Kate's Real Food

Kate's Real Food makes organic energy bars with roots in the Jackson Hole ski and outdoor community. Founder Kate Schade started making the original Tram Bar for friends on the mountain, then built the company into a national snack brand without losing the point: portable food made from recognizable ingredients, not a chemistry set in bar form.

The ownership record is more complicated than a cottage brand, but still checks out. Kate's own team page names Kate Schade as founder and co-owner and Bruce Thaler as CEO and co-owner. The Bedford County Development Association profile refers to Schade and Thaler as co-owners, and the company's legal terms identify Tram Bar LLC as the operator of Kate's Real Food. Baking Business also describes The Organic Snack Company, Kate's exclusive Pennsylvania manufacturer, as privately held. We found no corporate parent, acquisition record, private-equity owner, or exclusion-list match.

The bars are made with organic ingredients like oats, nut butters, dried fruit, honey, seeds, and dark chocolate. Product lines include original energy bars, protein bars, and smaller snack bars. The brand lists USDA Organic, Certified Gluten-Free, Non-GMO Project Verified, and Kosher certifications, with soy-free formulas and several plant-based options.

One caveat: this is a scaled retail brand. You'll find Kate's in national stores, not just at a trailhead counter. That scale is not a problem by itself, but it makes ownership verification more important. The sources still point to named individual owners rather than a food conglomerate.

We list Kate's Real Food because the ingredient stance is clear, the founder story is specific, and the company gives shoppers a better outdoor snack option than the usual syrup-and-isolate bar aisle.

Products

• Organic energy bars
• Organic protein bars
• Mini snack bars
• Fruit, nut butter, chocolate, and seed-based bar flavors
• Subscription bundles and variety packs

Why We List Them

• Founded by Kate Schade in the Jackson Hole outdoor community
• Current ownership tied to named co-owners, not a corporate parent
• USDA Organic, Certified Gluten-Free, Non-GMO Project Verified, and Kosher signals
• Uses recognizable whole-food ingredients in portable snack bars
• No acquisition, private-equity owner, or exclusion-list match found