2019 Clif Bar & Company Annual Report
INSIDE:
ENERGY FOR ANY MOMENT
FEATURING:
Making Life Sweeter and More Livable for Organic Cacao Farmers Idaho’s Pollinator-Friendly Solar Farm
ALSO:
Bringing Positive Energy to the World of Coffee
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BUSINESS E PL EO • P
WELCOME
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IT N • B U RANDS • COMM
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to the 2019 All Aspirations Annual Report. We measure our success based on 5 bottom lines – sustaining our Business, People, Planet, Brands, and Community. In the following pages you’ll see how they come to life in our familyand employee-owned company.
Gary Erickson & Kit Crawford, Founder and Owners | Elysa Hammond & Thao Pham, Co-editors | Mija Riedel, Managing Editor John Marin, Senior Creative Director | Bill Ribar/Formative, Design | Sandy Biagi, Print Management Parker Alec Cross, Jared Lauritsen, Shawn Linehan, Nancy Wright, Contributing Photographers Special thanks to our contributors: Gregg Bagni, Efrain Barragan, Val Bisharat, Rich Boragno, Amanda Cardosi, Deven Clemens, Mike Cobb, Cassie Cyphers, Liza Darnell, Dai Deh, Matthew Dillon, Ruth Dimmick, Rada Dogandjieva, Brooke Donberg, Linzi Gay, Suzy Starke German, Marjorie Goux, Brent Gravlee, Becca Hart, Garett Heitman, Erich Hermes, Tonya Iles, Bob Jenkins, Jenn Kao, Kristin Kohl, Rebecca Leary, Taylor Lee, Carolina Leonhardt, Casey Lewis, Cristen Lunt, Ritu Mathur, Ian McNemar, Esper Nepomuceno-Wong, Amy Norris, Lisa Novak, Trina Oberlander, Sandy Pfaff, Monica Pomeranz, Khorshid Rahmaninejad, Annie Reid, Sarah Richmond, Cristina Rivera, Ella Rosenbloom, Allen Rosenfeld, Jeb Sloan, Alfred Torres, Carrie Walle, Gina Won, Will Yandell. On the cover: Ashima Shiraishi in Grampians National Park, Australia. Ashima started climbing in New York City’s Central Park at age six and is now recognized as one of the best bouldering and sport climbers of all time. At 18, she holds two world records, as both the first female and the youngest person to climb a 5.15a. She’s also a five-time Youth National Champion and a Clif Bar & Company athlete since 2015.
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ENERGY
These words reflect a big part of Clif Bar’s DNA, both how we show up as a company and how we make our food. We created Clif Bar in 1990 to sustain cyclists and climbers looking for smart nutrition, stamina, and a convenient, delicious way to get both. Over the years we’ve expanded that vision. Now we’re celebrating world-class, Clif-sponsored athletes who will compete in the next Olympics, and young athletes like Ashima Shiraishi (on the cover) who redefine the world of sports. We celebrate women athletes who compete internationally, and advocate for equal pay for women, on and off the field. We’re proud that our foods sustain not only athletes, but all of us who need energy to carry us through the day and help us show up as our best selves on the field or on the road, in the office or at school. It takes sustained vision to run a different kind of company for nearly 30 years, and to use business to do good. Our focus is on innovating and improving the food system. We’ve implemented a living wage in our Idaho and Indiana bakeries, and launched a living income project for our cacao farmers in the Dominican Republic. We champion organic farmers, from those who grow oats in Canada to coffee in Colombia. We also fund grassroots nonprofits with transformative ideas, and sponsor organic research at U.S. universities because we understand research can change lives. Clif Bar is now the country’s #1 private funder in organic research. Bringing positive energy to 2020, we’ll continue building momentum to improve the lives of farmers and communities all along our supply chain. In honor of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, we’ll amp up our efforts to build the climate movement, and conserve and restore the natural resources we all depend on. We’ll expand on projects like the fiveacre solar array we launched this year in Idaho, which helps our Twin Falls bakery run on 100% renewable electricity and provides habitat for pollinators at risk. We’ll take our plans with the University of California to the next step, laying the groundwork for UC’s first-ever organic research center. Now more than ever, we’re committed to building a sustainable future – and still making time to get outside and do things we love with people we love in places we love. We hope to see you out there!
