(PRESS RELEASE) EMERYVILLE, CA — Clif Bar & Company announced the launch of the Trailblazers Incubator, an in-house new ventures group built to deliver disruptive innovation and create sustainable business opportunities. Based in Clif Bar’s Emeryville, CA headquarters, the Trailblazers team of “intrapreneurs” is applying an agile start-up mindset to driving new growth strategies for Clif Bar. This includes expanding into new categories that align with the company’s Five Aspirations business model.
Overseen by Chief Innovation Officer, Rizal Hamdallah, and led by Incubator Senior Director, Greg Lok, the Trailblazers first venture is CLIF Pet, with the introduction of plant-based pet snacks. Slated for national launch in early 2022, CLIF Pet will start with three flavors of snacks for dogs with plans to build out the Pet portfolio in the near term.
“Just as Clif Bar was founded on disrupting the energy bar category nearly 30 years ago, the Trailblazers Incubator is built to consistently deliver our bold innovation agenda and accelerate our growth plan,” said Hamdallah. “In addition to a rapid, data-driven product development and go-to-market strategy, what makes our approach different is extending the loyalty of the CLIF brand. By introducing CLIF Pet, we will bring energy to the whole family.”
Clif Bar has set a bold goal to multiply its positive impact on the world by doubling the size of the company. The decision to enter the pet snacking category is supported by the dramatic increase in pet ownership coupled with the emerging demand for human-grade pet food. Today, as pets are considered part of the family more than ever before, the category represents a significant growth opportunity for Clif Bar.
“With more than 11 million U.S. households bringing a pet home during the last 18 months of COVID, the category is exploding and ripe for new offerings,” said Lok. “What makes this launch unique is the combination of speed and discipline to bring an innovative, relevant product to market during a global pandemic. We are truly blazing new trails by applying best practices from tech start-ups to our expertise in consumer insights and packaged goods – it’s a winning combination.”