Food
LÄRABAR celebrates 20 years of real ingredients making a real impact
As LÄRABAR celebrates its 20th anniversary, the brand is investing in the next 20 by supporting regenerative almond farming to help create a more sustainable future.
The LÄRABAR story
It was a simple hike in the Rocky Mountains that inspired Lara Merriken to dream up the idea behind LÄRABAR: combine simple, 100% real ingredients to create a food product that's tasty, wholesome, and convenient.
Merriken believed natural foods should be fun and enjoyable, as well as good for you. Using her Cuisinart and a rolling pin, Lara perfected the recipe and LÄRABAR was born. She saw immediate interest from consumers and even hand-sealed the first 500 products for retail, which were available in four flavors: Cherry Pie, Apple Pie, Cashew Cookie and Chocolate Coconut Chew.
Now, 20 years later, LÄRABAR is celebrating this milestone anniversary with various initiatives including custom packaging and launching a grant program reflecting the brand’s commitment to sustainability by supporting regenerative almond farming.
"It has been an incredible journey over the last two decades, and I take great pride in the impact LÄRABAR has made with its simple, real ingredients,” says Merriken. “Looking ahead at the next 20 years, I am thrilled about the investments we’re making to grow the brand and build a more sustainable future.”
To kick off the celebrations, over the past weekend, Merriken sampled the product at the original Denver Whole Foods location where the brand first got its start.
2003 sampling event 
2023 sampling event Advancing regenerative agriculture with American Farmland Trust
The almonds used in LÄRABAR products are sourced from California, a state facing extreme water stress.
In response to this concern, LÄRABAR is partnering with American Farmland Trust to advance regenerative agriculture efforts in this key sourcing area, which will improve both soil health and water outcomes.
The one-year, $80,000 partnership will focus on educating and providing technical assistance to women-owned farms in the San Joaquin Valley to further the adoption of regenerative agricultural practices.
As part of this partnership, American Farmland Trust will facilitate equitable access to programming and support historically underserved farming communities. This outreach will help improve the economic viability and climate resilience of local farms and farming communities.
A regenerative almond farm in California American Farmland Trust will also provide grants to almond and fruit orchard crop growers who are small-scale and/or socially disadvantaged. These grants will be designed to build on American Farmland Trust’s existing Brighter Futures Fund, which provides micro-grants to farmers.
The new initiative marks LÄRABAR’s latest financial commitment to supporting and advancing regenerative agriculture practices in key regions across California.
Exploring LÄRABAR's commitment to sustainability
In honor of the anniversary, LÄRABAR is also releasing custom packaging on the following flavors to showcase the beautiful bloom of an almond tree:
- Apple Pie
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
- Cherry Pie
- Cashew Cookie
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip
This anniversary packaging will include an on-pack callout, which will highlight LÄRABAR’s commitment to regenerative agriculture with a QR code that when scanned, leads you to an immersive website experience.
The website invites you to explore the ins and outs of regenerative almond farming through five major pillars: Farmer, Bees, Soil, Water, and Brand Action.
You can also access the website by visiting larabar.com/sustainability.