Fancy Food Find: barkTHINS
In the “Fancy Food Find” series, take a closer look at some of the treats on display at the 2015 Winter Fancy Food Show.
barkTHINS has nothing to hide (except a personal stash in your desk drawer).
Inspired by the handcrafted chocolate bark pieces found in Europe’s countless artisanal chocolate shops, founder Scott Semel wanted to bring chocolate to the world that was thin, snackable, and available year-round (we aren’t all lucky enough to live in Paris or Brussels, after all). He sought out sustainable suppliers to source fair-trade dark chocolate and quality non-GMO ingredients like pretzels, peppermint, coconut, and almonds. And with that, the snacking chocolate barkTHINS was born in 2013.
Now sold in both mainstream stores and specialty retailers (Target, Wegmans, Whole Foods, and Costco, for starters), the 60-65% cacao-blend snacking chocolate comes in seven varieties. Flavors include classic (Dark Chocolate Almond with Sea Salt), refreshing (Dark Chocolate Mint), crunchy (Dark Chocolate Pumpkin Seed with Sea Salt), fruity (Blueberry Quinoa with Agave), tropical (Dark Chocolate Toasted Coconut with Almonds), Philly-friendly (Dark Chocolate Pretzel with Sea Salt), and seasonal (Dark Chocolate Peppermint Pretzel with Sea Salt).
I’m used to making bark myself with whatever I have lying around the kitchen after a baking episode, but barkTHINS is a great option for something easy to grab and munch on the go. Some pieces seemed larger than might seem snackable in one sitting, but the bark is easy to break (and besides, if they were smaller chunks, the large-piece-lovers could be missing out). The chocolate hits the right notes of sweet and salty, silky and crunchy. I’m looking forward to hearing what flavors barkTHINS will next produce– we can only stay tuned until the next announcement.
PC: barkTHINS
If you’re looking for a treat for your sweetie or to sweeten your own life, never fear: barkTHINS is here.