Perfect Snacks: Bill and Leigh Keith

In this episode of How I Built This, host Guy Raz interviews Bill and Lee Keith, co-founders of Perfect Snacks, which began as a small family undertaking and evolved into a multimillion-dollar brand. The siblings share their unconventional upbringing, having grown up in an itinerant family with a father who emphasized health and nutrition. Their father created a recipe for energy bars that they initially sold door-to-door. After many struggles and a significant family crisis, they decided to take their homemade energy bar business to the next level. They faced significant challenges, including a sanitation incident that posed a potential salmonella outbreak, which risked ruining the business just as they were gaining traction with retail giants like Costco.

Despite these setbacks, their determination and unique product allowed them to break into more major markets. They saw substantial growth, culminating in the decision to bring in outside investors to help fund further expansion. The Keiths navigated early challenges of brand identity, family dynamics, and market competition, ultimately succeeding with their chocolate offerings, which boosted sales dramatically.

Throughout the story, the Keith siblings reflect on their family's struggles, their father's legacy, and the lessons learned from both successes and failures as they turned their father's recipe into a nationally recognized brand. In the end, they decided to sell Perfect Snacks to Mondelez, ensuring the continued growth and stabilization of the brand, while maintaining a part of their family business ethos through their roles in the company.