Ara Josefsson, DMSB'16, MS'17, and Jaida Mercurio, DMSB/AMD'21, co-founders of Health by Chocolate Bakery, created a healthy alternative to regular chocolate, a line of handcrafted chocolates high in protein and low in carbs and fat. The chocolates are available in three flavors: apple pie, birthday cake, and chocolate almond.
“There is absolutely nothing like this on the market,” said Josefsson. “They're high-protein, low-calorie, and still taste good.”
The idea came to Mercurio during her first year at Northeastern in 2016. As the daughter of a baker and a chef, she began to experiment with recipes on her own, leading her to create the chocolate almond flavor, with just one gram of fat, one gram of carbohydrate and seven grams of protein.
After meeting Josefsson at The Marino Center, Mercurio had him try the chocolate bite, and the two came up with the idea to turn the healthy snack into a business. Since then, the chocolates are now for sale online, and the two are also in talks to sell their sweets at local bakeries.
“The product is really good, it solves a serious problem, and people seem to enjoy it,” said Mercurio.
Josefsson and Mercurio have also connected with IDEA, Northeastern University's student-run venture accelerator, to perfect a market research presentation, which will hopefully lead to gap funding.