EMERYVILLE, CALIF. — Clif Bar & Company is the latest food company to enter the pet market with its new brand, CLIF Pet™. The launch of CLIF Pet includes three plant-based jerky dog treats made with plant protein and limited ingredient lists.

The plant-based dog jerky line will be officially introduced in the United States in early 2022. The launch is the first venture for Clif Bar’s recently announced Trailblazers Incubator program, which aims to identify and build on disruptive, sustainable innovation opportunities.

The Trailblazers Incubator will be overseen by Rizal Hamdallah, chief innovation officer at Clif Bar, and led by Greg Lok, incubator senior director.

“Just as Clif Bar was founded on disrupting the energy bar category nearly 30 years ago, the Trailblazers Incubator is built to consistently deliver our bold innovation agenda and accelerate our growth plan,” Hamdallah said. “In addition to a rapid, data-driven product development and go-to-market strategy, what makes our approach different is extending the loyalty of the CLIF® brand. By introducing CLIF Pet, we will bring energy to the whole family.”

The initial launch will include three formulas: Sweet Potato & Blueberry Recipe, Pumpkin & Apple Recipe, and Butternut Squash & Cranberry Recipe. Each recipe is formulated with seven ingredients and promotes easy digestion, according to Clif Bar.

The company shared plans to add additional SKUs to its new dog snacks line “in the near term.” CLIF Pet products will be available direct-to-consumer through the company’s website, ClifBar.com, as well as in other channels.

“With more than 11 million US households bringing a pet home during the last 18 months of COVID, the category is exploding and ripe for new offerings,” Lok noted. “What makes this launch unique is the combination of speed and discipline to bring an innovative, relevant product to market during a global pandemic. We are truly blazing new trails by applying best practices from tech start-ups to our expertise in consumer insights and packaged goods – it’s a winning combination.”

Clif Bar made quick work of the development of CLIF Pet, finalizing the first three products within roughly six months, Hamdallah told Pet Food Processing.

“We are exploring any potential integration and will be utilizing our existing ingredient supply chain as much as we possibly can, while leveraging our manufacturing partner’s supply chain in some cases,” Hamdallah added.

With this launch, Clif Bar & Company joins several other traditionally human-food manufacturers in the lucrative pet arena.

Clif Bar & Company is a family- and employee-owned organic food company based in California. The company produces its flagship product, CLIF Bars, as well as CLIF Kid® and LUNA® snack brands.

Read more about new pet food and treat products.