In celebration of the company’s 20th anniversary, Clif Bar & Company Founder and Co-CEO Gary Erickson created GARY’s PANFORTE, a limited-edition CLIF® Bar full of fruits, nuts and spices that was inspired by his early cycling adventures over Northern Italy’s Passo di Gàvia. (Watch Erickson tell the story behind GARY’s PANFORTE at www.clifbar.com/adventures).
CLIF Bar, the original energy bar made with organic ingredients, was also born on a bike – in 1990 during a 175-mile ride in Northern California on which Erickson had “the epiphany” that he could make a better tasting energy bar. Two years later the first CLIF Bars hit the market and Clif Bar & Company was off and running.
Now, 20 years later, Erickson wanted to create GARY’s PANFORTE, embodying the flavors of a traditional Italian Panforte, which is full of fruits, nuts, spices and citrus notes, and has been a staple in Italy for hundreds of years. The bar delights taste buds with a flavorful blend of 23 ingredients, including many new to CLIF Bar but typical in Italian Panforte, including crunchy hazelnuts and pistachios, sweet figs and pears, citrus peel and hints of cinnamon, ginger and coriander.
“GARY’s PANFORTE is our way of acknowledging the people who have celebrated 20 years of adventures with us,” Erickson said. “I never could have imagined that an idea on a bike ride with a friend 20 years ago would take us on such an incredible journey. I am appreciative every single day of what we have created and want to thank all the people who have helped us along the way.”
Made with organic ingredients, GARY’s PANFORTE is nutritious, delicious and convenient – good for you and for the planet. It’s a good source of protein and fiber, which help the body digest carbohydrates slowly to deliver sustained energy. GARY’s PANFORTE will debut on store shelves nationwide beginning in June and remain available while supplies last (SRP: $1.39).
To add even more spice to its 20th anniversary, Clif Bar & Company also announced the “Share Your Epiphany” contest to celebrate the fans who have contributed so much to the company’s success. All fans are invited to share their own epiphanies, big and small, that have changed their lives for the better. Five grand prize winners will have $5,000 donated to a nonprofit of their choice by Clif Bar. In addition, all “Share Your Epiphany” contestants will be entered in a random drawing to become one of 20 winners of a month’s supply of CLIF Bars. “Share Your Epiphany” runs May 15 – June 11, 2012. Entries can be made online at www.clifbar.com/shareyourepiphany.
Editor’s Note: This Gary Panforte Limited Edition Clif Bar is more than a special event product. We had the opportunity to take four of these Gary Panforte Clif Bars on a backpack trip a few weeks ago. Most folks go to Clif Bars for the consistent good taste, nutrition, and natural ingredients.
After walking trail for hours with a significant pack load, once you do take time to rest, hydrate and eat, you can feel the energy return when get good nutrition into your body. The Gary Panforte Clif Bar does just that. Clif Bars are wholesome good food. We enjoyed the unique blend of spices, fruit, nuts, and good old nutrition this limited edition Clif Bar offered up. It might be worth your time to get a hold of a box of these Clif Bar’s and enjoy them regardless of your activity. Clif Bars are straightforward good nutrition whether you are on your feet or your feet are latched into the pedals for a sixty mile ride. They are compact, good tasting, and good for the kind of calorie burning energy we all need.
CLIF Bar is the market’s best-selling energy bar in grocery and natural food stores, according to The Nielsen Company and SPINS.