Alberta rancher gets innovative With Wagyu beef snack bar

Alberta rancher Jeff Ball launches Thrive Provisions, a consumer packaged goods company.

Through his family’s legacy farm, Ball and Thrive Provisions bring premium Wagyu beef into the hands of everyday, active consumers with its product lineup of all-natural Wagyu beef protein bars.

The full lineup of Wagyu bars can be found online or at select retailers in Alberta and Ontario.

Founded on the belief that consumers should not have to compromise nutrition for convenience, Thrive Provisions offers flavourful Wagyu beef protein bars. By using the Wagyu breed, Thrive Provisions has created a different eating experience than traditional protein bars or jerky. Lean and nutritious, Wagyu beef requires minimal processing to achieve a rich and tender flavour.

“I was always on the go – flying for business trips, hiking on the weekends and running a ranch,” said Ball, CEO of Thrive Provisions. “I kept reaching for convenient snacks that would fuel me, but they all left me feeling lethargic. That is where the idea of a nutritious and convenient meat-based protein bar came from. We shouldn’t have to compromise nutrition with convenience. So, being the problem-solving farmers we are, we began creating meat-based protein bars with Wagyu beef from our ranch.”

Sustainable family ranching legacy

With four generations of ranching under their belt, the Ball family has committed to breeding a sustainable product from its inception. Initially only supplying high-end Canadian restaurants with their premium cuts of beef, the Ball family decided to use the remaining high-quality Wagyu to offer consumers an eating experience on and off their plates. By mitigating unnecessary waste, Thrive Provisions has created a sustainable product.

Wagyu beef nutrition

“Wagyu beef is extremely high in healthy monounsaturated fats like omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, also found in wild salmon,” said Ball. “What makes it a cut above the rest is the way the marbling forms throughout the entire muscle, making it more flavourful and tender than any other type of beef.”

Thrive Provisions has tapped into the benefits of Wagyu and has optimized their Wagyu bars for the on-the-go consumer, weekend warrior or health-conscious individual looking to feel and perform at their best. Produced with the nutrition-seeking consumer or mindful parent in mind, Thrive bars are also gluten-, nut-, soy- and dairy-free, keto-friendly, and contain over 12 g of protein.

Flavours

Thrive Provisions offers four flavours, Honey Lime & Black Pepper, Maple Apple & Blueberry, Chorizo, and Coffee & Cocoa. Their recent addition of two new flavours, Chorizo and Coffee & Cocoa, spotlight artisanal flavours like smokey paprika in its Chorizo bar and local coffee roaster, Calgary Heritage Roasting Co., in its sweet and savoury Coffee & Cocoa bar.