New Industry

Made in Emerging Europe: Roo Brands

In 2010, in search of healthy treats for her children, Anita Klasanova invented a delicious recipe of raw snack bars. These tasty bars soon became a favourite dessert in Kalin, and in Klasanov’s (husband and wife) organic store. Inspired to share their creation with the rest of the world, the couple joined forces with Yani Dragov, founder of the biggest organic food distributor in Bulgaria. And the Roobar was born in 2012.

“Roo Brands is a trendsetter of organic, vegan and gluten free desserts,” says Mrs Klasanova. “It has become a market leader in Europe and can now be found in 50 countries across the world. Since conception the primary product lines – Roobar and our award-winning Kookie Cat cookies have became the favorite choice of many. In our state-of-the-art factory, we make close to 1 million bars and cookies monthly.”

“We have a team of 90 professionals dedicated to creating food awareness worldwide through simple desserts and strong family values. The team invests their heart in Roobar every day, because it is easy to unlock your inner superhero when you know your mission is good,” she adds.

Roobar is internationally acclaimed yet their recipe for success remains the same – simple, healthy and delicious products with few ingredients.

“Our best-selling products are more or less the same in each country – these are the Roobar Coconut and Chia and Roobar Cacao nibs,” says Mrs Klasanova.

Over the last year they have also seen an increased interest in their vegan cookie brand – Kookie Cat. Their products won several awards in 2017, including the Great Taste Award.

In order to ensure the quality and integrity of their products, the company hand-selects the finest organic ingredients from around the world and works directly with farmers to ensure that the raw ingredients are ethically sourced and contribute to local communities. Their aim is to source as much as they can locally, however some of the raw ingredients need to be imported as they grow in special climates, such as dates.

Roobar have a very simple recipe using no more than four or five organic ingredients, and using those ingredients to sweeten their bars, without using processed sugars. They also do not use any form of heat treatment, thus ensuring that all the nutrients from their products are not compromised.

“The secret of our success is that we create brands, not just products. We all know brands need to be brave, bold, sexy and emotional to get the attention of the over-stimulated consumer. The market is becoming more and more competitive. Consumers expect engagement, transparency, connection, authenticity from a brand. Building a community, allowing people to be part of something big and showing that it is not just a trend, but a sincere attempt to create food awareness worldwide by simple desserts and strong family values: these are the elements that form the strategy of every progressive brand,” Mrs Klasanova concludes.