From NC State to NASA: Wolfpack Founders Partner to Launch the Most Nutrient-Dense Meal Bar Ever Made

READYBAR Espresso Mocha Meal Bar

READYBAR & Complē Coffee - both from NC State University - combine space-proven meal engineering with whole-bean coffee tech in a first-of-its-kind partnership.

RALEIGH, NC, UNITED STATES, April 17, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- When Ryan Dowdy was engineering food for astronauts at NASA, he never imagined his next mission would be back at NC State. Now, his startup meal bar company READYBAR is partnering with fellow Wolfpack startup Complē Coffee to launch the READYBAR Espresso Mocha Bar - what may be the most nutrient-dense meal bar ever made.

Both companies were built on NC State University research, funded in part by the Chancellor's Innovation Fund, and founded by Wolfpack alumni. The partnership is being called a proof of concept for what the Triangle's innovation ecosystem can produce when its alumni networks and technology transfer programs work in concert.

TWO COMPANIES, ONE MISSION

Dowdy, a food scientist who spent years at NASA developing nutrition systems for deep space missions, founded READYBAR with a straightforward premise: build a bar that works like a real meal. After leaving NASA, he found the technology highly applicable: 125 million Americans reach for protein bars to replace a meal when those bars were only designed to be snacks. READYBAR launched with an NPR article in 2025 and earned a loyal following for its low sugar and high nutrient density.

Gary Cartwright and Carl Hollifield co-founded Complē Coffee after their team at NC State developed a way to convert the entire roasted coffee bean - not just the extract - into a stable, clean-label ingredient. Traditional coffee processing discards the oils, fiber, and polyphenols that give coffee its depth and health benefits. Complē Coffee keeps all of it.

When founders connected through the NC State network, the fit was immediate.

"READYBAR is exactly the type of partner we built this ingredient system for," said Cartwright. "They're mission-driven, science-led, and solving real needs for Americans. Bringing our total-bean coffee technology into a performance bar is a perfect match."

WHAT MAKES IT DIFFERENT

The READYBAR Espresso Mocha Bar is the first meal bar to use whole-bean coffee technology as a core ingredient. Where most caffeinated bars use commodity caffeine or standard coffee extract - both of which lose aroma, fiber, and beneficial compounds in processing - READYBAR uses Complē Coffee's ingredient to deliver 2-cups-worth of caffeine, full-bean flavor, enhanced fiber, and natural polyphenols alongside a nutritionally complete breakfast.

The bar is stomach-friendly and shelf-stable for two years - built to the same performance standards that make READYBAR a go-to for busy professionals in high-demand environments.

"NC State teaches us to Think and Do," said Dowdy. "This collaboration is exactly that. Applying science to build better fuel for people who need it most."

A WIN FOR THE TRIANGLE

The launch is a tangible return on NC State's investment in student and alumni entrepreneurship. Both companies were founded by NC State alumni and employ Wolfpack graduates. Complē Coffee built their foundational technology inside an NC State lab with support from the Chancellor's Innovation Fund - a program designed to move campus-born research from the lab to the market.

For the Triangle's growing food tech and life sciences ecosystem, the partnership signals that NC State-born startups are maturing into companies capable of meaningful commercial collaboration.

WHERE TO BUY

READYBAR’s Espresso Mocha Bar is available only at getREADYBAR.com.

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ABOUT READYBAR

READYBAR is a ready-to-eat meal replacement bar engineered by NASA scientist Ryan Dowdy, PhD to deliver twice the nutrition and half the sugar of a regular protein bar. READYBAR is the only meal bar formulated to follow the USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Learn more at getREADYBAR.com.

ABOUT Complē Coffee

Complē Coffee converts the entire roasted coffee bean into a functional flavor and ingredient platform that preserves aroma, polyphenols, fiber, and oil content lost in traditional extraction. Designed for clean-label products across RTD beverages, sports nutrition, dairy, and performance foods, Complē Coffee's technology is built on NC State research in food science and flavor chemistry. Learn more at complecoffee.com.

Ryan Dowdy
READYBAR
ryan@getreadybar.com
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