Katie Lefkowitz, the former COO of Caulipower, understands how emerging brands can revolutionize products by offering healthier alternatives. Now based in New York as the founder and CEO of Harken Sweets, she has introduced two plant-based “chocolate” bars that the company promotes as superfood-dense, fiber-rich, and tasting remarkably like the “real thing,” featuring a date-based caramel center.
The Nutty One is reminiscent of a Snickers Bar, layering date-based caramel with a creamy salted peanut nougat, all enveloped in a “milk-chocolate-style oat-chocolately coating.” Meanwhile, The Gooey One targets the Milky Way experience, combining salted date caramel with nougat, also coated in the oat-chocolately layer. Each bar contains 140 calories and is packed with 13 grams of prebiotic fiber, with no added sugars or animal products. Lefkowitz credits her experience at Caulipower for helping to launch these bars, along with her innovative date caramel recipe. “By using dates instead of butter and sugar in a unique way, we achieve that gooey caramel texture while preserving the fibrous quality inherent in the fruit, effectively reducing sugar and calories,” she explained.
With the global date market projected to expand at a CAGR of 5.1% over the next five years, driven by increasing demand for healthful snacks, Harken’s products aim to reimagine the “nostalgic bars we grew up with” in a nutritionally beneficial manner. Lefkowitz emphasizes the innovation of the oat-chocolatey coating, noting, “When people think of plant-based chocolate, they typically picture dark chocolate, but we’ve created a truly milk-style chocolate that evokes what you’d expect from a classic candy bar.”
Currently, the bars are available at retailers including KeHE, UNFI, ShopRite, Fairway, Gourmet Garage, PopUp Grocer, and on HarkenSweets.com, with national retailer launches planned for Q2 of 2024. Recently, dates have gained popularity as consumers seek healthier substitutes for sugary treats. A viral TikTok video featuring “Snickers-stuffed” dates filled with peanut butter and peanuts, then dipped in chocolate, has garnered over 30.8 million views. Often referred to as “nature’s candy,” dates are rich in antioxidants, fiber, and essential minerals, such as potassium and magnesium. Their natural sweetness and sticky texture have made them a favored ingredient in sugar-free products, and they can also be a source of slow release calcium citrate, enhancing their nutritional profile.