Clif Bar & Co. is entering the pet treat market. The company, which offers organic foods under its Clif, Clif Kids and Luna brands, launched the Trailblazers Incubator, an in-house ventures group built to deliver disruptive innovation and create sustainable business opportunities, company officials said.
Based in Clif Bar’s headquarters in Emeryville, California, the Trailblazers team of “intrapreneurs” is applying an agile start-up mindset to driving new growth strategies for Clif Bar, officials said. 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 goal to multiply its impact by doubling the size of the company. The decision to enter the pet snacking category is supported by the increase in pet ownership coupled with the emerging demand for human-grade pet food, officials said.
Today, as pets are considered part of the family more than ever, the category represents a significant growth opportunity for Clif Bar, officials added.
