours, there is one that is clearly a nod to the Axarquía, the Delicious Mango, made with the (dried) fruit that is abundantly grown in the east of Malaga area. There's also the Crunchy Pistachio, Original Cacao, Magic Banana, made with dried banana and dates, cashew nuts and walnuts, and Coffee Moka, which has a combination of coffee and cocoa, as well as dates, cashew nuts and almonds.
The bars also have other ingredients added for flavour, including virgin coconut oil, cinnamon, natural vanilla and sea salt. The process is apparently simple. All the ingredients are mixed in the proportions that Raúl has formulated after a lot of testing, and they are cut into individual bars and wrapped.
Despite only selling these products for a short time, Tree Natural Bars already has 70 points of sale. Most of them are in Malaga province, but they are also sold in Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia and Ibiza and they have even started to be exported to France and Sweden.
The doors to foreign markets were opened by Raúl's visit to the last Alimentaria food and drinks fair in Barcelona as part of the Sabor a Málaga food brand.
"Right now we are mainly in gyms, health food shops and padel clubs, although we can also be found in petrol stations and even hotel mini-bars," says Raúl. There is also a website through which the company sells the products all over the country.
The bars can be purchased individually at a recommended price of 2.40 euros or in boxes of 10 units (22.50 euros). These packs can be purchased in individual flavours or the Mix Bars, which include two bars of each type.
The energy bars are not only aimed at sportspeople, but also for those who want an extra boost of energy without sacrificing taste or health. "They can be eaten by hikers, cyclists or people who need a snack between meals because of their work," says the young entrepreneur from Torre del Mar.
Tree Natural Bars were born four years ago when Raúl began to visualise a change in his life. "In the summer of 2020 I thought about making biscuits or bars for myself, but with natural and tasty products," he explains.
At the time he was working as a civil engineer for a construction company. This meant that he had to move between the construction sites he was supervising with hardly any time to eat and that's when he started making his own bars. "I started by watching tutorials on the internet and then I kept making changes until I made the ones I liked the most," Raúl explains.
Afterwards, he took them to the rowing club in Torre del Mar where his partner Ana is a member. "People liked them and I thought I could create my own business," he recalls.
Raúl spent three years saving up enough money to invest in machinery and other expenses, to make what is now Tree Natural Bars a reality, a product with a taste of Malaga with a commitment to health and flavour.
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