Endurance cyclist was looking for a healthy, nutritious energy bar portable enough for long bike rides, runs or hikes. She found it in her kitchen.

By Henry Howard

Ally Stacher, who grew up in a small town in California, says she has always been a foodie. “My family and friends were always making great meals and I fell in love with the process of making food with the best ingredients and from the ground up.” 

Athlete-Foodie Combines Two Passions

Throughout her life, she has also been an athlete — from rodeo to wrestler to a current elite cyclist. “I’ve always been an athlete. I love challenging myself and trying to take everything I do to the next level.” 


It’s no wonder she combined those passions when she was not satisfied with the usual refueling selections for endurance athletes. The end result was Ally’s Bar, a vegan-friendly, gluten-free, non-GMO fuel source.

Stacher identified her goal pretty easily. “I wanted to make a healthier bar that tasted good, that was gluten-free, non-GMO, Kosher, vegan and pretty much all organic,” she says. “I wanted to bring something to the market that not only athletes can eat while out training but moms could throw in their kids’ lunches and people could have for a mid-day snack.

“I chose the best ingredients that will fuel the body for the long haul.“

Those organic ingredients include dates, sweet potato powder, Agave syrup, quinoa, cashews, almonds, bananas and dark chocolate. For those looking to eliminate or reduce sugar intake, there is natural sugar included.

“I am a big believer that food should be exquisite,” she says. “I love making food from scratch. I was always making bars for my husband, family and friends. I combined all my favorite ingredients and threw it on the dehydrator.”

Stacher says the recipe “just came to me.” But she needed time to make it just right — “Nothing good or easy comes fast. When you want to do something great you have to put your time and heart into it.” 

I tried out the bar and found that the end result does have the desired affect. After a recent six-mile run, I refueled using an Ally’s Bar. It was very easy to digest and transport — in fact, I could see taking these bars along during a long run or bike ride (not a swim though). That makes sense as the bars were tested during long bike rides, training runs, hiking adventures and other endurance feats.

The 250-calorie bars offer 38 grams of carbs, 4 grams of protein and 27 grams of sugar. Currently, the original flavor is available but there are plans for additional flavors in the future.

“This is a very new and exciting chapter in my life,” Stacher says. “I’m enjoying the journey and I hope to grow with my product.