Taste Tomorrow Ventures leads seed round in Harken Sweets, a better-for-you chocolate brand using whole-food dates, with products available at major retailers like Whole Foods and Costco.
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Please email studios@latimes.com. , joining investors Selva and GRTSHT in the seed round. This marks TTV’s eighth investment and second in the rapidly growing Better-for-You indulgent snacks category. Launched three years ago by Katie Lefkowitz, Harken Sweets is reimagining chocolate with products that are genuinely better for you without asking consumers to compromise on taste.
Sweetened with whole-food dates instead of refined sugar or synthetic alternatives, Harken delivers significantly less sugar and up to 14g ofper serving in a clean-label format that is resonating with mainstream consumers. Today, the brand is available at leading retailers, including Sprouts Farmers Market, Whole Foods Market, Kroger, Costco, Walmart, Albertsons, Wegmans and many more, as well as directly at HarkenSweets.com.
“We started Harken because I personally believed consumers deserved candy that felt as good as it tasted,” said Lefkowitz. “From day one, our goal has been to create products rooted in real ingredients and genuine indulgence, not compromise. The team at TTV immediately understood both the scale of that opportunity and the emotional connection consumers have with this category.
We feel incredibly lucky to have partners who deeply understand the space and share our long-term vision for building the next great modern candy brand. ”indulgence candy bar that genuinely meets the consumer where they are today – health-conscious, ingredient-aware and unwilling to give up on taste. We’re excited to support Harken’s next chapter of growth,” noted Danny Stepper, co-founder/GP of Taste Tomorrow Ventures.
Founded by LA Libations founders Danny Stepper, Dino Sarti and partner Scott Guthrie, Taste Tomorrow Ventures brings over eight decades of collective experience building, scaling and investing in high-growth consumer brands. In addition to capital, TTV provides hands-on operational support and deep industry connectivity across retail, supply chain and strategic partnerships. TTV Fund I is a $30-millionMake Legal Filings Easy With a LegalZoom Promo Code May 2026
Harken Sweets Taste Tomorrow Ventures Seed Investment Better-For-You Chocolate Healthy Indulgence
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