Founder Spotlight: Katie Lefkowitz (Harken Sweets)
Meet Katie Lefkowitz:
Harken reimagines joy-inspiring, iconic treats, infusing them with superfoods that nourish and satiate. It’s not a "bar"…it’s a functional candy bar. Thank goodness we can finally eat those again.
Location:
New York, New York, USA
When did you launch the business?
2022
Become a member today!
Join the world’s largest plant-based business community 🌱
Get access to: mentors, resources, events, opportunities, discounts, and more to grow your business!
What led you to where you are today?
Here at Harken, we have created the first ever TRULY healthy candy bar - a date caramel SNICKERS that I created as a lifelong Snickers-obsessive who had to give up the stuff after a diagnosis related to .. colon cancer. It turned my life upside down - and put gut health at the forefront. I created Harken to allow you to ~harken~ back to nostalgic candy. Our date super FRUIT version brings with it: 13g of gut-health-promoting prebiotic fiber, with only 150 calories... all plant-based ingredients... and zero sugar added.
What do you wish you knew before embarking on your entrepreneurial journey?
Controversial - but I actually think a bit of naiveté is what makes most entrepreneurs dive into the unknown!!
What is the most difficult decision you've had to make regarding your business so far?
I started this business to help folks, as I myself had a run-in with a colon cancer-related diagnosis and truly wanted to create a product that I craved and that so many others needed. In that, I had to make the decision to scale our product capacity to make sure that we could meet the extremely high demand from retailers. In some ways I wanted to start"smaller" but I think ultimately this choice will allow us to bring our product and message to so many more consumers who need this sort of product in their lives!
What can you help the VEGPRENEUR community with?
Happy to share anything and everything to ensure other fantastic products are brought to the shelves of retailers everywhere :)
How can the VEGPRENEUR community help you?
It's so important that we vegpreneurs stick together and support one another as we try to healthify products out there! It'sall about being there for one another!
Fun fact about you:
I am a huge dog lover, and I am typing this as my 7-year-old labradoodle sleeps on my feet :)
Anything else you would like to share?
We have exciting things happening in 2024 - stay tuned!
Read More On Our Blog
