wasna

November 29, 2018 10:19 AM

Bison bars were supposed to restore Native communities and grass-based ranches. Then came Epic Provisions.

Tanka, a Native-owned business, invented the commercial bison bar. But Epic took credit, built an empire on a foundation of misleading claims, promised ranchers investment that never materialized, and left an industry struggling in its wake.

posted by poffin boffin (29 comments total)

[Epic] calls its office staff and customer base its “tribe.”

… the actual fuck?!
posted by scruss at 10:38 AM on November 29, 2018 [9 favorites]

This is a great and heartbreaking article. I've bought Epic bars from Trader Joe's and enjoyed them, but had no idea about the company behind them. I'll be searching out Tanka products from now on instead.
posted by vickyverky at 10:42 AM on November 29, 2018 [11 favorites]

Just the buffalo back on the grass where they came from.

This is a damn good worldview to strive for.
posted by lydhre at 10:48 AM on November 29, 2018 [6 favorites]

Tanka has a Return Fund that supports efforts to restore Bison to Native lands through grants to Native ranchers. You can buy their stuff at REI.
posted by crush at 10:54 AM on November 29, 2018 [7 favorites]

Totally fascinating article, thanks for posting, poffin boffin.

Definitely gonna give Tanka bars a try, too.
posted by soundguy99 at 10:56 AM on November 29, 2018

[Epic] calls its office staff and customer base its “tribe.”
… the actual fuck?

While this specific association is fraught, this is incredibly common. My wife works for giant French make up brand you've probably heard of, and all coworkers are referred to "your/our/my tribe" in the same way Starbucks calls their peeps "partners", and Disney calls themselves "cast members". Lots of companies use tribe. Then there is here (everyone's favorite fruit company!) where we are "Individual Contributors", which is boring. Beats Google and their "Googlers" though.
posted by sideshow at 11:12 AM on November 29, 2018 [1 favorite]

For the record, in addition to being actually owned and run by Native folks, Tanka bars taste fantastic.

AskMefi recommended them to me when I was pregnant and hungry and ready to rip people's heads from their bodies at 3pm every day, and they really, really hit the spot. I could happily eat entire piles of the cranberry-and-spicy-chile-and-bison flavor.
posted by joyceanmachine at 11:27 AM on November 29, 2018 [9 favorites]

When I tried Epic Bars, they mostly tasted like oxidized tallow.
posted by zamboni at 12:12 PM on November 29, 2018 [6 favorites]

I can't understand how white people ended up with so much power in this world when we fuck everything we touch up so very, very badly.
posted by jacquilynne at 12:18 PM on November 29, 2018 [13 favorites]

As I read every paragraph, I was hoping that it wasn't going to reveal that Tanka was a shitty company, 'cause their products taste great and a very cursory look at their business seems good. Instead, a company I've never heard of before today is a shitty company. Yay‽
posted by eotvos at 12:44 PM on November 29, 2018 [2 favorites]

Huh. Well that's a bummer about Epic, because I've had their products and liked them, and haven't ever seen Tanka's stuff.

Epic seems to have gotten their products into all the airport newstand/snack-shop places, where they seem to be rather popular. That's where I encountered them, anyway.

It looks like Tanka products are on Amazon (with Prime!); 12 for $30 or a variety pack of 6 for $20 for the ones that look similar to the Epic bison bars. Not cheap, but I guess good (meat based) food rarely is and probably shouldn't be.
posted by Kadin2048 at 12:56 PM on November 29, 2018 [2 favorites]

OMG, that is the perfect description of Epic bars! Although you left out the nasty mouthfeel.
posted by GenjiandProust at 12:57 PM on November 29, 2018 [1 favorite]

Power, like money, is a feedback loop. The more you have, the more you can easily acquire. You see the consequences as being fucked up. The large companies want you to understand this is just the way business is done. Justice and fairness have never been inherent parts of the way the civilized world has worked. We have been moving towards them since the Code of Hammurabi, but only in fits and starts, with a great deal of regular back-sliding and the occasional unjustifiable mass-slaughter.
posted by Ignorantsavage at 12:57 PM on November 29, 2018 [2 favorites]

When I tried Epic Bars, they mostly tasted like oxidized tallow.

