Bearded Bros

After struggling with his weight and generally being stuck in a rut, it was a lifestyle change and a new outlook on life that lead Nik Pfarrer to a healthier existence – one aided by his product Bearded Bros.
“I’d always stopped and started things. I’d do something for a week and get side-tracked and then not do anything. But for some reason my training and not being lazy with food just stuck this time around,” Nik says.
The change was spurred on by partner Calista and a new addition to the family, and since things took the turn for the better, they’ve worked beside each other in their new venture.
Essentially Bearded Bros aims to take away the difficulty with eating right thanks to a range of healthy products they’ve carefully created. The Breakfast Bowls, protein bites and bars can be picked up from numerous cafes around Geelong or put together in a power pack and delivered to your door or office space.
Though it all started with a few bowls at Nik’s local gym: “When I was training at the time I ended up giving it out to people there and they were amazed how nice it tasted, how clean it was and how easy it was. So then we just started making cups and bringing them to the gym and it branched out from there,” he says.
Since hitting the gym scene, the Breakfast Bowls have since become a regular feature at cafes and Nik and Calista are creating over 50 breakfast bowls, 50 bites and 300 bars per week.
With a market that seems to be so focused on healthy eating, Nik and Calista were determined to do it right and create a product they’d be happy to feed their kids.
“Even though you’re having something that is good for you, you want it to be a pleasant experience. You don’t want to think, ‘Well I don’t really want to buy that’,” Calista says.
As a result there were many late nights and early mornings perfecting the formula; a process Calista relishes. “I don’t enjoy cooking at all, but I enjoy the foundations of it all: being in there and working out if the flavours work, then what we can use to bring these products together,” she says.
Part of getting it right was using local protein powder supplier Dynabolics for their recipes, that and figuring out the perfect texture, taste and balance. With over 10 stockists in Geelong Bearded Bros are quickly becoming a go-to for healthy snacks, but easily their favourite customers are closer to home.
“It’s so easy to go down that commercialised fast food road, but now we’re prepping our own juices at home and instead of grabbing chocolate biscuits the kids are grabbing the protein bars that we make and instead of grabbing soft drink they’re grabbing the juice we’ve made,” Calista says.
You can pick up Bearded Bros products at Box Office cafe, 10 sq M or Cartel Roasters Brew Bar, for a full list of stockists or to purchase online visit their website (www.beardedbros.com.au) or Facebook (www.facebook.com/beardedbrosbreakybowls).
Written by Amanda Sherring / Photos by James Raimondo