Entrepreneur and Chamber Ambassador Lauren Shrensky has launched her third business since joining the Chamber over a decade ago. 5280 Bars launched last month with an aggressive online marketing campaign.

5280 Bars’ concept started 18 months ago when industrial hemp became more mainstream. Industrial hemp means a plant of the genus Cannabis and any part of the plant, whether growing or not, containing a delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) concentration of no more than three-tenths of one percent (0.3%) on a dry weight basis.

Each 5280 Bar adds 25 milligrams of industrial hemp to Shrensky’s popular Bravo Bar recipe. “Someone came to me and asked if I could put them [hemp] in the bar,” said Shrensky. “I started to research and found there were no healthy edible alternatives. Most edibles are chocolate-based cookies and brownies or gummies. I saw a gap in the market and went for it.”

Entrepreneur: Lauren Shrensky, owner of 5280 Bars and Ambassador of the Glendale Chamber, credits the Chamber as a huge help with building three of her businesses from the ground up.

Shrensky worked with lawyers and started 5280 Nutritionals LLC ensuring the business was legal from the start. The fact that the name 5280 Bars was available was shocking to Shrensky. She wanted to emphasize this was a Colorado made product and when she found out the name was available, she jumped on it.

She knows of two other companies that have industrial hemp in nutritional bars but they are not in Colorado, more expensive, and not paleo certified. Certified Paleo is the Paleo Foundation’s most popular and highest-level certification for Paleo-compliant products. Certified Paleo products are products that contain Paleo ingredients but may have some 21st century processing or packaging methods allowing for shelf stability. “Becoming Paleo certified was huge for us,” said Shrensky. “[The] Paleo Foundation certified 5280 Bars as Paleo friendly and Paleo vegan. A huge step for us.”

What is the difference between a Bravo Bar and 5280 Bar? “The 25 milligrams of industrial hemp does change the game a bit for 5280 Bars,” said Shrensky. “It is a true nutritional supplement bar in the sense that is has some medicinal benefits to it that Bravo bars by itself doesn’t have.”

Now Available: 5280 Bars are available for purchase on their website, www.5280 bars.co. Each bar contains 25 milligrams of industrial hemp which has been known to have nutritional and medicinal value.

Shrensky, a longtime Chamber member owes much of her success to the Glendale Chamber and its members. “I’ve had three businesses in the last 10 years of being a member of the Chamber and through contacts within the Chamber, I built Bravo Bars using a ton of Chamber members with help with such things as marketing, branding, and logo design,” said Shrensky. “The Chamber has been a huge help in building all three of my businesses from the ground up.”

Visit their website at www.5280bars.co to learn more or to buy a box of 5280 Bars. A box is $72 for 12 bars which is less expensive than the competition. 5280 Bars are perfect to get the day started or as a mid-afternoon snack. Find them on Facebook @5280bars.