Bare Life Cocoa Earns Natural Nutmeg’s 10 Best Readers’ Choice Award

Bare Life’s award winning, plant-based and gluten-free hot cocoa has earned a place among the 10 Best Gluten Free & Organic Product Companies in Natural Nutmeg Magazine’s Readers’ Choice Awards.

“Thank you SO much for the honor and to everyone who took the time to vote for us - we're so grateful!,” said Ali Lazowski, founder of Bare Life in acknowledging the second consecutive year that Bare Life has placed in the top 10.

Natural Nutmeg Magazine is Connecticut’s resource for health and environmentally conscious readers who desire a holistic, natural lifestyle. The magazine offers cutting-edge, timely information on natural health, wellness, green living, nutrition, fitness and organic products.

Bare Life’s original Coconut Hot Cocoa also continues to receive awards and widespread praise from a steadily increasing customer base. In recent months, Bare Life successfully debuted two new and delectable, seasonal, hot cocoa flavors - Pumpkin Spice and Peppermint – to enthusiastic responses from customers during the October and December holiday seasons, and continued to expand in Connecticut, New England, and across the country.

On the Menu at UConn – Perfect for March Madness (and Beyond)

In addition to expanding their retail locations throughout the past year, Bare Life is now on the menu of their second university partner, the University of Connecticut. Both Bare Life’s plant-based, gluten free and sustainably sourced hot cocoa and frozen hot cocoa can be found on the menu in all of the University of Connecticut’s Storrs campus cafes.

UConn’s award-winning Dining Services Department manages over 100,000 meals per week and five cafes (including one that is plant-based), Union Street Market Food Court, three eateries, an ice cream shop, food truck, ice cream truck, and two bakeries (one strictly gluten-free).

“Being born in Connecticut and with most of my family being UCONN alumni it’s an absolute “pinch-me” moment to have my hot chocolate on the menu at UCONN. It’s a privilege to play a small part in UCONN’s commitment to support local and sustainable food options for their students to enjoy. Especially while also helping to expand their plant-based, gluten free food options on campus,” says Ali Lazowski, founder of Bare Life.

Expanding Retail Availability

Customers can now see Bare Life’s Coconut Hot Cocoa Mix on more local shelves in nearly 150 stores across 20 states, including select ShopRite locations and all of the Whole Foods throughout New England, including their latest location in South Windsor, which opened in January. Bare Life’s Single Serving 10 Packs were a featured local product in February and last November at Whole Foods locations across New England.

Product availability varies, but the popular hot cocoa mix is sold in recyclable single serving packets, large scoopable pouches, or 5 lb. food service options. Find a complete list of Bare Life locations and product availability at www.eatbarelife.com/locations.

Organic and Dairy Free Peppermint and Pumpkin Spice

The Peppermint Hot Cocoa Mix, made with six simple, allergen friendly, and sustainably sourced ingredients, including peppermint essential oils, is the perfect addition to anyone’s beverage line-up, well beyond the holiday season. To enjoy, simply add the mix to hot water or your favorite plant-based milk, for this mouthwatering treat, that just happens to be free from dairy, gluten, soy, refined sugar and corn.

Unlike other hot cocoas that use flavorings, Bare Life is continuing their revolutionary use of organic and simple ingredients, by foregoing the use of any flavorings. They have crafted this scrumptious new mix with peppermint essential oils to provide this hot chocolate’s crisp and refreshing peppermint taste, while retaining the benefits of peppermint essential oils. The Pumpkin Spice mix likewise forgoes any flavorings and simply includes whole ingredients like organic cinnamon, organic ginger, organic nutmeg, organic allspice, and organic cloves, for a truly mouthwatering treat.

Delectable Dessert Recipes

Bare Life continues to expand their delectable array of dessert recipes, available on the Bare Life website, quick and easy to prepare. The marvelous and memorable dessert recipes all feature their hot cocoa as the central ingredient and transform the mix into scrumptious dairy and gluten free treats like Hot Cocoa Bombs, Peppermint Hot Cocoa Brownie Bites, Taylor’s Hot Cocoa Mug Cake, Hot Cocoa Peanut Butter Protein Bites and Kristina’s Coconut Hot Cocoa Brownies. Recipes for Hot Cocoa Protein Muffins and Bare Life Hot Cocoa Pancakes, Hot Cocoa French Toast, and Homemade Marshmallows are also featured on the website, along with an array of delicious beverage recipes.

Bare Life Beginnings

Ali Lazowski started the allergen friendly hot cocoa company, Bare Life, after being diagnosed during her junior year of college with IBS, Hashimoto's disease, Thyroid cancer, and Lyme disease. The chronic conditions and diseases she was diagnosed with required a change in her lifestyle and diet.

Ali’s dietary needs included foods that were gluten-free, dairy-free, and refined sugar-free. She found that the foods available either did not taste good or did not cover multiple allergens. Taking matters into her own hands – literally – Ali developed the original Bare Life recipe in her own kitchen.

Statistics show that many Americans live with chronic illnesses, allergies, and sensitivities: 133 million Americans (40% of the population) live with chronic illness, and even more are affected by these illnesses, and 15 million Americans have food allergies and sensitivities. Recognizing the number of people with unmet dietary needs, Ali Lazowski launched Bare Life in 2018 to reimagine the food system and bring elevated, crave-worthy, and convenient foods to allergen friendly eating for the millions of people living with chronic illnesses, food allergies, and sensitivities.

Online Availability

The plant-based hot cocoa mix, accompanied by Ali’s creative recipes using the hot cocoa mix, has earned a growing number of customers, distributors, and retail locations. In addition to Bare Life’s growing list of in-store shopping locations, Bare Life can be purchased online at Bare Life’s Website, Amazon, Walmart.com, QVC.com, Etsy, or for only wholesale distribution options, see Faire.com, Associated Buyers, Rainforest Distribution, Specialty Food Marketplace, Sysco Online Marketplace, Bozzuto’s Online Marketplace, and Pod Foods. On Amazon, Bare Life hot cocoa mix was named Top New Hot Cocoa on Amazon at its launch on the site in January 2020.

Since its founding, Bare Life has sold more than 480,000 mugs of hot cocoa, with customers in all 50 states. The popular plant-based hot cocoa has also been honored for the past four years in Lux Life Magazine's Food and Drink Awards, most recently as Best Vegan Cocoa Brand.

More information about the award-winning Bare Life hot chocolate offerings, including store locations, can be found at www.eatbarelife.com. To stay up-to-date with upcoming in-store demos, recipes, and Bare Life news, follow @eatbarelife on social media and Subscribe to Bare Life’s Newsletter.