LOS ANGELES — Pocket’s Chocolates has partnered with Nestle subsidiary Blue Bottle Coffee to create coated almonds inspired by the specialty roaster’s New Orleans-style iced coffee.
Packed in single-serve pouches, the snacks will debut at Blue Bottle cafes nationwide, said Chris Young, co-founder and chief executive officer of Pocket’s Chocolates. Almonds are dipped in chocolate formulated with fair-trade cocoa butter, organic oat milk, coffee, organic raw cane sugar, chicory and monk fruit. A serving contains the equivalent of one-sixth of a cup of coffee.
For Pocket’s Chocolates, the launch marks an expansion beyond its core line of almonds featuring popular Asian flavors, which include matcha, black sesame, Vietnamese coffee and mango yuzu, to tap into more global and regional influences, Mr. Young said, noting New Orleans represents “our first step into taking flavors that are inspired by cultures that are outside of Asia.”
Additionally, the new product is among several collaborations for the emerging brand, which previously developed an exclusive edition for Bopomofo Cafe in California based on its popular BA-LA Matcha drink, made with guava nectar. Pocket’s Chocolates also debuted a limited-edition lychee offering for lifestyle retailer Miniso earlier this year.
“The co-branded thing is our way to leverage our investment because we do self-manufacture, and so we have the flexibility to do those types of things without enormous volume,” Mr. Young said.
The research and development teams at Pocket’s Chocolates and Blue Bottle Coffee iterated for nearly a year to recreate the New Orleans beverage experience in a coated almond, Mr. Young said, noting, “compared to our Vietnamese coffee, it’s more intense in the coffee and more creamy on the oat milk.”
Previously Pocket Latte, Pocket’s Chocolates unveiled a rebrand earlier this year to reflect its expansion into new categories. Its initial product line of chocolate squares, available in cafe-inspired flavors including lavender vanilla, hazelnut and dark roast, is infused with coffee and has about a cup’s worth of caffeine per serving. The addition of coated almonds followed last year, marking the brand’s “biggest and boldest move ever” with products that “proudly represent our upbringing and culture,” Mr. Young said at the time, referring to the founders’ Korean and Vietnamese roots.
Of the latest offering, as well as future product development, Mr. Young said, “We don’t want to be categorized as an ethnic item, and there’s a world of flavor out there.”Enjoying this content? Learn about more disruptive startups on the Food Entrepreneur page.
