Katie Lefkowitz, founder and CEO of superfood infused dessert bar company Harken Sweets, was a self-proclaimed “Snickers fanatic” for most of her life. However, when health problems and a colon cancer fear “turned (her) world upside down,” she began to think food as medicine — and experimenting with the concept in her own kitchen.
“I wanted to recreate those classic candies, but in a way that made them healthier to eat,” says Lefkowitz. entrepreneur“and that's exactly why I started Harken.”
Lefkowitz was well positioned to create a better-for-you food brand. After graduating with a bachelor's in the biological basis of human behavior and consumer psychology from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from Harvard Business Schoolshe went on to serve as COO, then senior advisor, at Caulipower, the company behind a line of cauliflower-based frozen products.
So in 2022, Lefkowitz brought that expertise to Harken. She named the company for what it means to “go back to those good old days when you could enjoy all the sweets you wanted and not feel like absolute hell afterwards,” she says.
“We see ourselves as this third wave within chocolate candy, (where) there are functional benefits to candy.”
According to Lefkowitz, the chocolate confection space has transformed over time, and Harken strives to evolve with it.
“You had the classics, like the Snickers of the universe,” she explains. “Then it evolved into the more natural version, so maybe they removed it corn syrup, but they did not drastically change the foods. And so we see ourselves as this third wave within chocolate confections, (where) there are functional benefits to candy.”
Image Credit: Courtesy of Harken Sweets
Lefkowitz had to try “countless different versions” of the product that would become Harken's standard in her kitchen — including dates to make her bar ideal. “We take dates (and) process them in such a way that it creates that luscious, caramel texture,” Lefkowitz says. “We're not using butter, sugar or classic caramel ingredients, and you still have that flavor and texture.”
But Lefkowitz points out that it's one thing to get the perfect recipe into the home kitchen and quite another to replicate it in DEGREES. It was an important challenge, she admits, but focusing diligently on the product and how to make it across various manufacturing facilities helped Harken overcome it.
Today, Harken offers its own plant-basedhigh-fiber bars in several flavors, retailing for $39.99 for a 12-pack: The Nutty One, The Crunchy One and The Gooey One, all with Date Caramel.
“We took this to a number of different retailers and brought in Walmart very early on.”
Although Harken started with one directly to the consumer approaches, it didn't take long before it caught fire. The company received an influx of positive feedback via email, Lefkowitz says, explaining that people were excited to have a nutritional treat that tastes good — “which is always hard to find.” So Lefkowitz considered other avenues for growth and expansion.
“I still see retail as a big focus for all food brands,” says Lefkowitz, “so we took that to a number of different retailers and brought Walmart too early. (He) was our first national retailer.”
To date, Lefkowitz has not received any outside funding, preferring it brand bootstrap.
“It's unusual for people in this space,” she says. “(But) it's been important to me to make sure I run the business the way I think it should be run in these early stages. That doesn't mean we never will collect moneybut I feel good about the position we're in and (proving) the concept without having to do a classical funding round.”
“Innovation is absolutely core to who we are here at Harken, and (we're) looking to expand into additional products.”
Now, the Harken is available at 3,500 Walmarts nationwide. The company, which boasts 50x quarter-over-quarter growth, also has its products in KeHE, UNFI, ShopRite, Fairway, Gourmet Garage, McCaffrey's, PopUp Grocer and Better Health Markets, and Albertsons and Fresh Market will stock them soon, Lefkowitz says.
“I am surprised by the land between them retailer“Adds Lefkowitz. “(It) has shown how there is such a need for a product like this in the checkout aisle.”
Image Credit: Courtesy of Harken Sweets
Lefkowitz looks forward to the continued growth of Harken and NEW — noting that there is still a lot of white space in the market.
“INNOVATION is absolutely core to who we are here at Harken,” says Lefkowitz, “and (we're) looking to expand into additional products (and) product lines to continue to offer our customers products that match the occasion to which they would like you to enjoy a healthier treat.”
“To succeed in this space is about putting your nose to the grindstone, pushing it every day.”
Needless to say, the “superfood power of dates” was not only the secret ingredient to Harken's first healthy dessert, but also laid the foundation for a growing brand built around the functional benefits that Lefkowitz sees as the future of the industry. .
Lefkowitz encourages aspiring entrepreneurs seeing the best food space for you to experiment in their kitchens and find theirs the key to success – because “you'd be amazed at what you can do with even a handful of homemade samples.” Then, just hit the ground running.
“Get money to people as quickly as possible,” says Lefkowitz. “Start testing, start iterating. And if you think you have a winner, more likely than not. hustle go door to door every day and you can make a big difference.”