A Fond Farewell to Perfect Snacks, Perfect Bar and Perfect Foods Bar

Perfect Bar,?

Wow, what an unreal and unforgettable journey it has been.?

What do I say to you now that you’re all grown up, looking back at just how far we’ve come? I still remember you as a crazy idea during a college project and the fledgling startup in Ziplock bags. I remember who I was when I first started this company, and am in awe of how much I’ve grown alongside you, both professionally and personally, over the past 18 years.?

Most of all, I’m overwhelmed with gratitude for the impact you’ve helped me to have in the lives of others — some close to me and others I may never have the pleasure of meeting.

We’ve covered a lot of ground together, and you’ve shown me more than I bargained for along the way.?

You taught me to follow my dreams, try hard and when that doesn’t work, try harder. You taught me to make mistakes; in fact, make a lot of them, but learn from them every single time and aim for better on the next go round. You taught me to surround myself with folks who are smarter than me and ask them a lot of questions.?

You taught me how to inspire others to find their strokes of genius, the importance of authenticity, and how acting with?integrity?often reigns supreme over being right.?You taught me to seize the moment, be strong-willed, yet humble, and to answer the door when opportunity comes knocking. You taught me to lean on others when I am down.?

Above all else, you taught me about values that matter such as:?Community, Humility, Integrity, Inclusiveness, Entrepreneurship and Family.

Perfect Bar, you taught me that I’m good enough and I should never quit learning.?

Through the years of watching you grow, I also watched as my?family?grew with you. This grand adventure all began because of them, my siblings:?Heather, Monise, Leigh, Amyas Charisse, Zane, Annie, Lane, Leanne, Grace, Hope and Faith, and our loving Mom who prayed for you every day. We had no idea what this recipe would do for our family, but we?knew we were?in it together.?

Growing up, driving across the country, all of us huddled in a motorhome, we eagerly awaited the time of day where Mom would make us a treat, and we’d get to eat “Daddy Balls” for dessert (what would later become Perfect Foods Bar). Still today, the nostalgia that hits when I bite into that original recipe is something I hope I never shake.?

I get emotional thinking back to 2005, when our Father’s illness meant a dire situation for our?family, emotionally and financially. It was the moment those-very treats became our only lifeline.?

Many know the story well; we risked everything we had to follow a dream that at the time had plenty of nay-sayers, but they underestimated the passion, work ethic and tenacity of the Keith?Family.

We needed all of that passion numerous times across this 18-year journey.?

Registering the company on Legal Zoom with dial-up internet in an?abandoned?pizza parlor in Willow Creek, CA. Thinking to myself, “Is starting a Food Bar business really the best way to solve my financial problems?”?

Right out of the gate having so much doubt in you and myself, we were?hand rolling?bars and packaging them in Ziplock bags, making 1,000 each day just to cover our?utility?bills and rent for the month. At the end of a long day, I would snack on some of the fresh dough and think to myself, “This is really good. I think we have something here.” It would help me overcome that doubt enough to get through to the next day.?

At one point,?we had 30 days of cash left, and had reached the moment that many small businesses go through: I looked at our financial situation and considered that this grandiose idea of mine may fail, and we could be worse off than when we started.

I remember feeling guilty and entirely responsible for potentially losing all the resources my?family?trusted me to utilize for our well being and betterment. I remember this moment so clearly right now; I asked God for help. Amyas and I turned on Matisyahu’s album and we said to each other, "If we go down, we're going to go down fighting," and would hand roll bars all night.

Nearly 30 days later, we got an opportunity with Whole Foods, and we didn’t look back.?

I remember being overwhelmed by the demand, in those early days, and asking Leigh Keith and Charisse Keith for help in every area of the business, when they were just barely finishing high school.?They jumped at the opportunity and came to the rescue – supporting accounting and operations, even willing to live in a one-bedroom apartment with their stinky brothers to try and make this crazy idea work. This began the professional relationship with my sisters that I will cherish forever.?

I think about Charisse carrying the burden on her shoulders to make our rolling pins and labor-intensive operation work to support our growing business. I think about Leigh, and how well she handled the moments when the pressure was on and our backs were against the wall.?I am proud to be her partner and we would not be here without her. Perfect Bar, you are blessed to have her continuing as a leader in this organization.?

I think about meeting Amanda (my wife) in the early days of the company, and noticing how seamlessly she fit into our nutty?family.?She was in it with me from day one, quite literally my co-pilot, as we drove to Northern California for 15 hours straight, while she boxed bars in the back of the van, so they’d be ready upon arrival.?

Nobody will ever know how much she has done, behind the scenes for Perfect Bar.?She has inspired me, held me to greater standards for myself, and had an unwavering belief in you and myself even when I didn’t share that same confidence.

I think about how my daughter’s toddler picture used to be printed on the top of my important speech notes so I would remind my introverted self that joy is real. I’m reminded of my son looking up to me in my office when I was deciding on the best course of action for an important retailer email response and him looking at me like “Why are you worried dad?”?

