◊ By Rutaksha Rawat

Having read positive reviews about Purple Hippie on social media, and having been at the brink of ordering it online several times, I finally purchased a box when I chanced upon it at an organic retail store.

I bought a 300 gm box (priced at Rs 350) of their Peanut Butter & Chocolate Granola, which has no added refined sugar (it does, however, contain 33 gm of sugar per 100 gm) and no added preservatives. The shelf life of the product is 3 months.

As per directives on the box, the granola can be consumed as a dessert snack or as cereal. It is baked and is oat-based. The box features charming graphics in black and white and urges the user to “colour me”.

Purple Hippie, headquartered in Bengaluru, also makes granola in other flavours, and offers granola bars and peanut butters in several flavours.

INGREDIENTS

This granola comprises oats, organic honey, homemade peanut butter, roasted peanuts, cold pressed organic coconut oil and dark chocolate.

It contains 0 transfats and 0 cholesterol. But it does contain 217 mg of sodium per 100 gm, which is higher than some of the other granola brands in the Indian market. It also contains 55 gm of carbohydrates, 7 gm of fibre, and 13 gm of protein.

Image source: www.facebook.com/purplehippie4u

TASTE

Although the brand is marketing this product as a cereal/dessert, this particular flavour, in my opinion, is more suited as a dessert snack.

Although the peanut-chocolate coupling is delicious and works well, the packet that came my way was not crunchy and came across as somewhat stale.

The price of Rs 350 would have perhaps been more adequate were it packaged at 400 gm. But I do understand they have to factor in packaging, quality ingredients, the shorter shelf life and logistics. Moreover, on their website,                  purplehippie.in, they do have more budget-friendly options of 500 gm and 1 kg, priced more economically.

VERDICT

Purple Hippie gets full marks for transparency as it mentions exactly which ingredients are organic. They also clearly publish their sodium content on their box—something most of the other Indian granola brands are omitting.

While I do appreciate the transparency of Purple Hippie, the taste was just alright for me. It’s not that I would not buy this product again, it’s just that I’m not hooked to this particular product of theirs.