by Ebony L. Morman

UnbelievaBuns founder Jerrod Adkins. Photo courtesy

When Charlottean Jerrod Adkins couldn’t find his version of an ideal healthy bun for a weekly cheat meal, which included a burger, he decided to create one. Fourteen years after the idea surfaced, the founder and CEO of Charlotte-based UnbelievaBuns brought his product to market. Now, the tasty, low-carb, and high-protein bread can be found in 1,200 restaurants and retail locations, purchased online, and at local markets.

Recently, Adkins participated as a vendor at Front Porch Sundays for the first time. His UnbelievaBuns sold out twice. “When we do events and we get out in front of people, they’re always amazed that this product exists and that it actually tastes really good or just like bread,” Adkins says. “This is the goal — if people were blindfolded and ate a burger or sandwich, they wouldn’t know the difference.”

Using different ingredients yet maintaining a similar identity and flavor as traditional hamburger buns was no easy feat. It took Adkins, who has no baking experience, six years to achieve success with the process because higher protein bread presented some challenges with texture and durability.

“It has more protein than beef, chicken, and pork and that really blows people’s minds,” Adkins says. “The other important aspect is sustainability. Most humans get their protein from animals. We’re currently using 59% of earth’s land to raise livestock for protein and protein consumption is on the rise.”

Each UnbelievaBuns bun contains 17 grams of protein, 7 grams of fiber, and 1.8 net carbs. Photo courtesy

UnbelievaBuns, which has 17 grams of protein, 7 grams of fiber, 1.8 net carbs, is the answer to Adkins’ question of how the world can be more sustainable as protein consumption continues to rise. For example, if someone uses four grams of protein for a sandwich on regular bread, the sandwich may have 31 grams of protein. Using UnbelievaBuns, the meat can be cut in half and the sandwich will still have the same amount of protein.

“As consumers, we have to get our protein from someplace else,” he says. “We can cut down on the amount of animals that we need to serve the protein needs of the world.”

The idea for UnbelievaBuns began when Adkins was in college. He became interested in bodybuilding after a lifetime interest in health and fitness. Healthy and clean eating were essential but each week, he’d indulge in a cheat burger. He was curious about how to make it healthier. Switching to lean beef was simple and the vegetable toppings were inherently healthy but there was still the problem of the bun. “I just couldn’t find a bun that was high in protein, low in carbs, and that didn’t have all the chemical preservatives that are in most of the supermarket brands these days.”

Years passed and the Atkins Diet (no relation), which restricts bread consumption, gained popularity. All the while, Adkins’ idea continued to fester until he decided he’d do something about it.

In 2012, he reached out to four bakers to no avail. The next year, he realized if he wanted it done, he’d have to do it himself. Six years later, he was comfortable with his test batches and sought contract manufacturing partnerships with two facilities (one in Atlanta and one in Charlotte), and launched UnbelievaBuns in late 2019. The first restaurant client was Legion Brewing in early 2020. Whole Foods, Publix, and Harris Teeter became clients the following year.

Adkins believes UnbelievaBuns, and similar products, are beneficial in today’s world.

“I think [UnbelievaBuns are] desperately needed,” he says. “Three-quarters of Americans are now either overweight or obese and the number one reason for that is the proliferation of refined carbs and sugar in our diets.”

Now that Adkins has solidified his base recipe, he plans to expand his line to flatbreads, pizza dough, pretzels, and loaves.

“You can’t tell people that they can’t have sandwiches, they can’t have bread, they can’t have burgers, because those are the things that we love to eat,” he says. “They’re convenient. So, we’ve got to find a way to make those things healthy and it really comes down to the bread.”