Brenden Schaefer, founder and chief executive of downtown-based Bright Foods, described himself as a “solo-preneur” when he began the research and development phase for the company, which produces plant-based nutrition bars using a high-pressure processing technique.

Solo-preneurship, Schaefer explained, is a handy euphemism for starting a business alone above one’s garage.

Schaefer had the idea for the bars in 2013 and engaged a raw foods chef to start developing a prototype while he was still working at PepsiCo Inc.’s venturing and emerging brands group, where he headed marketing for Naked Juice, Izze Sparkling Juice and O.N.E. Coconut Water.

The concept was an alternative to the wide range of dried, processed and packaged snack foods targeted to the health-conscious consumer. “I wanted to make food that I wanted to eat,” Schaefer said. The high-pressure processing gives the bars a three-month shelf life in the refrigerator, and they stay fresh for 24 hours outside the fridge.

Bright Foods’ leadership now includes co-founder and Chief Financial Officer Adam Razik, a former PepsiCo colleague. The bars are produced at a factory in East Los Angeles. The first prototype was a dehydrated bar containing fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds that Schaefer said proved impractical to manufacture. Then research led to creating bars with a more viable high-pressure processing technique that preserved the nutrients, fiber, juice and natural taste.

In April 2016, Whole Foods Market Inc. accepted the products for a test sale at five of its L.A. stores. “The bars I brought for the sales were packaged in Saran Wrap with stickers for labels,” Schaefer said.

In 2018, the bars appeared on the shelves of 13 Whole Foods stores in L.A. and San Diego. In March, Bright Bars was named the most innovative product and the top organic product at natural products show Expo West in Anaheim. In June, Bright Foods launched in Sprouts Farmers Market Inc. stores, and its products are now distributed in California, Arizona, Colorado and Texas, according to Schaefer.

“In five years, we want to be everywhere,” Schaefer said.

An avid cyclist, Schaefer has completed Fresno Cycling Club’s Climb to Kaiser, a grueling 155-mile ride with a 15,000-foot climb. He doesn’t have to change his persona to sync with the healthy lifestyle of his target market.

“The best description I can give is California-style,” he said of his business attire, which usually includes a button-down shirt, jeans and a Bright logo hat.

And for Schaefer, it’s less about a look than the story he has to tell. “I think the story has to be coherent with who the founder is,” he said. “You can pretty quickly pick up on the people who are mercenaries, who are doing something as a business … as opposed to something that’s creative and also a labor of love.”