Hello!

My name is Ellen Burns and my mission is to make my business, We Bar None, plastic free!

We Bar None is a Ballarat-based snack food business, and at the moment I am responsible for absolutely everything from design to manufacturing, packaging to sales.


I first had the idea to start We Bar None when I was living in Canada in 2013.

There were so many delicious healthy convenience foods in North America and I got a little jealous...where was all the good stuff back home??

I started playing around with recipes, researching nutrition, and taking the first steps to make my idea a reality...
I returned to Australia and in 2015 was accepted into the NEIS (New Enterprise Incentive Scheme) program.
We Bar None officially became my full time job and I haven't looked back!

Since then I have been building up the business.. gathering regular customers, building communities through local Farmer's markets and gaining more and more amazing stockists.


Business is going so well that it's getting a little difficult to keep up with hand making all the products myself!

Luckily, I have found an incredible family business right here in Ballarat who are able to take over the manufacturing of my bars. They are a business that grew from humble beginnings like my own, who value quality produce, and cater to allergy-sensitive products.

Entrusting them with the making of my bars will free up more time for me to produce my crackers and supply even more wonderful stockists. It also allows me to make some really exciting changes!

1. I will be altering my bar recipe slightly to include PEPITAS instead of sesame seeds.
Pepitas and sesame have similar nutritional content and are equally delicious, but sesame is quite a common allergen.
Hopefully the move away from sesame in my bars means that even more people can enjoy them!

2. I will now be heat treating my bars, which will mean an EXTENDED SHELF LIFE of about a year!
Heat treating simply means bringing the bars up to a high temperature for a matter of seconds. It doesn't cook the bars, and retains the nutritional value, but kills any bad bacteria and means that the bars will stay fresh for about 10 times longer. 

This means you can stash a few bars in your pantry, bag, or even your car, without worrying about them going bad.

3. This is the big one!

I am switching to HOME COMPOSTABLE PACKAGING!

I have hunted around and found the only supplier of fully home-compostable packaging in the whole of Australia.
This means that the wrapper can be thrown in your compost and will break down in a matter of weeks!
I love the idea of throwing my wrappers in with my veggie scraps, and the idea of being on a hike or bike ride and being able to just bury your snack wrapper, knowing it will safely biodegrade in the ground, is incredible.

I'm so excited about these developments and can't wait to relaunch We Bar None as an even bigger, better, greener business.

Your pledge will help me pay the set up costs and will mean that when the first batch is ready, I'll already have a list of orders to fill straight away.

Your support means so much to me and I can't wait for you to try the new and improved We Bar None.

Pledge now and help We Bar None bar plastic!

The initial amount that I am asking for will cover the once-off set up costs for the move to 

manufacturing and compostable packaging. This includes the:

 - Graphic design fee ($180)

 - Printing plate set up costs ($1,320 inc. GST)

 - Manufacturing deposit ($1,000)

 - Pozible campaign fee (5% or approx. $125)

This only includes the once-off costs and not the cost of actually making the packaging and bars.

If I achieve this initial goal, I will create a reach goal to cover the total costs of set up plus manufacturing.

The reach goal will consist of the above costs, plus the:
 - Cost of bar manufacturing ($8,803.20) 

This will pay for the minimum order of 4 flavours.
 - Cost of packaging ($3,920.40) 

This will give me enough packaging for 3 lots of bar manufacturing, and is much more cost effective 

than only buying enough for one or two lots.

 - Packaging Freight ($350)
The above campaign includes the costs for 4 flavours of bars.
I really want to move ahead with 6 flavours of bars, but this will cost another $7,000.
If you want more delicious flavours to choose from, share this campaign with your friends and make sure you pledge!!

I had a packaging rep tell me recently that the reason why biodegradable packaging is still a fledgling industry is that "only small businesses have a conscience".

This comment made me simultaneously super proud and super sad.

I am trying to do the right thing and run We Bar None with the same principles that I live my life with, but I am definitely a 'small' business. I am only one person and I don't have the reach or influence that I would sometimes like.

This is where you come in!

If you share my vision for a plastic-free food industry, for a world with less waste and processed crap and more accessible, quality, nutritious and DELICIOUS food, please help me out.

Pledge to this campaign and choose your well-deserved reward.
Share this campaign with your friends.
Talk about this campaign, and how we can reduce waste, with everyone you know.
Get the word out there and let's start the revolution!!