Q&A with Clif Bar

TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KLIX) –  As you probably already know (and if not, where have you been?), Clif Bar & Company is preparing to open a $90 million bakery in Twin Falls. The state-of-the-art facility, one of the company’s two owned and operated bakeries, will offer job opportunities and promises to be a good neighbor, including being friendly to the environment.

“We’re very excited about the talented team we have brought together to make CLIF Bars and CLIF Kid ZBars in our beautiful state-of-the-art bakery,” said Dale Ducommun, the company's general manager. 

“We appreciate all the support we have received from the Twin Falls community – in particular, our partnership with the College of Southern Idaho, whose employee training and team building programs have readied our team for the start of operations.”

We wanted to know a little more about the company – what it says about becoming a community member – and thought you might too. Below are some of the questions we asked with answers provided by Kate Torgersen, the company’s senior communications manager:

How large is the Twin Falls facility?

275,000 square-feet.

How many people will it employ?

The bakery will create more than 200 jobs.

Will all employees be fulltime? Will there be any part-time positions?

We’ve only hired full-time, permanent positions.

Will there be additional staff hired later in the year?

Hiring will be complete by the end of May.

Why was Twin Falls chosen as the site for this plant?

We looked at several locations before choosing Twin Falls. We examined each through our five bottom lines. In all five bottom lines – sustaining our business, brands, people, community and the planet – Twin Falls really stood out. We were really impressed with the people of Twin Falls and immediately felt connected with the community.

What amenities or technology will this facility incorporate?

The new 275,000 square-foot bakery not only will be an inspiring place to work – with elegant design elements and landscaping – it will also be good for the planet. Our goal for the bakery is to achieve LEED Silver certification. The bakery will be focusing on zero waste, water conservation and energy efficiency.

Features include:

• 100 percent of the electricity required to power the bakery will be generated from renewable sources
• 88 percent of waste generated during construction diverted from landfill
• Reflective roof to deflect heat
• 100 percent LED lighting, inside and out
• A waste heat recovery system that reduces the natural gas needed for production by 1/3
• An abundance of natural light
• An outdoor space for company events
• Beautiful, organic landscaping that is drought-tolerate and a haven for pollinators like butterflies and bees.
• Biophilic design features, including atriums and landscape views

Do you foresee expansion plans with your plant down the road?

We hope so! We’re planning into the future with the goal of continuing to generate excitement with consumers around CLIF Bar and CLIF Kid ZBars. The more people who crave our food, the more CLIF Bars and CLIF Kid ZBars we will need to make to feed them. With that in mind, we designed the Twin Falls bakery with the potential to expand so we can support increased demand in the future.

Where does it rank in size comparison with other CLIF Bar locations?

With the opening of the Clif Bar Baking Company of Twin Falls, Clif Bar will have two owned and operated bakeries. These bakeries are comparable in size.

Besides providing jobs and product, in what other ways will the company give back to the community?

At Clif Bar & Company, sustaining the community is one of our five aspirations. As part of the training process, the Clif Bar Baking Company of Twin Falls team members have been volunteering on numerous community service projects. Recently, the team volunteered as home meal delivery drivers for the Twin Falls Senior Center, and they also planted 2,000 trees in conjunction with Idaho Fish and Game.

Through these efforts, the team has contributed over 300 hours of community service since the beginning of the year. This is just the beginning! The Twin Falls team is eager to find more ways to bring community aspiration to life and support local projects and organizations.