Ever bite into an energy bar while out hiking? Ever reach for a CLIF bar in particular? These delicious natural yummy energy bars were the stake hold of founder, Gary. Evidentially, sometime in the early 90’s Gary was out on a 175 mile bike ride one day and bit into “another” energy bar and thought “I could make a better bar than this.”
This moment is what Gary now refers to as “the epiphany”. The illusive CLIF bar originated after two years of dinking around in his mother’s kitchen with all sorts of ingredients. The name of the bar comes from his Dad, Clifford (not the big red dog). Clifford and Gary apparently trumped around in the Sierra Nevada Mountains when Gary was a youth. Gary also refers to his father, Clifford as his childhood hero.
CLIF bar has 5 aspirations. On the site they describe these as: “Sustaining our Planet”; declaring their desire to saving the planet even as the company grows bigger. The second is “Sustaining our Community”; by honoring one of the Ten Commandments (Love Thy Neighbor) they hope to be a good neighbor and give back to the community. The third aspiration is “Sustaining our People”; they seek to create a harmonious workplace for their employees even in a 9-5 situation. The last aspiration, “Sustaining our Brands” ties in with the idea that they aim to create a product that people actually need and would want to eat never compromising the quality of their product.
Much to the delight of your taste buds. For this holiday season of 2010, Gary and the company behind the popular CLIF bars released three brand new seasonal flavors: Cranberry Orange Nut Bread, Iced Gingerbread, and Spiced Pumpkin Pie. I recently spotted them at my local Whole Foods for only $1.19 a piece! That’s quite a bargain for an all natural energy bar or afternoon pick-me-up. Every CLIF bar contains at least 70% organic ingredients.
From a nutritional standpoint, you’ll be eating anywhere from 4-6 grams of fat per bar. Though the bars only contain (up to) 1.5 grams of saturated fat. All contain a decent 9 grams of belly filling protein. For those on a low carb diet or watching their carbohydrates, the count is anywhere between 43 and 45 grams depending on the bar.
When describing the Cranberry Orange Nut Bread energy bar, clifbar.com says “Crunchy walnuts add a nutty bite to this seasonal blend of cranberry and citrus flavors. Iced Gingerbread is my personal favorite and the one I reached for immediately when I saw them at Whole Foods. According to the site, “An indulgent spicy ginger treat for the holidays.” Spiced Pumpkin Pie is described as, “The goodness of pumpkin pie, wrapped up in an all-natural snack.”
With such delicious sounding names and descriptions, I would urge you to try all three!