Casey Nunnelly and Sabina Rizzo knew there had to be a way to make healthy energy bars taste better.

Unsatisfied with products on the market, they set out to make their own. And in August 2019, they launched their Byte Bars, which are gluten-free, vegan and raw ingredient energy bars with no added sugar.

Byte is an acronym for Be Yourself Today Everyday.

“The brand exemplifies fun and (being) carefree,” Nunnelly said, “but also healthy. People resonate with our brand.”

Nunnelly, 25, of Denver’s Washington Park neighborhood, and Rizzo, 28, of Denver’s Highland neighborhood, are cousins who grew up in large, female-empowered families — their mothers are the oldest two sisters of nine siblings.

The two cousins are University of Colorado-Boulder alumni and former competitive athletes who, today, are health enthusiasts and continue to live active lifestyles.

At high school sporting events, people would bring cakes and cookies for the athletes, Rizzo said. While that’s probably OK for youth and children, she added, as you grow up, you learn to nourish yourself better.

“It’s important to nourish yourself properly,” Rizzo added. “It does affect your performance.”

The two launched Byte Bars with three flavors that, by 2020, became available on shelves in Colorado’s Whole Foods Market locations. During the past couple of years, Nunnelly and Rizzo dedicated more work into their product. They incorporated consumer feedback on their recipe formulations and reformulations.

Today, Byte Bars are available in four flavors — Choco Chip, Cinna Cherry, Peanut Butta and the newest release, Lemmy Razz Protein.

All offer a “happy medium between tasty and healthy,” Nunnelly said.

It is expected that King Soopers will carry Byte Bars by this summer.

But the two cousins have much bigger dreams for their Byte Bars, they said. They are looking to expand their vision of sustainability and local sourcing and get Byte Bars on more shelves regionally, nationally and eventually, worldwide.

They also are wanting to get involved with give-back programs that prioritize sustainability and human connection — Nunnelly and Rizzo are focused on contributing to communities to provide a positive and lasting impact.

For now, Nunnelly and Rizzo are looking forward to community engagement opportunities this summer, where they will be providing samples of Byte Bars.

They will be at the Denver Colfax Marathon, which takes place May 14 and May 15, and will be at about half of the Yoga on the Rocks events, which begin in early June.

Nunnelly and Rizzo are excited to be able to offer a product they are proud of.

“A need we had was also one that other people had,” Nunnelly said of providing a healthy, yet delicious, energy bar. “You won’t feel guilty about (eating) Byte Bars.”