Lara Merriken

Founder, LÄRABAR

Denver

Lara Merriken, founder of LÄRABAR, grew up in Denver, Colorado, where entrepreneurial interests took hold at an early age—16—when she and a friend ran a successful Odd Jobs business, in which lawn-mowing was their bread and butter. Embracing the unpredictability of life, Lara turned her attention to social work, graduating from the University of Southern California with an opportunity to help disadvantaged kids. Subsequent career changes included preparation to become a naturopath before settling into the nutrition department of a major grocery store, where Lara learned the business from the inside out and laid the groundwork for the launch of a delicious food bar she was developing. Five years after its creation, LÄRABAR was a top-selling brand and eventually sold to General Mills, where Lara serves today as Creative Director.