Buff Bake business is bustling

Cousins Ashley and Brittany Boeckle grew up in Las Vegas, watching their fathers, who happened to be twin brothers, succeed in running a family business.

“We always wanted to do something together,” Ashley said. “And this combines our skills.”

The 26-year-old businesswomen followed in their fathers’ entrepreneurial footsteps by creating Buff Bake, a Costa Mesa-based company that sells protein-infused nut butters.

Since its launch last year, Buff Bake is now sold in more than 650 vitamin shops, carried in more than 500 retailers in the United States, has international distribution in Europe, the Gulf countries and the Philippines. Australia is next.

Buff Bake closed up to 40,000 jars of butter last month and boasts over 76,000 Instagram followers. The cousins were also featured on a Food Network reality show.

“She’s good at selling it, and I’m good at baking it,” Brittany said of the partnership. “It’s the best feeling in the world when things go smoothly.”

The concept started when Ashley, a fitness guru and bikini contest competitor, wanted a healthy snack that would help her stick to her rigid diet regimen without sacrificing her craving for something tasty.

She talked to Brittany, who at the time was starting her own cake pop company and suggested infusing muffins with protein-rich ingredients.

“Buffins” were born.

They began shipping the treats across the country but ran into stumbling blocks when they realized the expensive natural ingredients meant shorter shelf lives.

So they switched to making their own butter and hit on their big idea. Brittany went back to the food processor and threw in simple ingredients, like roasted almonds, natural whey protein, and chia and flax seed, among others, to make Snickerdoodle Almond Butter. She did the same for the Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter, this time adding dark chocolate and unsweetened cocoa.

The cousins took the two original flavors to farmers markets in Orange County and Los Angeles and asked shoppers for their opinions.

“It took a lot of trial and error to figure it out, but we like ours,” Ashley said.

So much so that they added five additional flavors, including Cookie Almond Butter and Red Velvet Peanut Butter. The originals, they said, remain the most popular.

The butters cost $10.99 to $13.99, and the company also sells 10-pack pouches for $17.99. Because the blends are without preservatives, the butters expire after a year. Each flavor contains 11 grams of protein per serving.

And to show their favorite ways in using the spreads, the two post images and recipes on Instagram, featuring the various butters used in yogurt bowls, banana sandwiches, smoothies and pancakes.

With shelf space in Whole Foods Market, Vitamin Shoppe and GNC, the Buff Bake founders said they would like to expand their product line. They are in the process of creating a line of protein bars, cookies and brownies, and plan to soon introduce their first seasonal flavor, Pumpkin Spice.

The company’s success, the cousins said, is attributed to the communication skills that come with a family dynamic. They are transparent and can voice opinions without restriction, they explained. And sharing an office space forces constant communication.

“If someone tells us no, we keep pushing,” Ashley said. “We’re pretty persistent.”

For more information, visit buffbake.com.