KIND bars: Daniel Lubetzky. From peace in the Middle East to a $5 billion snack bar

How I Built This · 20 Apr 2026 · 1h 05m

What this episode covers

Daniel Lubetzky, founder of Kind, explains how his initial company PeaceWorks failed to sell gourmet spreads because consumers prioritized product quality over social missions, leading him to pivot. He details the creation of the KIND bar, focusing on the mechanical engineering challenges of preserving whole nuts and the industrial design of transparent packaging. Lubetzky also discusses critical business decisions, including the early, disastrous entry into Walmart due to lack of operational readiness and the strategic pivot to Starbucks sampling that drove massive growth.

Most relevant to

founders before launch, early-stage companies, companies scaling up and large enterprises

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Whole Foods, Walmart, Starbucks, Mars
Products
PeaceWorks, KIND, B Natural
Also
One Voice Movement

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