In a world where robots can peel bananas and serve up your next latte, food innovation is the name of the game. The world demands cutting-edge and creative approaches to traditional models, even the sweetest, most familiar treats like chocolate. When Doug Bouton decided to produce a chocolate bar with out-of-this-world taste and a fraction of the calories, fat, and sugar, he blew the sides entirely off the proverbial thinking box.
When the entrepreneur began this research to find low-calorie, low-sugar chocolate, it proved nearly impossible. No one in the space had whisked chocolate and high quality ingredients together before to create a chocolate with the right texture. There were no options for delectable, low-calorie chocolate treats that wouldn’t stretch the waistline with daily indulgence.
Bouton was unphased; he had faced this type of challenge before. In 2013, he cofounded Halo Top Ice Cream and his two brothers, Matt and Ryan, joined shortly after. Halo Top is the low-calorie ice cream alternative that outsold Ben & Jerry’s in 2017 and 2018 because nothing like it existed on the market. It proved that a considerable and loyal following existed for sweet somethings that didn’t wholly derail healthy eating habits.
When Halo Top was sold, they added another brother, Doug’s brother-in-law, to reincorporate as a new company and get to work on solving the whole problem in the chocolate market. After building such a thriving community with Halo Top, they realized the satisfaction to be had when bringing people together over a shared passion & interest. What better way to start that again than with the closest community of all: family. Since they had so many existing relationships with retailers, it made sense to bring a new product to shelves. Together, they called the new company GATSBY Chocolate and planned to give big names in chocolate, like Hershey’s, some head-to-head competition.
After a year of focusing on developing the recipe for a healthy and tasty treat, GATSBY Chocolate arrived in stores in 2022. It offered chocolate enthusiasts the first-ever low-calorie chocolate. Basically, they created the “Halo Top” chocolate bar. The company uses less sugar, and fat-lowering techniques to dramatically drop the calories while maintaining delicious flavor; as the brothers say, if you don’t actually crave the product, what’s the point? Gatsby’s chocolate bars have only 180-210 calories per bar and 50 calories per cup. Even sugar-free chocolate brands have twice as many calories. The bars and cups have 50% fewer calories, 80% less sugar and carbs, and 50% less fat than leading brands.
Low-calorie, low-sugar, and keto-friendly aren’t just trendy claims to Gatsby Chocolate. The company prides itself on sourcing the most natural ingredients with conscientious eaters in mind—its core values are “product over everything” and building a chocolate-loving community that can enjoy the delicious product on a more regular basis. Gatsby Chocolate delivers on those components so important to today’s wellness seekers.
The real magic in GATSBY Chocolate is the premium taste and texture at a fraction of the calories, fat, and sugar. The company sees it as a failure if consumers aren’t blown away by the delicious, smooth taste.
The company’s luxury candy line includes chocolate bars & peanut butter cups. Bars come in flavors like sea salt extra dark, almond dark, and cookies and cream.. Peanut butter cup flavors include milk, dark, and white chocolate. Shoppers can find these products at retailers nationwide such as Walmart, Safeway, Albertsons, Sprouts & more. Check out their Store Locator online!
But wait, there’s more.
Gatsby Chocolate’s mission to build community—because everybody loves chocolate—resulted in adding dairy-sensitive and plant-friendly indulgences. That’s why their Sea Salt Extra Dark & Almond Dark chocolate bars, along with their Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups are entirely plant-based.
The brothers plan to continue expanding Gatsby Chocolate’s sweet treat ensemble, offering goodies like baking chips in the near future.
GATSBY Chocolate isn’t just a candy success story. Its entrepreneurial founder offers a tale of inspiration, an example that thinking outside the box to fill a niche might just get you noticed. Bouton’s story speaks to forward-thinking and risk-taking to live your “best life.” He took the plunge into the vast and alluring world of chocolate with the mantra that if you can eat better chocolate, you can eat more of it. By generating a healthy chocolate revolution, he made indulging in chocolate an everyday healthy habit reality.
The holidays are around the corner—January always brings a new year with the urge to create a new you. Now you can add a new healthy treat to your resolution list – and even fight the dreaded winter weight with GATSBY Chocolate. With a rich, superior texture and sweet, delicious taste, GATSBY Chocolate fills everyone’s sweet tooth cravings. It’s a delight even Fitzgerald would enjoy.
