People want "buffalo candy"

Tanka Bar maker scrambles to meet soaring demand

Healthful snack debuted at Black Hills Pow WowNative American Natural Foods, based in Kyle, launched its first nutritional product, the Tanka Bar, in October. Demand for the product has been phenomenal, and the company has been scrambling to supply enough Tanka Bars to meet that surging demand.

The Tanka Bar is an energy bar made of dried bison meat and dried cranberries. It's based on a traditional Native American staple called wasna. It's healthy, natural, high in protein and low in carbohydrates. Yet it has a sweet taste and a soft texture that is nothing like the beef-jerky toughness that most people associate with dried meat.

And people just can't get enough of it. "The kids here have renamed it 'buffalo candy,'" said Mark Tilsen, president of Native American Natural Foods.