Clay Gillies was born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Growing up in a grocery Family and working at Gillies Food Service provided the opportunity to continue the Family legacy as a 4th generation Gillies to be in the food industry. 

The Family values, active lifestyle, being a visionary and desire to succeed were the foundation to a 25 year career as the founder of Planet Foods Inc. Overcoming humble beginnings in 1995 Planet Foods grew to an industry leader in the Canadian natural and organic market place. A mission statement written by Clay in 1995 “Organic and Natural Food should be readily available in the market place” encapsulates what it means to never waiver in your beliefs and lifestyle choices. The vision, wisdom and sheer determination to create category champions for Family owned and operated brands was on full display during Clay’s 25 years at Planet Foods. Brands such as Kicking Horse Coffee, Ultima Replenisher, Sharkies, Honey Stinger and Go Macro all entered the Canadian marketplace with Planet Foods under the vision and brand management of Clay Gillies. 

The personal passion for an active lifestyle provided the opportunity to pioneer the active lifestyle cate-gory in Canada. To think that power bar and maybe one other choice were the only option for the valued consumer is truly unbelievable when measured to today’s options. Now residing in Calgary, Alberta, Clay and his wife Brooke along with their four amazing children are living a natural active lifestyle to the fullest. The love of the Natural and Organic industry and enjoyment of creating more goodness will never rest.