Kit and Gary, Owners and Founder, Clif Bar & Company
As this report goes to press, the COVID-19 crisis is unfolding. In response, Clif Bar is donating 6.6 million bars to help sustain healthcare workers on the front lines, first responders, and food banks. We’re grateful to our bakery teams in Twin Falls, Idaho, and Indianapolis, Indiana, who are doing the essential work to keep grocery shelves stocked and donations headed to people who need them most.
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A Different Kind of Company
#1 1.16 BILLION 1,200 #1 19 1% 159,340 $55.4 MILLION 17 90% 250,000+
NUTRITION BAR COMPANY POUNDS ORGANIC purchased since 2003 from 36 crop species EMPLOYEE OWNERS PRIVATE FUNDER IN ORGANIC RESEARCH IN U.S. COUNTRIES with Clif Bar on shelves OF NET SALES DONATED to support grassroots nonprofits HOURS COMMUNITY SERVICE since 2001 CASH DONATED TO DO GOOD since 2000 YEARS CLIMATE-NEUTRAL business operations WASTE DIVERSION from landfill at our bakeries TREES PLANTED to date
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Sustaining Our Business for the Long Term Does our Five Aspirations business model make a difference? “Absolutely it does,” says Erich H. in Clif’s finance department. “When customers trust your values, they’re more loyal, sustainable, long-term customers. Our food sustains our customers, but our values sustain our relationships and our business.”
Clif sourced 143,584,876 lbs. of organic in 2019.
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
That’s about 78% of our total ingredients for the year, which brings our final number to 1,160,493,180 pounds to date.
2002
OF TOTAL INGREDIENTS PURCHASED IN 2019 WERE ORGANIC OR CERTIFIED SUSTAINABLE
2006
81%
2005
OF CLIF FOOD IS MADE IN THE U.S. AND CANADA
2004
100%
2003
Points of Light named Clif Bar to its Civic 50, which “recognizes the 50 most community-minded companies in the nation each year.”
Our business has a bigger purpose than profit alone. Investing in all Five Aspirations means investing in a healthier, more resilient company with far-reaching, meaningful impacts. For example, we now purchase over a million pounds of organic ingredients every year because we know that organic improves life for farmers, farmworkers, and neighboring communities. Through programs like Cool Commute and Cool Home, we incentivize employees to purchase hybrid or electric cars, ride bikes, and make energy-efficient upgrades to their homes. We also set our wage floor at living wage standard at our owned and operated bakeries. Our Five Aspirations business model isn’t just a nice idea; our aspirations are written into our bylaws so they’ll be sustaining our company for the long term.
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One-of-a-Kind Indianapolis Bakery Supports Our People At our LEED-certified bakery in Northwest Indianapolis, Clif unveiled a $10 million expansion last fall that honors the people who make our food. We doubled our office space, opened it up, and made it more collaborative to promote the health and well-being of our employeeowners. The space is filled with art and design that celebrates the cultural diversity of our bakery, Clif’s love of nature and the outdoors, and the beauty of Indiana.
“ I’ve been in manufacturing my whole career, 30 years. I don’t think you would walk into another manufacturing facility anywhere in the country and find something like we’ve built here.”
NEW IN INDY • Fitness area, Lactation Room, Wellness Room, and outdoor patio benefit employee well-being • Light-filled break rooms bring nature indoors • Natural, local, and recycled materials throughout • 24,000 sq. ft. of biophilic space added to 185,000 sq. ft. bakery • Electric car-charging stations support Clif’s Cool Commute benefit, helping employees purchase electric and plug-in hybrid cars. (To date, Clif employees have purchased 734 electric + hybrid cars.)
