Something to bark about

Snacking chocolate, a concept popularized by barkTHINS, now a business unit of Hershey, continues to gain traction as new players enter the segment.  

Taza Chocolate is debuting Dark Bark, a line of 80% dark snacking chocolate featuring such ingredients as crispy quinoa, toasted almonds, coconut and pumpkin seeds. Varieties include sea salt and almond, toasted coconut, pumpkin seed, coconut almond and peppermint.

 

From Pearson Candy comes 7th Street Confections, a new brand created to expand into new market categories, with its first product line, Dark Chocolate Thins. Flavors include raspberry and quinoa, blueberry and almond, strawberry, and pineapple and toasted coconut, with seasonal varieties such as milk chocolate with sugar cookie and sprinkles and dark chocolate with pretzel and peppermint to be added during the holiday period. The bark snacking chocolate segment exceeds $100 million in retail sales, according to the company.

New from Brownie Brittle, L.L.C. is Thindulgent Chocolate Bark, available in cashew toffee, s’mores, caramel pretzel and dark chocolate almond flavors.

 
Endangered Species Chocolate is launching a line of snacking chocolate, including two dark chocolate barks — almonds and peanut, and salted hazelnut toffee — and three dark chocolate bites — caramel and sea salt, sea salt and almonds, and 88% cocoa. The products are marketed as “a daily indulgence consumers can feel good about.”