Category Failure, Diagnosed
The snack aisle is a graveyard of sameness.
Overpriced protein bars that taste like cardboard. Sugary candy bars disguised as wellness. A handful of multinational giants controlling the shelves, the messaging, and the consumer's afternoon crash.
Lezlie Karls saw it differently.
Before founding Mid-Day Squares, Lezlie had already built MOON Rox, a fashion brand worn by Rihanna and Lady Gaga. Her husband, Nick Saltarelli, was a software entrepreneur. Her brother, Jake Karls, had built businesses in fitness and events.
None of them came from food.
That turned out to be their advantage.
They didn't see a saturated category.
They saw a gap:
Functional snack bars that actually tastes good.
After being rejected by major grocery buyers, the founders decided to bypass the gatekeepers altogether. They transformed their Montreal condo into a production facility, hand-rolling 60–80 snack bars a day and selling directly to consumers.
The question became simple:
What if customers decided instead of buyers?
The Backstory
Before Mid-Day Squares, Lezlie studied theatre in New York and worked in professional kitchens while exploring a culinary career.
Her first company launched from a library at Concordia University.
It eventually dressed celebrities including Rihanna and Lady Gaga.
Nick brought software expertise.
Jake brought storytelling.
Together, they combined product, technology, and community-building into something different.
The original problem was surprisingly personal.
Nick was reaching for unhealthy afternoon snacks.
Lezlie started making a healthier chocolate alternative at home.
The product worked.
The challenge was getting anyone to stock it.
When retailers said no, the founders leaned into transparency instead.
Rather than hiding the chaos of entrepreneurship, they documented it.
The wins.
The losses.
The breakdowns.
The uncertainty.
That decision would become one of Mid-Day Squares' greatest competitive advantages.
What She Built
Mid-Day Squares created a category that sits somewhere between a protein bar, a chocolate bar, and an afternoon snack.
Each square combines plant-based protein, fibre, healthy fats, and chocolate into a product designed to satisfy both nutrition and indulgence.
Today, the lineup includes:
- No Bread PB&J
- Fudge Yah
- Almond Crunch
- Peanut Butta
- Cookie Dough
- Brownie Batter
- Crunchy Peanut
But the real innovation wasn't the product.
It was the brand.
Mid-Day Squares turned entrepreneurship into entertainment.
The founders built a reality-show-style presence across social media, documenting everything from manufacturing issues to fundraising challenges and legal disputes.
As Jake Karls often says:
Show the good. Show the bad. Show the ugly.
Customers didn't just buy the product.
They followed the story.
Capital, Not Campaigns
Most startups spend heavily on marketing.
Mid-Day Squares invested in infrastructure.
Instead of celebrity campaigns, they focused on:
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Manufacturing.
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Community.
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Operations.
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Product development.
The company eventually raised more than $23 million, according to reporting from Forbes and Modern Retail.
Investors included:
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BFG Partners
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Selva Ventures
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New Fare Partners
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Harlo Capital
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Mike Fata
Additional support from Investissement Québec helped fund the company's Montreal manufacturing facility.
Today, that facility produces more than 100,000 bars per day, according to interviews given by the founders.
The founders also invested in something rarely discussed in startup culture:
Mental health.
The company works with psychologist Jim Gavin and expanded support through employee wellness initiatives, including partnerships with MindBeacon.
Industry Rebranded
Mid-Day Squares didn't just enter the category.
It changed how brands communicate.
When Hershey challenged the company's use of orange packaging, Mid-Day Squares turned the dispute into content.
The result:
A music video.
A marketing campaign.
And a viral moment.
Then came Costco.
After years of unsuccessful attempts to secure placement, the founders rallied their community.
Customers flooded Costco with requests.
The eventual launch reportedly broke Costco Roadshow sales records.
Then came cocoa inflation.
According to Forbes, soaring cocoa prices in 2024 threatened the economics of the entire category.
Instead of simply raising prices, the company launched its "No Bread PB&J" innovation.
As Jake Karls told Forbes:
"We had two options: raise prices or innovate."
They chose innovation, launching No Bread PB&J, a peanut butter and jelly snack designed to reduce reliance on cocoa.
They expanded Mid-Day Squares beyond chocolate into a broader afternoon-snacking category.
Today, Mid-Day Squares is sold in more than 10,000 retail locations across North America and has sold more than 55 million bars, according to company reporting.
Likely Next Chapter
Mid-Day Squares reported approximately $32 million in annual revenue and expects to reach approximately $45 million, according to interviews with the founders and industry coverage.
The long-term goal is much larger.
The company has openly discussed ambitions toward:
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$100 million in revenue.
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Expanded manufacturing capacity.
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New snack categories beyond chocolate.
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Continued North American retail expansion.
The business already operates in major retailers including Whole Foods, Target, Costco, Sprouts, Wegmans, and Provigo.
But the founders aren't trying to become another chocolate company.
They're trying to build a modern consumer brand people genuinely care about.
The BFT Take
Lezlie Karls didn't just build a chocolate bar.
She helped build a new blueprint for modern entrepreneurship.
One where transparency becomes strategy.
Where customers become advocates.
Where vulnerability becomes a competitive advantage.
Most brands try to look perfect.
Mid-Day Squares built loyalty by showing people the mess.
And in a world full of polished marketing, that might be the most disruptive thing of all.
She proved that being unfiltered isn't a liability. The chaos became the content. The chocolate became the proof.
That's not a chocolate company.
That's a movement.
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