Vegan Skateboarder Creates First Plant-Based Energy Bar for Skaters

Lifelong skateboarder Johnny Lozano is on a mission to revolutionize the skate park diet. Disappointed by the junk food marketed to skaters and the lack of vegan options, he decided to fill the gap by creating Flatbar, the first whole food energy bar designed specifically by skateboarders, for skateboarders.

Lozano describes Flatbar as “a plant-based fruit, nut and seed bar to keep you grinding.” The bars come in three pun-intended flavors: Banana Berrial Flip, Goji Berry or Go Home, and Switch Mango Push. The ingredients were carefully chosen to ensure lasting energy needed to fuel hardcore “grinding” sessions. Further, the bars are portable and easy to grab-and-go. According to Lozano, the skater culture is not known for meal prep; even mixing up a shake is seen as precious time taken from the skate park.

When Lozano hit his mid-twenties, he noticed two things: one, he began to lack the stamina he once had as a teenager; and two, how heavily influenced skaters are to the big-brand marketing industry. He soon adopted a vegan diet and felt, “as agile and energized on [his] board as [he] did as a teenager.” However, he felt concern for the thousands of skaters who still consume junk food on the daily. He remarked, “Unfortunately, instead of providing skateboarders with real, nourishing foods, big-name companies often attempt to force-feed skaters highly artificial products with poor attempts to capitalize on what marketing teams consider to be ‘extreme’ or ‘counterculture.’”

Flatbar is Lozano’s revolt against the junk food marketing industry. It is also his tool to inform young skaters about plant-based fuel that will sustain them for the long-term, not just give them a two-hour sugar rush. Lozano quit his job as an attorney to work on scaling the product, and he is planning to launch a crowdfunding campaign by the end of April 2018.

Although not yet available on the consumer market, Lozano has high hopes for his emerging energy bar. He said, “Flatbar [will] not only be an excellent option to active vegans everywhere but will also help an entire generation of skateboarders circumvent the clutches of non-vegan junk food marketing.”

Veganism may not be as prevalent in the skating world as other sports, but there are a few notable vegan skateboarders. Ed Templeton and Kenny Anderson are just two of the growing number of skateboarders who have committed to the vegan lifestyle.

Image Credit: Flatbar.