Bob Jenkins, Maintenance Engineer
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Pollinator-Friendly Solar Farm Raises the Bar on Clean Energy Clif’s bakery in Twin Falls, Idaho, now generates clean, renewable energy from our two-megawatt onsite solar farm, the largest behind-the-meter array in the region. The five-acre system produces 3 million kilowatthours of electricity a year (enough to power 280 homes) and supplies 30% of the electricity needed for our 300,000 sq. ft. bakery – and on a sunny day, the system generates almost 100% of our bakery’s electricity! There’s more good news: we’ve integrated pollinator habitat, too, adding native plants under and around the solar panels. We expect even more companies will soon be getting a portion of their power from solar; by 2050, solar use around the country is expected to increase 20-fold. This gives us a once-in-a-generation opportunity to plant pollinator-friendly meadows (instead of gravel or turf grass). According to Rob Davis of the nonprofit Fresh Energy: “Pollinator-friendly solar projects like this one are critically important to inform best practices for renewable energy and our food system. Clif Bar’s decision to encourage solar with habitat sets a new standard for sustainable energy design. We need more companies, universities, and communities to follow suit.”
OUR FOOD DEPENDS ON OUR POLLINATORS Why combine native plants with a solar array? Low-impact solar design can be part of the solution to the pollinator crisis. Growing native plants under and around the panels of our solar farm provides critical habitat for pollinators that in turn help support local ecosystems and agriculture. Pollinators are essential to the food we eat and a healthy environment. More than three-quarters of the world’s food crops rely on pollinators.
5-ACRE SOLAR ARRAY WITH FLOWERING NATIVE PLANTS 7
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Bringing Positive Energy to the World of Coffee
SHADE-GROWN COFFEE IS FOR THE BIRDS
CLIF’s new Coffee Collection is made with fair trade, shade-grown, certified-organic coffee. We source it with Sustainable Harvest, whose Relationship Coffee model brings transparency, traceability, and partnership to the coffee supply chain, where inequities often run rampant. Relationship Coffee benefits not only farmers, but also roasters, importers, millers, and other stakeholders. Each bar contains 65mg of caffeine (think a shot of espresso) – a new take on Clif’s tradition of delivering positive energy that also benefits the 671 families of the Federación Campesina del Cauca co-op in Colombia who grow our coffee. More good energy: for every pound of beans, Clif also donates to World Coffee Research, a nonprofit that collaborates with local research organizations, governments, and NGOs to help coffee farmers globally grow coffee that’s resilient to pests, disease, and climate change.
Did you know that biodiverse, shadegrown coffee not only benefits farmers economically and environmentally, it also offers essential habitat for migrating birds? It’s just the opposite of sun coffee, which incentivizes clearing land, raises risks of erosion, and reduces the habitat available to birds, bats, and other wildlife (and requires more pesticides and fungicides).
CLIF goes coffee: dark chocolate mocha, vanilla almond latte, and caramel macchiato.
Clif sources coffee through Sustainable Harvest, a B Corp company that benefits over 200,000 farmers in Latin America and Africa, including the Federación Campesina del Cauca co-op in Colombia.
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Supporting National Parks Across the U.S. and Overseas For our annual CLIF CORPS Community Service Day, more than 350 Clif employees volunteered at 15 national parks, monuments, and historic sites across the U.S. and abroad. Why national parks? Our beloved parks are suffering from postponed infrastructure projects following multiple government shutdowns. As a company of people who loves the outdoors, we want to help keep our parks healthy and welcoming. On July 17th, we closed our California headquarters, satellite offices in Ohio, Arkansas, and Minnesota, and home offices across the country so we could all volunteer. Retail partners and Clif-sponsored athletes joined us to restore habitat, rebuild trails, clear trash from canal banks (by canoe), and even weatherproof an airplane hangar. We paddled, planted, and painted in 11 states from coast to coast and in Canada, Netherlands, and the U.K. And we got something back, too – a chance to support our public lands, working alongside other Clifsters, business partners, athletes, and park employees who we might not otherwise meet.
Clif Bar Gives Back
2019
TOTAL
Volunteer hours
21,924
159,340 since 2001
Cash donations
$6.4 million
$55.4 million since 2000
Product donations
$6.1 million $40 million since 2005
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GROWING
Tomorrow’s Food S
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d System Starts with the Heart We’re cultivating a healthy, just, sustainable food future by investing in groundbreaking organic research at public universities, developing environmentally friendly packaging, and innovating with farmers in their fields.
