Expo West 2023 Gallery: Sweets & Treats Get a Better-for-You Makeover

The aisles at Natural Products Expo West 2023 included a wide array of better-for-you sweets and treats from both new and existing brands in the category. From decadent dessert-inspired teas to chocolate bars to fruit-flavored gummies, these new products hope to offer options designed to fulfill every consumer’s sweet tooth. Check out this gallery for a deeper dive into the newly launched products featured at Expo West.

No Cow

Denver, Colorado-based No Cow is moving into confection with the debut of its Mighty Treats line, which includes two products at launch: Peanut Butter Cups and Marshmallow Crunchies. The former comes in a 2-cup package and has 10 grams of plant-based protein and zero grams of sugar per serving while the latter packs 7 grams of protein per single bar serving.

Taza

Taza expanded its portfolio of chocolate products with a new line extension, Smooth & Crunchy Bars. Available in five flavors – Chocolate Cookie Crunch, Orange Crunch, Lemon Cookie Crunch, Triple Nut Crunch and Cornflake Crunch – the plant-based chocolate bars are made with 70% dark chocolate. Taza also makes chocolate discs, chocolate-covered treats, dark bark and baking chocolate.

Hippie Snacks

British Columbia-based better-for-you snack maker Hippie Snacks highlighted its new Banana Bread Crisps.Sweetened with maple syrup, the Banana Bread Crisps come in 2.5 oz. bags in three flavors: Original, Almond Butter and Chocolate and will debut at Wegmans this Spring.

Nature’s Bakery

Nature’s Bakery showcased its new Double Chocolate Brownie Bars, which are made with whole grains, dates and cocoa. The new bar variety comes in boxes of 6 twin-packs and contains 170 calories per serving and adds a sweeter, dessert-like option to the Mars-owned brand’s portfolio of snacks.

Theo and Thea

The Republic of Tea announced the launch of its new dessert-inspired tea line, Theo & Thea, available inBlood Orange Spice, Mint Chip Crème, Caramel Coconut and Bananas Foster varieties. A blend of cacao and tea, the beverages combine theobromine and L-theanine to boost serotonin and dopamine, the brand claims. Each single-flavor tin contains 14 tea bags.

Alter Eco

San Francisco-based sustainable chocolate producer Alter Eco debuted two new SKUs at the show: Almond Blackout Bar and Raspberry Creme Truffle Thins. The former mixes 60% cacao three times longer for “a smoother taste,” the brand claims. Meanwhile, the latter features a mix of 85% cacao “for those serious about their chocolate.” Like the rest of the brand’s products, the two new offerings are made using the sustainable practice of agroforestry to help mitigate climate change by planting a diverse mix of trees and shrubs around the cacao crop.

Milk Bar

Launching in Whole Foods next month, Milk Bar released a new bite-sized cookie line, Crunchies. Available in four flavors – Brown Butter Chocolate Chip, Cinnamon Toast, Pretzel-y Chocolate Chip and Vanilla – the bite-sized cookies come in 4.5 oz bags and are currently available at the Giant Company and FoxTrot. Launched in 2008, Milk Bar first entered grocery stores in 2020 with its soft-baked cookies.

Van Leeuwen

Brooklyn-based ice cream maker Van Leeuwen expanded its portfolio with its newest product format, Ice Cream Sandwiches. Available in two dairy varieties – Honeycomb Caramel and Double Chocolate Cheesecake – and two vegan varieties – Double Chocolate Vanilla and Honeycomb Snickerdoodle – the new 8 oz sandwiches are individually wrapped. Additionally, the brand showcased several new flavors of its flagship ice cream pints, including Lemon Poppy Seed Muffin, Chocolate Caramel Cheesecake and Buttermilk Berry Cornbread.

Honey Mama’s

Portland, Oregon-based Honey Mama’s added a new flavor to its collection of refrigerated truffle bars: Lemon Blueberry. Like the rest of the brand’s products, the new LTO is gluten, dairy and soy-free.

Lebby

Lebby Choc has extended its portfolio beyond chickpea-based snacks with the launch of new chocolate-covered pistachios. Available in dark and milk chocolate varieties, the vegan, gluten-free snack packs 8 grams of protein per serving. Lebby’s chocolate-covered pistachios will be offered in 3.1 oz. bags.

Olyra

Olyra highlighted its newly launched cream-filled breakfast biscuits. Available in Peanut Butter, Almond Butter and Double Chocolate varieties. the new products are made from a blend of spelt, barley and lupine. Each serving boasts 5 grams of plant-based protein and 4 grams of fiber. Each 5.3 oz. box contains four on-the-go packs.

Katjes

Animal gelatin-free gummy snack maker Katjes sampled its new Sheroes Gummies at the show. The new product is “inspired by women who dream big and pave their own way,” and features gummies in the shape of female firefighters, scientists and astronauts in flavors such as peach, lemon and orange. The Germany-based brand first brought its products over to the U.S. in 2021.

Sweet Loren’s

New York City-based better-for-you cookie maker Sweet Loren’s showcased three new seasonal cookie dough flavors: Pumpkin Spice, Chocolate Mint and Gingerbread. The new offerings come in 9.6 pouches that make 12 cookies. The new cookie dough flavors join the brand’s core lineup of pre-cut cookie dough flavors including Sugar, Less Sugar, Fudgy Brownie, Oatmeal Cranberry, Chocolate Chunk and Less Sugar Chocolate Chunk.

Theo Chocolate

Theo Chocolate expanded its lineup of fair trade chocolate products with the launch of Almond Brittle Crunch. Each 3 oz. bar features 55% dark chocolate, almonds and handmade brittle. The product is currently available exclusively on the brand’s website for $4.49.