Hasta La Ideas

Colombian dark chocolate packed with a healthy crunch of real freeze-dried fruit

Wanting to combine the finest quality chocolate with “fruit in its purest form,” MarieBelle founder Maribel turned to freeze-dried fruit specialists Van Drunen Farms for her new Chocolate and Fruit Bars. The crispy organic bits mixed into MarieBelle’s single-origin Colombian dark chocolate add a surprising texture not unlike puffed rice, but with a vibrant flavor kick and the nutritional value of fruit resulting from the freeze drying process.

The technique means that the bar’s intense flavors comes directly from the fruit inside, eliminating the need for additives, preservatives or artificial flavorings “to show people that by using the best quality ingredients you can make something simple but so flavorful and rich!”

While the banana bar has the most pleasing crunch, the blueberry and strawberry were quickly nibbled up by our tasters too. Other flavors include mango and apricot, and each sells online, at the MarieBelle store in NYC’s SoHo neighborhood and at select Whole Foods for around $7 a bar.