Hafervoll Flapjacks, the one of a kind cereal bars

Cereal bars are the most common thing you would bring along in your backpack. And there are plenty of sorts in the market. Not long ago, Hafervoll caught my attention while gazing through the trade fair this year. 4 white plates of cereal bars Flapjacks to try out – they were so yummy, it was hard to leave their stand without emptying their plates. (oops!) Rob and Phil, the CEOs of Hafervoll, a new startup in Cologne made every effort to manufacture their product traditionally, yet tasty. And they are doing a good job so far!

Flapjacks in the midst of Sicily

When Hafervoll sent me an assorted box of Flapjacks to try*, it came in just in time to be packed into my luggage for our upcoming road trip to Sicily. Each flapjacks was individually packed in a transparent paper so you can actually see all the goodness waiting to be eaten. 350 kcal per flapjacks that stills your hunger on a rest minute, a whole bar of natural ingredients, free from chemicals, sugar and whats most important to us, they are lactose free!

The first flapjacks bared itself, after 48 hours of rough travelling through ship and car at a crag by the seaside. It came as a welcomed snack between the routes we climbed and gave a boost of energy for the next. It was an extremely difficult situation having to ration the Flapjacks to myself. There were too many demands to share the little amount of Flapjacks that I have. Everyone wanted one! One flapjacks kept me full for the whole afternoon, the portion was just right. I brought all 4 flavours along:

• Cashew-Cranberry
• Almond-Raisin
• Cocoa-Hazelnut
• Poppy seed-Apricot

They disappeared faster in the tummies than I had imagined. Each one tasted great, and my personal favourite was the cashew-cranberry and almond-raisin. It was a little joy to find pieces of cranberries and all the nutty nutrients in the bars. I found that the almond-raisin flapjacks tasted most natural from the four variants. The Flapjacks has a shelf life of 6 months before it expires.

Flapjacks on trial

I’ll bet not many Flapjacks have made it this far today, nor have they been through really rough terrains like the last. This one flapjacks survived after weeks of exposure in the heat, and rough travelling in the backpack under heavy gear. Well, it didn’t look that appealing anymore than when I opened it, but they tasted still good. (And I didn’t tell anyone I had one more hidden, so pssst!)

What I liked:

• Natural ingredients  no chemical additives
• lactose free!
• Handmade and traditionally baked!
• Has what it takes to become a favourite flapjacks for the outdoor enthusiast and climber!

What could be better:

• The bars crumbles easily. Although it is clear to me that making a cereal bar with only natural ingredients will have one or other disadvantage, I would love to see one sort with a formula improved for keeping all the goodies intact and withstanding higher temperatures especially made for the outdoor enthusiasts. I think they have great potential to become a favorite snack.
• High price. Priced at 1,99 EUR per bar this is quite an exquisite cereal bar to pay for. But it’s handmade, remember?
• Not yet available in southern Germany, e.g. Munich!

The Flapjacks are now already available in different Edeka supermarkets (in the northern part of Germany). Check out their website at Hafervoll.de for more details, or their Facebook and Twitter pages, threatening to rule the supermarket world! 😉 You can place your orders directly at their website for a discounted box of 20 Flapjacks. They support people who are looking for sponsors to events and marketing campaigns too. Just ask.

If you are inspired by this post to make some cereal bars yourself instead, you can check out my earlier post here and have loads of fun making it while waiting for it to be available at your local store.

*Disclosure: I was not financially compensated for this post. I received a sample for review purposes. The opinions are completely my own based on my experience.