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CL IF ENDOWMENTS FUND
Real, Long-term Organic Innovation
The Clif Bar endowments at public universities allow researchers to think big and bold by providing stable funding in perpetuity – not for one year or five like many grants, but forever. Agriculture is a complex living system, and so innovation is often unpredictable and slow. Predictable funding allows researchers to focus on important issues like making nutritious and sustainable food more affordable and accessible for all.
Organic receives less than 1% of public funding for agricultural research.
Farmers today make use of research and innovations that were developed by our public universities over the past 40 to 50 years, and we as food companies and consumers benefit from that. None of us had to pay for it, but we can help pay it forward for future farmers and eaters. Clif Bar believes in investing in the future and in people who think outside the box, working on solutions to problems we haven’t yet imagined.
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Endowment for University of California Funding to Launch First-ever Organic Research Center This year Clif Bar expanded its role as the nation’s largest private funder of organic research, announcing a new endowment to the Agriculture and Natural Resource division of the University of California (UC). The milliondollar award, which includes a half-million-dollar match approved by UC President Napolitano, will fund an organic research director who will launch the California Organic Institute, the UC system’s first-ever center for organic research and education. California leads the nation in organic acreage and the production of a diverse array of organic crops, from nuts and fruits to vegetables, rice, and dairy.1 The state also leads the U.S. in the consumption of organic food2 and serves as the headquarters for some of the largest and most-beloved organic brands in the world. Unfortunately, funding for organic research has lagged far behind support for conventional agriculture, and organic yields continue to lag behind conventional ag for many crops. The creation of a research institute will provide an integrated center of knowledge and learning that improves the agronomic, ecological, and economic success of organic and transitioning farmers. The Institute’s work will increase the performance of organic farming; it will also improve stewardship of natural resources, the economic well-being of rural communities, and stability for the next generation of California farmers who face increased challenges from climate change, resource depletion, and organic imports. It will serve the almond, fig, raisin, and many other producers in California that Clif Bar relies on, as well as farmers outside our supply chain. We understand that research matters; it’s a vital tool to help California grow as a leader, providing farmers and the public with the many benefits that come with organic agriculture. 1 https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/is/pdfs/A_Look_at_California%27s_Organic_Agriculture_Production.pdf 2 www.businessinsider.com/10-states-consuming-most-of-organic-food-supply-2015-10 3 www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0065211317300676?via%3Dihub 4 https://www.google.com/amp/s/civileats.com/2017/09/11/new-study-shows-organic-farming-trapscarbon-in-soil-to-combat-climate-change/amp/
The first endowment, the Clif Bar and Organic Valley Chair in Plant Breeding for Organic Agriculture, was presented to Professor William F. Tracy at the University of WisconsinMadison in 2015.
What makes organic food and farming so good? • Less pesticide residues in food • Farmers, farmworkers, and rural communities exposed to fewer harmful pesticides • No synthetic fertilizers polluting water and soil • Organic farms are more profitable than conventional farms • Many more jobs created compared to conventional food production • Organic is more climate friendly than conventional3 • Soils on organic farms have greater potential for long-term carbon storage than conventional4
The second endowment, the Clif Bar & King Arthur Flour Endowed Chair in Organic Grain Breeding & Innovation, was awarded to Stephen Jones, Ph.D. at the Washington State University Bread Lab in 2018.
Endowments’ Legacy Pays It Forward Dr. Tessa Peters received her Ph.D. in 2018 for working on multiple methods for sweet corn variety development for organic systems. Tessa is now a scientist at The Land
Institute in Kansas working on the commercialization of the perennial grain Kernza. Dr. Ginny Moore received her Ph.D. in 2018. She worked on understanding mechanisms of natural resistance in sweet corn to the corn earworm (Helicoverpa zea), a major insect pest in organic cropping systems. Ginny is now a postdoctoral research scholar in the Department of Crop & Soil Sciences, North Carolina State University, developing cover crops.
Ms. Jamie Bugel received her master of science degree in 2019, working on breeding specialty vegetable corns for culinary purposes. Jamie is currently working for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Dr. Jared Zystro received his Ph.D. in 2019 working on combining genomic methods with classical breeding methods to develop new sweet corn cultivars for organic systems. Jared is now research & education assistant director for the Organic Seed Alliance.
