A savoury, clean-label protein bar brand has made its debut.
Frank has launched with Rosemary Sea Salt and Chilli Lime bars, which are made with gluten-free oats, pumpkin seeds and “minimally processed” whey crispies.
Rosemary Sea Salt also contains cashew nuts and lemon, while Chilli Lime contains almonds.
Each 50g bar (rsp: £3.29) provides 16g protein and 221 calories.
Frank is the brainchild of Sam Billinge, a documentary film editor by trade.
During busy periods at work, Billinge often “used protein bars as a kind of default, and I thought those were a genuinely healthy, until I read the back of pack and realised that they’re made of a set of chemical ingredients,” he told The Grocer.
As such, Billinge was inspired to create his own clean-label alternative to the protein bars available on the market. He took kitchen samples to last year’s Lunch trade show (16-17 September 2025), where buyers from Whole Foods Market “expressed a keen interest”.
Four months and 37 prototypes later and the finished product has hit shelves in Whole Foods stores.
“Our customers want real, recognisable ingredients and products that taste good while nourishing their body,” said Whole Foods Market category merchant Ellie O’Sullivan.
“Creativity in this category is rife, but rarely does it tick every box – Frank stood out to us as a bar that offered something completely new, and we’re excited to be the first to bring it to shelves in our six stores across the UK.”
Frank is not the first brand to launch a savoury protein bar. In 2019, The Savourists debuted Black Olive and Nori Seaweed bars with an eye to “evolve the category”.
However, The Savourists ultimately pivoted to bagged snacks, launching high-protein rice clusters Crunchits in 2022.
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