How did Clif Bar get started?
Clif Bar started vocationally: I was a cyclist, I raced bicycles, I owned a bakery, and I worked in the bike industry. And I wanted a better energy bar, for myself. I had an “epiphany ride” which got me started on the whole idea. I’d set out with a friend on a ride that ended up being 175 miles in a day, which I wasn’t expecting, and I’d only packed six energy bars (Powerbar at the time). At the 125 mile mark I needed to eat. I was at the top of Mount Hamilton and I was out of energy, but I just couldn’t stomach another bar. So I rode down the mountain twenty miles, stopped at a 7-11, and bought some powdered donuts. So Clif Bar really emerged out of this pain, as do many innovations.