Ms. Lexie Baker is a Ph.D. candidate in the Plant Breeding and Plant Genetics Program. Lexie is breeding culinary corns for organic production systems. She’s also working to produce high-quality certified-organic seed corn at a reasonable price. 13
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The Bittersweet Truth About Chocolate
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Five million smallholder farmers grow over 90% of the world’s cacao and many earn incomes well below the World Bank’s extreme poverty line of $1.90 per day. 1
Low incomes lead to rampant deforestation (2–3 million hectares from 1988 to 2008).2 The price for cacao decreased from over $3,000 to under $1,900 per ton between September 2016 and February 2017, resulting in income declines of 30–40%.3 Temperatures will increase by 3.8°F by 2050, forcing farmers to confront increasing instability.4 1,3 Fairtrade Foundation, “Craving a Change in Chocolate,” June 2019. 2 Alan Kroeger et al., “Eliminating Deforestation from the Cocoa Supply Chain,” The World Bank Group, March 2018. 4 Michon Scott, “Climate and Chocolate,” NOAA Climate.gov, February 10, 2016.
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Making Life Sweeter – and More Livable – for Organic Cacao Farmers
BY 2030
70% OF CLIF BAR’S ORGANIC CACAO FARMERS
WILL ACHIEVE A LIVING INCOME.
Why focus on cacao? Most of the world’s chocolate comes from cacao beans grown by small farmers who live in poverty. To afford a decent standard of living for their families, these selfemployed farmers would have to generate enough income to cover the production costs of a dependable, profitable farming operation along with basic household necessities. This minimum desirable level of income is known as a living income. Clif sources most of its organic cacao from farmers in the Dominican Republic (DR) and, a few years ago, we began researching what, exactly, they would need to earn a living income. Based on
the empirical research study we commissioned from Social Accountability International (SAI), an NGO that advances human rights, in 2019 the gross living income level was estimated to be US$13,288 for an average-sized DR cacao bean farming operation (about 13 acres). The actual gross income was estimated to be just US$5,263, or US$8,025 below a living income. This means gross income needs to be at least 152% higher to close the gap between the living income and the actual income. Our business depends on the long-term success of our cacao farmers; our cacao farmers need to run successful
businesses and have viable succession plans for the next generation. Given the compatibility of our goals, Clif partnered with farmers at the Juan Cruz de Guaranal Association to design and launch a multiyear, holistic Living Income Cacao program. To date, farmers have planted tens of thousands of high-quality cacao seedlings, 6,000 fruit seedlings, and dozens of supporting plants and trees for shade, soil fertility, biodiversity, and erosion control. Equally important, they’re participating in ongoing, on-farm training, and have access to financial support to renovate and expand their farms. There’s still work to be done, but we’re committed for the long term and a living income is now within reach.
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Clif’s Living Income Cacao Program by Altair Rodriguez, farmer As a Dominican human rights researcher turned cacao farmer, I’m thrilled to help Clif Bar understand – and transform – the reality of farmers producing cacao. Six years ago, I decided to devote my life to agroforestry and cacao, first by regenerating my family’s 100-year-old cacao farm, then by being part of Clif’s Living Income Cacao pilot program. The pilot began three years ago with a thorough assessment of the real income that cacao farmers make in the Dominican Republic, as well as the main challenges to reaching a living income. We found that over 80% of our cacao farmers are smallholder farmers living in poverty with little land (less than 5 hectares) and low yields. They rely solely on cacao as a source of income, in spite of it being part of an agroforestry system that can be diversified to increase income from other crops (like fruit trees and bananas). These challenges are magnified by fluctuating cacao prices and climate change impact. Cacao experts understand these complex challenges, and many farmers in other cacao-growing countries face similar realities.