Yeah. It’s pemmican. That’s what that is.
posted by Sys Rq at 1:16 PM on November 29, 2018 [4 favorites]

For the record, in addition to being actually owned and run by Native folks, Tanka bars taste fantastic.

yesssssss -- even if they weren't a better company (which they are) they are absolutely a better foodstuff.
posted by halation at 1:37 PM on November 29, 2018

Man, I like the Epic Chicken Sriracha bars. Always thought the bison bars tasted like underseasoned grease.

Guess, I'll go check out Tanka!
posted by drewbage1847 at 2:11 PM on November 29, 2018

It looks like Tanka products are on Amazon (with Prime!); 12 for $30 or a variety pack of 6 for $20

If you're in the US you can also buy them directly from Tanka and save a buck or two to boot ($28.80 for 12, or $17.97 for 3 'taster' two-packs to cover each variety. Or just check the store locator - I was surprised to find Sheetz listed alongside Whole Foods, local co-ops, & REI.

I was... less than impressed with the Epic bars that I tried, and now I know why.
posted by sysinfo at 4:00 PM on November 29, 2018 [2 favorites]

I was surprised to find Sheetz listed

Yeah, that's pretty cool - I went poking around online for local places to buy them and went "Whaaa?" when Sheetz got a ton of hits. (For those not in their area (which is Ohio, Pennsylvania, and some mid-atlantic states), Sheetz is a chain of gas stations (well, Wikipedia says convenience stores/coffee shops also, but I've never encountered one that isn't mostly a gas station), pretty large ones usually right off the highway with extensive snack choices and a made-to-order fast food restaurant. Far from the worst choice for road food if you're ever traveling in their territory.)
posted by soundguy99 at 4:36 PM on November 29, 2018

Thank you poffin boffin - I like this type of snack and now know there’s a better brand to support.

also sheetz and wawa are definitely the best east coast road stops - custom hot sandwiches!
posted by a halcyon day at 4:46 PM on November 29, 2018 [2 favorites]

I've bought a bunch of Epic's venison bars because they're the only jerky I could find that didn't have sweetener or fruit, but I didn't know about this. Thank you for posting. Fuck Epic. I'll experiment with Tanka bars and hopefully I'll be able to find one that'll work for me.
posted by cybercoitus interruptus at 5:25 PM on November 29, 2018

Then there is here (everyone's favorite fruit company!) where we are "Individual Contributors", which is boring. Beats Google and their "Googlers" though.

I'm quite partial to "Co-owners," myself. I would have…reservations, about working for a company that used "Tribe," even if its context didn't suggest egregious cultural appropriation. Too cultish, probably has poor boundaries and encourages martyrdom. Red flag.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 6:09 PM on November 29, 2018 [1 favorite]

I haven't had a non-disgusting Epic product. I had assumed they were just a triumph of branding and distribution.
posted by ejoey at 9:24 PM on November 29, 2018

It was interesting going into that article not knowing if Bison bar referred to a drinking establishment, or maybe something like a cattle guard.
posted by Mei's lost sandal at 10:21 PM on November 29, 2018 [2 favorites]

This is interesting, thank you for posting. I also tried an Epic bar once and found it unappetizing; the descriptions of the Tanka bars sound much better.
posted by Dip Flash at 6:04 AM on November 30, 2018

I'm disappointed to learn about Epic, but at least now I know not to send more money their way. I'll look for Tanka.

Another aside re: worker nomenclature. At the very large multi-national where I used to work, "individual contributor" was a reference to employees that didn't have any direct reports. With that company's obsession with leadership training, this was a bit of a negative remark and implied that the person was not a good manager. My current employer has a significant call center contingent, and those folks are generally referred to as "associates." We don't really have a catch-all term outside of that, and for that I am thankful. Co-owner doesn't work here, because the vast majority of employees don't own equity, and most other euphemisms for employees are irritating at best and cultish at worst.
posted by monju_bosatsu at 6:33 AM on November 30, 2018

When I tried Epic Bars, they mostly tasted like oxidized tallow.

Yeah. It’s pemmican. That’s what that is.

I'd like to believe that rancidity is not a defining characteristic of pemmican.
posted by zamboni at 8:01 AM on November 30, 2018 [3 favorites]

Nthing that Tanka is a waaaaay better product, and I'll make it a point to buy more from them now. I do prefer the Bites over the Bars, though.
posted by Ruki at 11:20 AM on November 30, 2018

Tanka sells online, yo.https://tanka-brand.myshopify.com
posted by blessedlyndie at 6:50 PM on November 30, 2018

Thanks, ordered some Tanka today!
posted by feersum endjinn at 1:29 PM on December 1, 2018