I think about that eight year stretch before our investment with VMG where we were doing a lot of “tests and learns” and all the countless hours I spent on the road selling into one store at a time. I think about the worry I would have in my heart when a store or chain that we desperately needed would say no and I would have my buddy and colleague Evan Way there to tell a funny joke or lighten the mood. Evan made me feel like the whole world wasn’t on my shoulders and I could just be a mid 20’s person doing his best.

Perfect Bar, you taught me what?entrepreneurship?looks like, behind the magazine articles and investor meetings; you taught me to take the risk and figure out how to live with the outcome.

The risks we took changed the game, but it wasn’t without doubt.

Building a factory we huddled our rent money to be able to afford, investing in a rebrand when we could hardly keep up with current demand, taking on VMG Partners after being bootstrapped for 10 years and inviting leaders into our organization, for the first time.?

What is seen as “wins” now, are the outcomes of very tough decisions. Trusting our intuition, having a trusted support system and never losing sight of our mission helped us every step of the way.?

I remember the countless hours in the factory trying to get our recipe?perfect?to live up to your standards. We were constantly striving for the best?quality?possible throughout the company’s history and it’s why no competitor could ever come close to replicating your standard.

I remember my first conversation with Wayne Wu and Michael Mauze at VMG, and wondering what they saw in us, in those early days.

They nearly immediately became?family?and helped us see our value, rise to challenges, and deliver on our mission to deliver whole food nutrition to the world.

I am reminded of Steve Calderone , our VP of Operations, coming into that office for the first time with his wealth of experience and amazing beard, and Elizabeth Carter , (whom would later become our President), full of her Midwest gusto with a Senior Leadership Team that were rock stars and thinking to myself, "It’s time to step up my game."

I am reminded of my first Board Meeting when I was trembling with self-doubt, but knew I couldn’t sell this company or?family?short with my lack of knowledge or insecurities. Seeing our team like Justin South , Zane Keith , Jason Smith & [PALMER JONATHAN B. behind countless demonstration tables across the US, pitching their hearts out would inspire me so deeply. Nobody ever did demos better than you!

I knew that a unique mixture of?humility?and confidence was needed in order to be the leader that I had to be for this team, and I definitely didn’t always get it right.

Wow, how those years after the VMG investment flew by as we grew our business, we got off to a rocky start not meeting velocity hurdles, but then because of our?humility,?we listened and came up with a solution to put chocolate in the bars. Who knew chocolate and peanut butter was the winner!?

We set records across the industry over the next four years, growing annual revenues by $100M+.

Seeing the Spins data released monthly and watching the velocities grow at a faster pace than ever gave us the validation we needed to keep investing into our team, partnerships and resources.?We grew you from 20 team members to 100+, with every new hire feeling like an addition to the?family.?

Leigh and I spent?a year?and half on the road, in 2019, pushing past our professional limits and pitching you, Perfect Bar, to billion-dollar companies across the U.S.?We would stand at the top of high rises, looking down, and think how crazy it was that?a couple of homeschooled kids got this far. I always tried to put you first and do what’s best for you, which is why we partnered with Mondelēz, so we can see you grow into everything you will be.

Since finalizing the partnership with Mondelēz and realizing the accomplishment of my dream to take care of my?family?by supporting all of my brothers and sisters through high school, I have also watched as this company has hired and maintained some of the best,?most-passionate?talent in the industry; people I would bet my last dollar on, every single day.

With?humility?and?integrity, they are the reason your “Perfect Bar magic” will remain. It was amazing sharing the wins with them and seeing them reap the benefits they so richly deserved..?

On the flip side, pushing for that long that hard had taken a serious toll on my body. Finding out I had a serious health problem I needed answers, so praying and asking God for another chance at restoring my health.?

A solution came again, remembering an old?family?nutritional supplement recipe that helped me overcome my health challenge.?

I am thinking about how much I have learned about?inclusiveness?along this journey, the wonderful relationships I have because of you, and how we constantly strived as an organization to do more for our?community?through the various programs we support.

What a journey it has been, indeed.

Our biggest lessons and opportunities came after some of our biggest tragedies and I am honored to be your founding father, Perfect Bar. And after all these years, I can look back with fondness as the life we’ve given you, and the happiness and health you’ve provided to so many.?

For me, it’s time I say farewell to you, as CEO, and take a breath for the first time in nearly 20 years. Taking time to spend with my?own family, to focus on my health, and to foster my passions during this stage of life. I am honored to watch Leigh maintain a strong leadership role within your four walls, and welcome Cara Liebrock as your new CEO. You are in the absolute best hands.

So may you continue to flourish, continue to do bigger and better things, and may you never lose sight of the values that got you where you are today.?

Thank you to my?family, our team, and our ever-growing network of supporters, along the way.

Lastly, thank you to the millions of customers that have invited Perfect Bar into their homes,?families?and lives, over the years. You have made every day worth it, for us.??

I may not be there every day singing?show tunes?in the office, like I once was, but I will never be too far, as this?family?is forever and you have too much of my heart to be apart for too long.?

I can’t wait to see the continued legacy you create for us all, Perfect Bar.?

With all the emotion I can muster,

Bill Keith,

Co-Founder of Perfect Bar