Up until this point, no one had calculated the real income our farmers should make to live with dignity. Clif commissioned an empirical analysis from Social Accountability International and I was impressed with the resulting True Cost model [see sidebar], which addresses, as a whole, the main factors driving low-income levels. So what makes this pilot unique? • It’s a 14-month, on-farm training program that covers all the main topics for optimal farm management; there’s also ongoing, on-farm support from cacao experts. • The project doesn’t focus only on cacao (as most training programs do), but on the overall agroforestry system, which allows farmers to understand the ecological importance of soil, other plants, and insects. • Participating farmers receive financial support to renovate and diversify their farms, and loans are available for farmers needing to increase their landholdings. There’s also crop insurance for income loss due to the 2019 drought. continued on next page
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The True Cost model uses internationally recognized standards for nutritious diets and safe housing instead of current spending, which may not provide a decent standard of living. It also estimates farmers’ current net income by adding the costs of building and maintaining an economically sustainable farm, even though farmers currently cannot afford all those investments. This True Cost model was validated by Richard Anker and Martha Anker, acknowledged experts in the field. This approach means that the gap is larger between current and living income – and makes Clif Bar’s work more challenging – but it’s essential to determining what farmers need for longterm success.
Altair Rodriguez is a Dominican human rights researcher turned cacao farmer who is working to regenerate her family’s 100-year-old cacao farm.
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Living Income Cacao Program (continued)
Overall, our farmers had never experienced such committed and substantial support as this pilot has provided; the project has transformed the way they understand and manage their farms: • Farmers are renovating and diversifying their farms, and looking to double and even triple their income. • Farmers have learned to prune, to graft (to improve the genetic quality of their cacao trees), and to harvest with proper standards.
• For the first time, they’re making and using compost and planting contour hedgerows to improve soil (and make farms more resilient).
However, the pilot program isn’t without challenges. Almost 50% of the 30,000 seedlings we provided died due to a prolonged drought. Farmers are now replanting, and understanding just how important soil improvement strategies are in the face of climate instability. At the same time, two years into the Living Income Cacao pilot, we’re seeing the power of farmers work together to create positive economic and environmental change, and the power of a long-term commitment to keep our shared goals on track.
• They’re keeping production records and managing their farms as businesses. • Most importantly, farmers are working together and becoming experts in managing their agroforestry systems. Some can now actually begin to teach other farmers. As a result, we’re developing a “train the trainer” phase of the project so exceptional farmers can provide on-farm support to others.
Dominican Republic
Partnering with Dominican Farmers to Close the Living Income Gap
E Q UATO R
CACAO BELT
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
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Identified DR for living income focus (DR is the #1 source of Clif Bar organic cacao)
Commissioned SAI to conduct empirical research
Developed and applied methodology and measured cacao living income gap
Designed the pilot program; identified in-country partners
Began pilot implementation
Assessing learnings from pilot implementation, year two
Over three years, Clif’s Senior VP of Community, Thao P., spent 45 days in the Dominican Republic to learn firsthand about organic cacao from local farmers.
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WE’RE COMMIT TED:
100% of our packaging will be reusable, recyclable, or compostable by 2025. 92090 CBAA2019_R3.indd 19
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REAL INGREDIENTS, REAL FOOD
Clif Bar has been making plant-forward food since we started out in 1992. We make 18 different product lines; 15 are certified organic or “Made with organic.� Our recipes are built around wholesome, energizing, organic ingredients. Clif foods are backed by the latest research and created with years of nutrition expertise.
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For more than 20 years, Clif has prioritized organic, plant-based ingredients and sustainablesourcing standards. Whether we’re making a snack or a performance bar, our recipes are built on ingredients that nourish our bodies and respect the planet.
ENERGY The CLIF Cold Shot Challenge celebrates the surfers and photographers who brave winter weather and freezing water temperatures, typically when waves are at their best, to capture what East Coast surfing is all about. The third annual contest featured over 200 photographers from Maine to North Carolina, multiple awards for photographers and participating surfers, $9,000 in prize money, and nearly 1,000 entries. Here’s to everyone who sustains the love of surfing through sleet and snow! Photographer Chris St. Lawrence won third place for his photo of surfer Kyle Latch.
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MEET CLIF BAR & COMPANY ATHLETES In 2020 we’re rolling out limited-edition packaging that celebrates a few awe-inspiring, Clif-sponsored athletes who are redefining the world of sports.
Clif athlete John John Florence is making history as one of two men representing the U.S. when surfing debuts as an Olympic sport.
John John’s favorite flavor.
