Energy bars a sweet seller for Nevada firm

Erick Studenicka

Friday, July 2, 1999 | 11:57 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- One wouldn't expect to see serious athletes eating food with the decadent sounding flavors of Cookies 'n Cream, Apple Cherry and Chocolate Chip Peanut Crunch.

But when it comes to Clif Bars -- the portable, cookie-like energy bars manufactured in Carson City -- it's becoming increasingly OK to be caught fueling up on the flavorful and nutritional bars whether you're hiking, cycling, running or just trying to survive another afternoon at work.

"Nutrition bars aren't supposed to taste that good," said Dan Kimm, a Clif Bar fan who favors the Carrot Cake flavor. "They're more like a cookie than a chewy bar."

New Life Bakery is the nation's sole manufacturer of Clif Bars. The all-natural product made from whole grains and fruit is currently the third-best selling product in the multi-million dollar energy bar market.

The popularity of the bars, combined with an ever-increasing demand for the bakery's other organic and natural goods, has helped New Life Bakery become one of Carson City's largest employers.

James Marson, the President of New Life who co-owns the bakery with siblings Dave and Kim, said Clif Bars were the original idea of Gary Erickson, a Bay Area cyclist who became disgruntled with the choice of energy bars on the market.

"(Gary) was tired of the other energy bars and was looking for a more natural product," James said. "He came to see us when we were in Hayward (Calif.) with some of his homemade bars, and since then we've been helping Clif Bars meet the demands of the industry. We started small, and now we're running truckloads of bars out of here each week."

The name "Clif Bar" originates from Erickson's father's first name (Clifford), whom Gary mentions on each Clif Bar wrapper as "my childhood hero and companion throughout the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range."

The history of New Life Bakery is just as interesting as the story behind the original Clif Bars. The bakery was begun in the late 1970s in South San Francisco by Richard and Iretta Marson. The name sprung from the fact the bakery business was a "new life" for the Marson family.

New Life Bakery relocated to Carson City in 1992 and began operation with 18 employees.

"The Bay Area was becoming too crowded and too hard to work within," Richard Marson said. "We wanted a place with more of a family atmosphere, where we could make a difference in the community."

The bakery now employs more than 200 people and boasts annual double-digit growth at its 100,000-square-foot facility.

"The demand is just going to increase for organic and natural foods in the near future, and we have the organizational strength to meet those demands," Marson said.