The 2.5-oz product with a honey-like consistency was introduced this past March in a stand-up, gusseted pouch that allows consumers to squeeze out the chocolate directly into their mouth.
No new packaging equipment was required by a local contract manufacturer to pack the pouches, says Kenneth J. Burke, Lava's president and CEO. Burke declines to provide any packaging details other than to say the pouch is a flexible foil/film structure. He says two tear notches near the top of the pouch ease opening and dispensing, and that the two-serving pouch “essentially seals itself,” though no further information was available. Unopened shelf life is one year.
The Lava Bar sells for $1.79 in many areas of the country. “In convenience and grocery stores, hotel gift shops, theme parks, pharmacies, and virtually anywhere you find a candy bar,” says Burke.
Burke had once made candy with his father, who died at 51 of leukemia. When his own son was 10, Burke began to make candy again. A portion of the sales of Lava Bar will go to leukemia research in memory of his father.
As for the “lava” name, Burke says it refers to the “molten”-like chocolate. “If you can resist eating this new bar directly from its package,” he says, “it's also absolutely great when added to milk shakes, poured over ice cream, or served over fresh fruit.”
Although the bars sell as a single product, Burke says Sam's Club has approached his company about a 12-pack. How sweet that would be for Lava Chocolate LLC.
