In this episode of the Think Factory Podcast, John McGuckin, CEO of Clio Snacks, discusses the company’s entrepreneurial beginnings, rapid growth, and strategy for building a snack brand around changing consumer preferences. John shares how founder Sergei Konchakovsky turned a simple idea inspired by chocolate-covered yogurt bars into a growing business, expanding from a small garage operation to an 85,000-square-foot facility producing more than 150 million bars annually. Drawing from his experience with companies including Kellogg’s, Kraft, Nestlé, and Sabra, John explains how Clio is responding to demand for convenient, protein-rich, flavorful, and portion-controlled snacks across retail, club, food service, convenience stores, and more than 500 colleges and universities. He also explores the importance of strong teams, trusted customer partnerships, supply chain execution, and smart distribution strategies, including the company’s use of food service distributor Dot Foods to expand its reach nationally and into Canada. John discusses the challenges of securing limited shelf and cooler space, emphasizing performance, category management, merchandising, and proving incremental value to retailers. Looking ahead, he explains Clio’s significant “white space” for growth, its strategy of expanding distribution and product placement, and the importance of continuing to deliver quality, execution, and products that meet evolving consumer needs.
