Reviews: Wandel Chew-ish Bites and Zahav Hummus Schug

Wandel Chew-ish Bites

Wandel Chew-ish Bites is a shelf-stable snack line inspired by Jewish mandelbrot, reworked into a softer, more indulgent format for modern snacking. Available in Dark Chocolate + Sea Salt, Milk Chocolate Chip + Cinnamon Sugar, and Zesty Lemon + Poppyseed, the line pairs a rich, buttery texture with clean ingredients and a playful, Brooklyn-rooted brand identity. With 170 to 180 calories per serving, depending on the variety, the product feels positioned as a dessert-like treat rather than an everyday better-for-you snack, but it is a distinctive and highly enjoyable one.

Things that stand out:

• The texture is one of the product’s biggest strengths, landing somewhere between banana bread and a soft cookie. That softer interpretation makes the concept feel more approachable and snackable than traditional mandelbrot.
• Flavor is consistently strong across the lineup, with each variety delivering a full, dessert-like experience that still feels grounded in real ingredients. The use of real butter helps give the bites a richer, more satisfying profile than many packaged snacks. As always, quality ingredients go a long way.
• Packaging has strong shelf presence, with bold color blocking, large product imagery, and memorable language like “soft-ish sweet-ish chew-ish.” The “Born in Brooklyn” callout and heritage-driven storytelling also give the brand an artisanal, personal quality that fits the product well.

Things to consider:

• The biggest challenge is still clarity around what the product actually is. Unless shoppers are already familiar with mandelbrot or mandel bread, the front panel does not immediately provide a simple, familiar point of reference.
• “Chew-ish Bites” is a step in the right direction, but the playful copy sometimes does more to build personality than explain the format. A more direct descriptor that links the product to a soft-baked cookie or bakery-style bite could make it easier to understand at a glance.
• At 170 to 180 calories per serving, the product is clearly an indulgence, which is reinforced by its rich texture and dessert-like flavor profile. That is not necessarily a negative, but it does mean the clean-label positioning has to work alongside a more treat-oriented nutritional profile.

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Zahav Foods Hummus Schug

Restaurant-backed grocery brand Zahav Foods has elevated its classic hummus recipe with a new Hummus Schug variety, rolling out to Whole Foods stores. The product features the brand’s culinary-quality, tahini-forward hummus, topped with schug, made from a blend of serrano chilis, parsley, cilantro, garlic, vinegar and salt.

Things that stand out:

• The hummus base truly is what you would expect to be served at a restaurant – it is creamy and flavorful and does not have the gritty texture of some packaged hummus.
• The pairing with schug is well executed, and this flavor combination is sure to stand out in a set as a fresh, global flavor-forward yet accessible offering.

Things to consider:

• The packaging has an almost sterile feel that does not correspond with the product itself or the traditional roots of this product.
• We would love to see this in the individual serving sizes as well.

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