One night in West Texas after a week-long trip of hiking and cycling through Big Bend National Park, three friends sat around a campfire and talked about launching an energy bar company; one that would be progressive and modern, while paying homage to indigenous beliefs about energy system at the same time.

Suddenly, a lightning storm lit up the Texas sky above the three young innovators. The cerebral and celestial sparks went flying. It was exactly the kind of mystical sign they needed to pursue their dream of creating an entirely new energy bar, and what they created is nothing short of electrifying.

In just over a year, the three energy-inspired Austinites, Taylor Collins, Katie Forrest and Amy McNair, went from making a few, fledgling prototype bars in a small South Austin kitchen to creating Thunderbird Energetica, a wildly popular line of raw, organic, vegan energy bars now available at local retailers all across the city—not to mention distributed in more than 20 Whole Foods locations in Texas.

How have they soared so high, so quickly?

Well, maybe it’s because the bars are meticulously handmade with raw ingredients that aren’t found anywhere else on the energy bar aisle. The choice to use powerful and organic sources of “human fuel," like sweet potatoes, Hawaiian black lava salt, hemp and chia seeds, dates and figs, was inspired by indigenous cultures throughout the globe—including owner Taylor Collins’ Native American heritage—and their dedicated beliefs in “real food.”

“We wanted to use real food in our bars and real food is simple. It has deep roots that can be traced back to human consumption over the past 10, 000 years,” Collins says. “Real food is something that your great-grandmother could identify as food. It’s fresh, whole, and comes from the earth."

And Thunderbird is more than just real food; it’s real food on a mission. There are three flavors in the line—Cashew Fig Carrot, Cacao Hemp Walnut and Cherry Walnut Crunch—and each has its own purpose, uniquely designed to nurture different aspects of a weary body and spirit.

For instance, Cashew Fig Carrot is an “energodesiac bar” (energy + aphrodisiac = energodesiac), loaded with stimulating ingredients like nutmeg and fresh dates, “designed equally for both champions and cosmic lovers.” If that doesn’t make you want to try one, I don’t know what will.

Thunderbird could also owe their success to an inspiringly altruistic philosophy: equal parts ancestral spirituality, modern-day ideas and community involvement.

Every aspect of their business is dedicated to giving back. They are the first energy bar company to use completely compostable wrappers (which decompose within three to five months, leaving no ecological trace of the atomic goodness that was once inside), and the owners are also extremely involved in the local Austin athletic community. They aim to use their success as an inspiration for others and a Thunderbird-sponsored cycling and triathlon team is set to launch next fall.

There’s no telling how far Thunderbird Energetica will go. Taylor, Katie and Amy have a heap of plans in the works, including a regional promotion throughout the Southwest this September. As long as they stick to their motto, “Feed others as you wish to be fed," they're set to keep flying high.

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To see the list of local Thunderbird retailers or to order a box online visit their website.