HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, OHIO — With the number and variety of start-up companies launching in the snack category, it can be difficult to shock consumers with a new product.
As the co-founder and chief executive officer of LaunchHouse — a shared office space and community — as well as an entrepreneur and investor of a variety of endeavors, Todd Goldstein realized he had a passion for development within the food industry. More specifically, he wanted to create a snack bar business that would make an impact and not be the same old, same old.
“Because of my gluten allergy, I needed to make sure that the product could tailor to individuals with gluten intolerances,” Mr. Goldstein said. “I also believed it was important to create a product that also served individuals with other food restrictions.”
Although the allergen-free snack space has room for product innovations, Mr. Goldstein also recruited one of his LaunchHouse employees to research further gaps in the market that would give an extra oomph to a start-up. The answer? A treat most consumers can’t resist: cookie dough.
But instead of packaging the dough for baking or placing it in a small tub to be eaten raw with a spoon, he formed a cookie dough snack bar company called Whoa Dough. Not only can the single-serve product be eaten on-the-go, but it can also be chilled before consumption and even baked if desired.
More importantly, Whoa Dough rewards healthy eaters with an indulgence that keeps certain dietary restrictions in mind and uses recognizable ingredients such as almonds, honey, coconut oil, cacao, arrowroot powder and organic maple syrup.
“As a team, we sometimes worried that we might never get to a product that hit all of our criteria: dairy-free, gluten-free, plant-based, egg-free, kosher, under 10 grams of sugar and damn good tasting,” Mr. Goldstein said. “We went through 19 iterations of the product before we finally found one that consumers liked.”
Whoa Dough bars come in five flavors: Chocolate chip cookie dough, peanut butter cookie dough, peanut butter chocolate chip cookie dough, sugar cookie dough and sprinkle sugar cookie dough. Each 1.6-oz bar contains 230 calories, 7 grams of protein, 3 to 4 grams of fiber,and fewer than 10 grams sugar. Not only are the bars plant-based, non-G.M.O., dairy-, gluten-, egg-, soy- and grain-free, but they are also kosher.
“It was imperative that our products were kosher,” Mr. Goldstein said. “Therefore, we needed to take the proper steps to make sure that we obtained our OU kosher certification.”
Launched in July, Whoa Dough has started off strong with sampling and a consistent social media presence, Mr. Goldstein said.
“We are big believers in excellent customer service and are doing our best to personally respond to each and every question and review that we receive,” he said.
The bars may be purchased individually at various locations in Ohio and are also on Amazon in a box of 10 bars for $25.99.
