Meet the Menlo Park man churning out protein bars from his home kitchen

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

For Quota Foods founder Eric Shoemaker, indulgence can be a daily ritual.

Since December 2024, Shoemaker has been crafting collagen-based protein bars from his Menlo Park home kitchen with just a handful of ingredients and no additives. These bars not only provide a protein boost, but also taste like dessert.

A finance professional by trade, Shoemaker decided to take his creative outlet to the next level by starting Quota Foods. The brand was founded with the goal to create products that health-minded individuals can integrate into their wellness routines, without sacrificing flavor. Peninsula residents can find Quota Foods protein bars at The Willows Market in Menlo Park and Sigona’s in Redwood City and Stanford Shopping Center. Orders can also be placed online.

Five flavors of Quota Foods protein bars are currently available for purchase, ranging from $3.50 to $4.25 apiece. Varieties include a chewy chocolate hazelnut date bar, a chocolate peanut butter bar with puffed quinoa and a pistachio butter, tahini and shredded wheat bar meant to resemble a healthy Dubai-style dessert. 

With Quota Foods, Shoemaker hopes to cut through the noise of the current protein bar market. 

“Many protein bars have 20-plus ingredients and are ultra-processed, or they contain sugar alcohols and alternatives that aren’t easily digestible,” Shoemaker said. “All of my products contain real, simple ingredients that you can buy at a local supermarket.”

Each bar includes 10-12 grams of protein and comes in at 200 calories or less per serving. The bars are made of five ingredients or less and feature wholesome items such as organic dates, quinoa and homemade hazelnut butter. A hallmark ingredient across all bars is chocolate, and collagen peptides serve as the main protein source for each bar. Citing the ingredient’s benefits with joint, bone and skin health, Shoemaker honed in on collagen for personal reasons as well.

“I’m an elder millennial, and my friend group is in our ‘trying to stay young’ era,” Shoemaker said. “We’re always looking for ways to increase protein intake, and I wanted to see if collagen, which is also a great source of protein, can be incorporated into something that is a bit more grab-and-go.” 

This combination of simple, high-quality ingredients in dessert-like flavors have drawn loyal customers. 

“It’s a unicorn protein bar,” remarked customer Serena Bruckman, an entrepreneur and physical therapist based in Menlo Park. “Quota bars have been a godsend supplementing my kids’ and my own personal nutrition; I personally crave the bars instead of dessert.” 

Before landing on the current flavor offerings, Shoemaker went through an extensive research and development period to achieve the ideal macros, flavors and textures for the protein bars.

Shoemaker experimented with 100 recipes before going to market and tracked them in a spreadsheet to tweak iterations until achieving the desired result. While recipe testing, Shoemaker’s family, friends and neighbors served as taste testers and have now become customers. Seeing the creation process unfold in their home kitchen, Shoemaker’s wife, Jessica, attests to the health benefits and indulgent flavor of these bars.

“I now eat one for dessert every night, and I’m in the best shape of my life — the bar fits right into my lifestyle,” she said.

Since launching, demand for the product has grown organically, with Shoemaker occasionally hosting product sampling at markets where his bars are sold. Quota Foods fans can also follow the company’s Instagram page for product news and flavor announcements. As for the future, Shoemaker envisions the next step being to scale to stores nationwide, or even collaborate with larger brands to expand flavors and product formats.

The customer reception has been positive so far, Shoemaker said, with a number of regulars ordering bars from across the country. One of his local customers, Willow Ann Basta, even drove to his home to see if she could get a restock of bars when the nearest market sold out.

“I eat them before the gym, a test in school or anything where I need a bit of sustenance,” said Basta, who is based in Menlo Park. “They are seriously yummy and make me feel good – not hungry, not too full.”

As his business grows, Shoemaker continues to tweak his products to transform how people experience protein bars. 

“I want people to think of my bar not as a protein replacement, but as a craveable snack that can be eaten guilt-free,” Shoemaker said. “My products taste like dessert but don’t have that ‘I ate junk food’ effect on the body.”

Quota Foods, Instagram: @quotafoods. Available online or at The Willows Market in Menlo Park and Sigona’s in Palo Alto and Redwood City.

Dig into food news. Follow the Peninsula Foodist on Instagram and subscribe to the newsletter to get insights on the latest openings and closings, learn what the Foodist is excited about eating, read exclusive interviews and keep up on the trends affecting local restaurants.

Most Popular

13 highly anticipated Silicon Valley eatery openings in 2026December 29, 2025 11:31 am

Palo Alto tries to rein in Zuckerberg’s Crescent Park expansionDecember 31, 2025 8:00 am

Portola Valley Hardware Store brings the holiday spiritDecember 31, 2025 9:57 am