When I went to BlogHer 13, I was excited to see Wild Ophelia among the sponsors. Some of my fellow bloggers did not know what this was (a perfume? hand cream? potpourri?) but I DID. My friend, Lori, works for Vosges Haut-Chocolat in Marketing (yes, she is in fact among the luckiest people I know.) She introduced me to her brand, Wild Ophelia, last year and it was GOOD. It is the “spirited younger sister” to the Vosges Haut-Chocolat brand. Founder Katrina Markoff continues to mix sweet and savory and uses all natural artisanal ingredients for this new brand, too. The twists here are the products are all American and the price points are lower (YAY!)
They say, “Wild Ophelia is a uniquely American brand featuring all-natural and often organic ingredients sourced from small farms and food artisans. Our chocolate bars tell an American story, and bridge the divide between the local, American farmer’s movement and chocolate. Flavor combinations, such as BBQ Potato Chips, Beef Jerky and Peanut Butter Banana are unexpected, yet approachable.”
Great news, Wild Ophelia is now in (or coming very soon to) Walgreens (5 flavors – New Orleans Chili,Peanut Butter & Banana, Beef Jerky, BBQ Potato Chip and Sweet Cherry Pecan). This is in addition to local retailers, Whole Foods and select Jewel stores. To celebrate, Lori gave me some bars to try and some to giveaway! Good news for me (and you) – all bars are gluten free. Bad news for me (and good news for my friends), many of the bars do have dairy ingredients which I have eliminated temporarily from my diet. I ate the New Orleans Chili (dark) and the Sequoia Granola (dark) and shared the remaining flavors I had: Peanut Butter & Banana, Salted Chowchilla Almond, Southern Hibiscus Peach, BBQ Potato Chip and Sweet Cherry Pecan. Note: I did not have any samples of the Beef Jerky (which was the original inspiration, so you will have to try that one if you see it!)
All of the bars are 2 servings and have 150 calories per serving. Even if you eat the WHOLE bar, it is only 300 calories. And the retail price is only $3.99. For premium chocolate! HELLO! Here is some feedback on the flavors:
- New Orleans Chili (dark) – This is a nice smooth dark chocolate with the spicy zing. The chili flavor is subtle and I really liked it. I ate half the bar at a time (maybe a bit less) and found that it was the perfect little something sweet for me after dinner. Of the two I had, I preferred this one.
- Sequoia Granola (dark)Granola – This one was also good. Wendy and I liked the crunch of the granola but we both wished there were more of it in the bar. This features terrific granola from Chicago favorite Milk and Honey.
- Southern Hibiscus Peach – Wendy “didn’t notice much, if any, peach flavor” (although she noted that there were dried peach chunks in the bar) but thought that the milk chocolate was “very smooth.” She liked the chocolate here, but preferred the other flavors more – especially the savory ones.
- Salted Chowchilla Almond – Mahala and Wendy liked this one, too. Both commented on the salt added a nice contrast to the milk chocolate and that it was not too sweet. They wanted a few more almonds in it. We were not sure one serving would fully solve the chocolate craving at the end of a meal or evening, though. Need to test again!
- BBQ Potato Chip – Wendy said, “Oddly, this was my favorite. I love the idea of BBQ potato chips in a dark chocolate bar. Still could have used more BBQ/chips in the bar.” I think that Stacy was surprised with how much she liked this one, too!
- Sweet Cherry Pecan – Oops, I forgot to share this one! I still have some to give away.
The verdict: GREAT. These bars are fun flavors, all natural, locally sourced and not a major hit to the calorie or financial budget! You can keep up with Wild Ophelia’s adventures on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. They are doing a lot of fun promotions in the months to come.
I snagged a bunch of extra bars from Lori so that you don’t have to take my word for it. Three lucky winners will get 3 bars each to try. Flavors to be mixed and picked by me. Please let me know if you are allergic to nuts! Please use the Rafflecopter below to enter:
Please don’t forget to click the green button on each entry you choose. If you already like my page on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter, click that button on the Rafflecopter and get credit! The giveaway is open through the end of the day on Wednesday, September 5th. I will select and notify winners on Thursday, August 29th. One prize per winner. Only valid for participants in the US at this time. Participants must be 18 years of age or older.
Please Note: The products for review and giveaways were provided to me by Wild Ophelia. All opinions and comments are my own or those of my friends. I was not compensated for this post.
PS. Don’t forget to check out our awesome Honey’s Runners raffle to support the American Cancer Society. Only $5 to enter, 100% match to $2500 and GREAT prizes (2 winners drawn each Thursday through September 8th.) There are still great prizes left!