Harken Sweets CEO elicits nostalgia with better-for-you candy bars

Katie Lefkowitz, former COO of Caulipower, knows how upstart brands can transform a product by creating a better-for-you alternative.

Today, the New York-based founder and CEO of Harken Sweets, launched two plant-based “chocolate” bars that the company bills as superfood-dense, fiber-packed, and plant-based alternatives that taste like the “real thing,” featuring a date-based caramel center.

The Nutty One evokes a Snickers Bar, combining layers of date-based caramel with a salted peanut creamy nougat, coated in a “milk-chocolate-style oat-chocolately coating.” The Gooey One, takes aim at a Milky Way bar and combines the salted date caramel with a nougat layer also coated in the oat-chocolately coating. 

Both have 140 calories per bar, with 13 grams of prebiotic fiber, no added sugar or animal products. 

Along with her experience at Caulipower, Lefkowitz launched the new bars with the help of her date caramel recipe.

“When you use dates instead of butter and sugar in the really unique way that we do, you can achieve that gooey caramel texture while still retaining the fibrous quality that’s inherent in that fruit, reducing sugar and calories,” she said.

The global date market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.1% over the next five years as demand for the fruit grows worldwide. 

Harken’s products reimagine the “nostalgic bars that we grew up with in a totally different way nutritionally,” she said. 

The oat-chocolatey coating is another innovation, Lefkowitz says. “. Most people when they think about plant-based chocolate, it’s a dark chocolate, but what we have been able to do here is to create a truly milk-style chocolate that’s reminiscent of something you’d see on a classic candy bar.”

The bars are available now at KeHE, UNFI, ShopRite, Fairway, Gourmet Garage, PopUp Grocer, and on HarkenSweets.com, with national retailers launching in Q2 of 2024. 

Dates have had a moment in the spotlight lately as consumers look for healthful alternatives to sugary sweets. One viral TikTok video for “Snickers-stuffed” dates filled with peanut butter and peanuts, dipped in chocolate, has had more than 30.8 million views. 

Sometimes called “nature’s candy,” dates are high in antioxidants, fiber, and minerals like potassium and magnesium. Their natural sweetness and sticky texture have made them a popular ingredient in sugar-free products. 

The global date market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.1% over the next five years as demand for the fruit grows worldwide.