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“ When I was growing up, my mom was into healthy eating, so instead of sweets our family would always reach for something nutritious like an apple. As a professional athlete, I’m even more conscious of what I put into my body today. With my crazy schedule, having a CLIF Bar makes it easy for me to get the right mix of protein, fat, and carbs to keep my energy levels high before practice or a game. And with all of the traveling I do, especially long international trips, it’s great that I can just bring a few bars along. Plus, they're satisfying enough to stop me from reaching for the bad stuff instead.” VENUS WILLIAMS 23 Grand Slam titles in singles and doubles
Venus Williams has won four Olympic gold medals, five Wimbledon championships, and 23 Grand Slam titles, and is also an equal pay advocate and philanthropist. We’re proud that she’s also a Clif Bar & Company sponsored athlete.
“ I grew up on the North Shore of Oahu and started skateboarding when I was 12, after they built the Banzai Skate Park. Right away I fell in love with it and always wanted to be skating. One of the best parts about skating is getting to travel the world on my little wooden toy, but at the same time it does come with its challenges. It’s comforting to know that wherever I am in the world, I can always bring a tasty CLIF Bar with me to help sustain my energy and allow me to skate at my best!” JORDYN BARRATT
Jordyn Barratt is a member of the 2019 inaugural USA Skateboarding National Team and a Clif Bar & Company sponsored athlete.
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SUSTAINED COMMITMENT TO WOMEN’S EQUALITY For more than two decades, LUNA has stood up with world-class athletes, filmmakers, artists, activists, and business leaders to support women’s equality. So when the U.S. Women’s National Team spoke up in 2019 to demand equality in sports, they caught our attention. As part of our Someday Is Now campaign, LUNA decided to back the team and their message. On Equal Pay Day, we paid each of the 23 women named to the World Cup Team an additional $31,250, which made their roster bonuses equal to the men’s.
We’ve been demanding women’s equality since we baked our first LUNA Bar in 1999. Our long-running, traveling film festival, LUNAFEST, promotes women’s stories and perspectives through films by and about women. To date, LUNAFEST has featured over 160 filmmakers, hosted over 2,000 screenings, raised $5.2 million, and donated 100% to charity. In addition, LUNAFEST supports Chicken & Egg Pictures, which provides mentorship and financial support to women filmmakers. We’re honored to celebrate women who live with courage and passion as we strive collectively for a more equitable and sustainable world.
Our new speaker series, LUNA Voices, gives center stage to women who take a stand on the front lines of change. This year we were honored to welcome leaders like Betty Reid Soskin (right, with Clif’s Annie R.) to Clif’s HQ. Soskin, the country’s oldest National Park ranger, serves at the Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historic Park in nearby Richmond, and she inspired everyone with stories of her work as a lifelong activist, advocate, musical artist, and educator fighting for equality.
In November the legendary Gloria Steinem (left) appeared on the Clif stage in conversation with celebrated athlete and activist Megan Rapinoe. And the following month we were honored to close out the LUNA Voices year with powerhouse Venus Williams.
A LEVEL PLAYING FIELD AT HOME We believe in walking the walk: women hold 56% of Clif’s senior leadership positions.
Through our food and our actions, LUNA is committed to inspiring and supporting women everywhere. Look for our limited-edition bars celebrating the U.S. Women’s National Team. 27
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Crafting Food and Wine with the Earth in Mind
Clif Family Farm has always been organic, and this year we’re excited to announce that we transitioned over a dozen of our preserves – including Persimmon Butter, Pluot Lavender, and Meyer Lemon Marmalade – to USDA certified organic. And friends near and far are going a little nuts over our Organic Maple Curried Cashews & Peanuts and other newly certified organic nut mixes.
At Clif Family, our mission is to craft unique, regional wine and foods using practices that care for the earth; to support growers who use sustainable, organic farming methods; and to contribute to a more vibrant and healthy food community. • All 90 acres owned by Clif Family Farm and Winery are not only certified organic, but also certified by Napa Green, a “soil-to-bottle” sustainability program designed to protect and restore the Napa River watershed. •
100% of the grapes that go into Clif Family wines come from farms within Napa County and our two neighboring counties, Sonoma and Mendocino.
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90% of the organic produce served at our Bruschetteria food truck comes from our Clif Family Farm just 10 miles away.
