Hardware Podcasts

Clif Bar: Gary Erickson

How I Built This · 3 Oct 2016 · 27m

What this episode covers

Gary Erickson, founder of Clif Bar, explains how he developed the energy bar after becoming frustrated with the taste of Power Bars during a 175-mile bike ride. He collaborated with his mother to formulate a recipe using whole ingredients like oats and rice syrup, and worked with friend Doug Gilmore to design the iconic climbing packaging. Erickson details bootstrapping the business through small bakery runs and direct sales at bike events, eventually facing a major legal dispute with a distributor and a pivotal decision to reject a $120 million acquisition offer from Quaker Oats to maintain independence.

Most relevant to

founders before launch, early-stage companies and companies scaling up

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Quaker Oats, Cali's Sweets and Savories
Products
Clif Bar, Power Bar
Also
Doug Gilmore

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