CLIF
Introducing Sustainable Nutrition Guidelines
A few words from Kit Crawford and Gary Erickson, Co-Creators, Clif Bar & Company
As we approach Clif Bar’s 30th anniversary, we pause to celebrate everyone who has helped make it possible to run a different kind of company. Guided by our Five Aspirations, we’re all working together to create the kind of place we’d want to work, that makes the kind of food we’d like to eat, and that strives for a healthier, more sustainable world—the kind of world we’d like to pass on to our children—and, after 30 years, our grandchildren! Check out a few highlights from the past 30 years. (And if you're curious about our sustainability journey, hike along with us here.)
1990
The Epiphany
During a one-day, 175-mile bike ride. Gary realizes he can’t choke down one more bland energy bar. The idea for Clif Bar is born!
1992
After Gary spends a year mixing up recipes in his mom’s kitchen, CLIF BAR® debuts. The name honors Gary’s father, Clifford, who took him on Sierra adventures and encouraged him to follow his passions in life. By year’s end, the company sells 1 million bars.
1996
CLIF BAR debuts in Canada. Turns out lots of our northern neighbors are happy to fuel their outdoor adventures with CLIF energy bars.
1999
Women everywhere celebrate the launch of LUNA®, the first nutrition bar designed specifically for women.
2000
Clif is not for sale. Gary and Kit walk away from a $120 million offer, deciding to keep Clif Bar private and commit to running a “different kind of company.”
2001
Clifsters pledge to collectively “give” the equivalent of one full-time employee’s hours—2,080—to community service each year.
2002
Clif decides one bottom line is not enough—we’re now guided by Five Aspirations: Sustaining our People, Planet, Community, Brands, and Business.
2003
Start Global Cooling: Clif Bar’s climate action program takes off and partners with American Forests, which turns into a long-term commitment to plant 1 million trees. (Our “cooling” efforts increase over the years, to include Cool Commute (2006) and Cool Home (2008) incentives for employees.)
2004
Active kids need their own nutrition bar. And just like that, CLIF Kid Zbar® arrives
2007
Brilliant! People in the U.K. can finally buy CLIF BARs, our first foray beyond North America.
2008
Clif Bar founds In Good Company, a program that brings together employees from 50 like-minded businesses to volunteer in communities around the country.
2010
Employees are owners too. Kit and Gary keep sharing the love with an Employee Stock Owner Plan (ESOP) that gives employees 20% ownership of the business.
2015
Clif Bar spearheads a $10 million investment in organic agriculture research at public land-grant universities. This includes creation of the nation’s first endowed university chair in organic plant breeding, which goes to UW-Madison.
2016
We take on making our own bars and grow to 1,000 employees with the acquisition of our Indianapolis bakery and the building of our LEED-certified Twin Falls bakery from the ground up!
2020
Our bakery in Twin Falls, Idaho, achieves LEED Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council and becomes the world’s first LEED Zero Waste bakery.
2022
Mondelēz International reaches an agreement to purchase Clif Bar & Company.
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