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12,000 pounds of food waste from our food truck was composted back to the land.
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40 employees pulled 285 pounds of waste from the Napa River (200 lbs. of trash, 50 lbs. of recycling, and 35 lbs. of compost) on our first annual all-company community service day.
• We now sell Solar Grown™ Honey! It’s produced from beehives tucked around solar arrays, which are interplanted with native flowering plants that provide food for honey bees and other at-risk pollinators.
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Wait a minute...has it really been nine years since White Road Investments started out with our mission to help like-minded businesses grow without having to sell out their values?
White Road Investments’
Milk Stork Among Most Innovative Companies We feel pretty good about how much “goodness” has been spread over these years, and here’s an update on some of the positive impact our partners are making: In 2019, Milk Stork was named to Fast Company’s list of most innovative companies in the travel category for helping nursing moms get their breast milk home from anywhere in the world. This honor is especially close to home since Milk Stork was founded by former Clif Bar employee, Kate Torgersen. And speaking of home and everywhere, our Rumpl blankie buddies are creating a cleaner, cozier world with their new collection of recycled “blankets for everywhere.” Each blanket uses 50+ plastic bottles that would otherwise go to landfills and, in 2019, they recycled over 3 million plastic bottles and made the commitment to being carbon neutral by Earth Day 2020. And there’s even more nourishing news! Our friends at Om grow a range of organic, mushroom-powered superfoods to support wellness and sports performance and recovery. Pet lovers at The Honest Kitchen are spreading food love to our four-legged friends with quality pet food. Their Clusters are 100% human-grade dry food made with whole foods and to loving specifications that maintain nutrients. Bon appétit…or in the words of our furry pals, woof woof!
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PLANT 1 MILLION TREES
In partnership with American Forests, Clif Bar & Company has committed to planting 1 million trees across North America by 2025. Forests are essential to people’s health and the health of the planet, but they’re being lost with alarming speed due to drought, wildfire, disease, and climate change. Healthy forests clean our air, restore watersheds, provide critical wildlife habitat, create millions of jobs, and improve people’s well-being.1 And forests sequester almost 15% of our annual carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels, which means that every time we plant a tree, we’re planting a climate solution!2
Helping to restore wildlife habitat by protecting new saplings with tubes.
Trees for Every Part of Every City: Growing Tree Equity™ We’re excited to support American Forests’ Tree Equity program. In most cities across America, - SINCE 1875 the abundance of trees varies radically along economic lines. Low-income neighborhoods often have a fraction of the leafy canopies found in more affluent areas. This lack of trees impacts community health and well-being. Because urban trees clean the air, help reduce flood risk, increase property values, and provide welcoming places to gather, they’re vital to healthy communities.
AMERICAN FORESTS
Far left: Clif employees joined Oakland community members, American Forests, local partner Urban Releaf, and attendees of the VERGE Conference in replacing concrete with trees. Left: Sneak peek into 2020! Sales of every Clif seasonal flavor will support American Forests.
1 https://usaforests.org/ 2 https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/inventory-us-greenhouse-gas-emissions-and-sinks-1990-2017
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FA M I F I
O
FO
U
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LY
CL
SINCE INCEPTION IN 2006
N D ATI
HAS AWARDED MORE THAN
3,500 grants TOTALING
$35 million TO
1,150 trailblazing nonprofits 92090 CBAA2019_R3.indd 31
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What Goes into a Clif Bar? Family- and employee-owned Living wage at Clif bakeries
Climate-neutral business operations
Commitment to sustainable packaging
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Plant-based food
Living income project for organic cacao farmers
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MA
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TH 10 I W 0 %
D
100% renewable electricity
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P
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• S
Organic ingredients (of course, no GMOs!)
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IVE E
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Zero-waste bakeries
Community service
Investing in organic research 1% of net sales donated to doing good
Distributed by Clif Bar & Company • Emeryville, CA 94608 U.S.A. • 1-800-CLIFBAR M-F 8-5 PST • clifbar.com © 2020 Clif Bar & Company. Trademarks and registered trademarks are owned by Clif Bar & Company, or used with permission. All other trademarks and/or names are the property of their respective owners and are used for historical reference only. CBC19_1845
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