Why, oh why, can we only eat peppermint bark between November 1 and December 25? It’s a puzzle I hope to solve one day. Our Polar Peppermint Bark is to-die-for-delicious and by far our most popular item during these two months. We can’t make it or package it fast enough to keep up with the demand in our store, online or in our retailers’ stores. Yet if one lonely box remains on the shelf come December 26th – we can’t even give it away.
There is nothing on our packaging that says “Christmas” or “Holiday” or even a splash of that ever present red and green combination. Yet, once the calendar turns the page, the peppermint bark becomes the black sheep of the chocolate world. To be shunned and discarded rather than eaten and enjoyed.
We can’t blame the flavor itself – for it lives on all year long in the form of breath mints, gum, toothpaste and even tea. No one has ever shunned the little red and white hard candy on the way out of that Italian restaurant, whispering, “Oh no, I can’t take that, it’s March for heaven’s sake!”
It’s true; we won’t sell the bark after Christmas because the idea of it being passed over as each month unfolds is a bit sad and quite simply, poor business strategy.
But should society ever change their mintist attitude toward peppermint bark so it can one day become a real chocolate accepted by all, no matter the time of year, we will open our store and our hearts to carrying this delight all year round.