The City of Twin Falls in Southern Idaho has celebrated the opening of Clif Bar & Company’s $90 million bakery. The bakery is a one-of-a-kind, sustainability-focused facility that intentionally uses biophilic design, a cutting-edge approach that connects people in buildings with nature.
“It was really important to us that our Twin Falls bakery embodied our company values,” said Kevin Cleary, CEO, Clif Bar, a leading maker of nutritious and organic food. “We wanted it to be a healthy, welcoming place for people to work—a workplace that sustains our people, the community and the planet.”
The new 300,000 square-foot bakery includes more than 200 windows, vaulted skylights, light-directing solatubes, indoor walls of recycled barn wood and natural stone, indoor plants, and sliding doors that connect an auditorium to an outdoor event space. A packaging area without exterior windows offers wall-projected images of the natural outdoors that rotate daily.
“Clif Bar and the city of Twin Falls share similar values including enhancing our community’s quality of life and preserving our natural heritage for future generations through sustainable practices," said Travis Rothweiler, City Manager, Twin Falls, Idaho.
The bakery’s green building design elements include hybrid cooling towers that help it use about a third less water than most conventional bakeries. On-demand conveyors, LED lighting, a reflective roof and a water source heat pump use about 20 percent less energy. Efficient refrigeration equipment and processes trim approximately 40 percent from typical bakery refrigerant emissions.
Outside are patios for outdoor breaks with native plants, including more than 570 trees and 5,700 shrubs. Plans for a bike and walking path and organic community garden are underway.
Clif Bar is pursuing LEED certification for the building from the U.S. Green Building Council. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design is the most widely used green building rating system in the world.
“Clif Bar has already established itself as a premier employer and outstanding corporate citizen in Twin Falls,” said Shawn Barigar, Mayor of Twin Falls, Idaho. “We look forward to continued partnership to support both the company’s and community’s vision.”
Southern Idaho’s strength in food manufacturing has been recognized at the federal level. In 2015, Southern Idaho was one of four regions in the country to be given the national stamp of approval by the U.S. Department of Commerce with a Manufacturing Community Designation in the food category. This elite recognition puts Southern Idaho’s economic dominance in food production, processing and science into the global and national spotlight.
Other food-related manufacturers that have invested in Southern Idaho include Chobani, which recently announced a $100 million expansion, Glanbia Foods, which underwent an $82 million expansion last year, McCain Foods, Davisco and Calva/Brewster.
About Clif Bar & Company
Clif Bar & Company crafts nutritious and organic food to feed and inspire adventure, including the CLIF® BAR® energy bar; CLIF Kid®, Nourishing Kids in Motion® and LUNA®; The Whole Nutrition Bar. Family and employee-owned, the company is committed to sustaining its people, brands, business, community and the planet. www.clifbar.com