Leigh Keith

Leigh Keith is co-founder and Chief of Brand & Mission at Perfect Snacks, the San Diego-based company behind the Perfect Bar. She previously served as president and co-CEO of the company she helped launch as a teenager.

Keith grew up as one of 13 children in a nomadic family that traveled cross-country in a bus-turned-motorhome. Her father, Bud Keith, was a health food pioneer who created protein balls from nut butter, honey, and superfood powders to keep his large family nourished on the road.

In 2005, at just 19 years old, Leigh and five of her siblings launched Perfect Snacks, investing their savings into a candy-wrapper machine purchased on eBay. Their first product, the Perfect Bar, was based directly on their father's recipe.

The company spent its early years hand-rolling bars and giving out samples at festivals and grocery stores across Northern California. Their first major break came when a single Whole Foods store in Berkeley agreed to stock the bars on a 30-day trial; they sold so well that Perfect Bar expanded into 10 more Whole Foods locations. By 2009, the company had moved into a 30,000-square-foot manufacturing plant in Sorrento Valley.

Perfect Snacks grew rapidly, expanding into Target, Starbucks, Costco, and eventually more than 27,000 U.S. retailers. In 2019, Mondelez International acquired a majority interest in Perfect Snacks. The Keith family continues to run the company from its San Diego headquarters.