LOS ANGELES — Pocket Latte is now Pocket’s Chocolates. The new name reflects the brand’s expansion beyond coffee chocolate bars.
The Los Angeles-based company will unveil its rebranded lineup at Natural Products Expo West, March 8-11 in Anaheim, Calif. Chris Young, founder and chief executive officer, said the move positions the brand for long-term growth and follows the recent launch of coated almonds featuring popular Asian flavors, including matcha, yuzu mango, black sesame and Vietnamese coffee.
“We wanted something that leaves a lot of room for innovation, for evolution of the brand,” he said.
All Pocket’s Chocolates products are formulated with organic oat milk and sweetened with a blend of organic raw cane sugar and monk fruit extract. The formulations contain 50% to 65% less sugar per gram than leading chocolate products, according to the company. The core line of chocolate squares, available in cafe-inspired flavors including lavender vanilla, hazelnut and dark roast, is infused with coffee and has about a cup’s worth of caffeine per serving.
“When people hear ‘latte,’ they think of drinkable coffee,” Mr. Young said. “That’s a problem because we don’t make beverages, and we make more than just coffee-based snacks.”
A new “Kindly Sweet. Seriously Fun.” tagline further reflects the brand’s positioning as a unique, reduced-sugar alternative in a category packed with low-, no-, or full-sugar offerings, Mr. Young noted.
"To us, 'kindly sweet' means be kind to yourself, mentally and physically,” he said. “It's perfectly okay to treat yourself, especially with balanced amounts of sugar."
Looking ahead, Pocket’s Chocolates plans to add more flavors to its lineup of coated almonds with one or two collaborations currently in the works. The debut of the product line last year marked the brand’s “biggest and boldest move ever” with products that “proudly represent our upbringing and culture,” Mr. Young said at the time, referring to the founders’ South Korean and Vietnamese roots.
“Our chocolate has always been different from anything else on the market,” Mr. Young said. “Maybe one day we’ll actually make chocolate that tastes like chocolate, but for now we’re sticking to the differentiated route.”Enjoying this content? Learn about more disruptive startups on the Food Entrepreneur page.
