
The Protein Bar King and the Battle for the Holy Grail of Fat Substitutes
Mckay Fugal woke up to an email one morning this past spring that made his stomach drop. The subject line was unremarkable, the tone polite. But the message in the attached document was devastating. Epogee, the supplier of the most critical ingredient in the line of low-fat, high-protein chocolate bars he’d helped invent, was cutting the business off. No negotiation, no warning. Just a brief note to say that any pending orders would be fulfilled, but then no more, effective immediately. Together...