Wild Zora Review
Overview:
Wild Zora is a homegrown company starting from the owner Zora’s own kitchen! Based on the thought that packaged food can be quality made with fresh ingredients, Wild Zora presents a healthy alternative to snacks and meals on-the-go that are still tasty and quality made. Typically, jerky snacks and dehydrated meals on the market have very high sodium, sugar, and lots of extra unpronounceable chemicals and crap included. Wild Zora products are committed to using only real food ingredients with no added chemicals or preservatives in their line of Gluten-Free, Paleo, and Primal food.
What Was Tried:
Meat & Veggie Bars:
BBQ Beef Bars with Kale, Tomato & Red Bell Pepper
Mediterranean Lamb Bars with Spinach, Rosemary & Turmeric
Curry Masala Turkey Bars with Spinach, Dates & Cardamom
Paelo Meals To Go:
Caldera Chicken Curry
Butte Cacao Banana
Wild Zora Meat & Veggie Bar - Pros:
Delicious! I love jerky but after a few bites, I feel like my jaw is going to fall off thanks to the tough chewing that ensues. Wild Zora’s Meat and Veggie Bars somehow maintain jerky qualities without the insane toughness, which I greatly appreciate. The bars are neither overwhelming meaty nor super veggie-induced, but a great mix of both. This is also a great alternative to sugary snacks that give you an energy boost, yet you crash an hour or so later. If you love jerky, these guys may not win you over immediately, but for the person who bawks at the thought of a meat stick, you may just find yourself going over to the dark side with these bars.
Wild Zora Meat & Veggie Bar - Cons:
While the veggie bars are quite delicious, I personally would not depend on them during a multi-day trip, whether it be backpacking, cycling, canoeing, etc. I would save these treats for a day trip due to the amount of calories each has. When you’re on an adventure for days at a time, a high calorie snack is desirable to sustain energy and keep you fueled longer. Most of the veggie and meat bars from Wild Zora hold no more then 130 calories, tops (at least the ones I tried).
Most of the bars also require refrigeration after their packaging is opened, with a warning found on the back noting to keep the bars out of direct sunlight. Due to their small size, I’m not sure why anyone would not just eat the whole package, but in the event someone does not, this will be a problem. Also, the idea of keeping the bars out of direct sunlight seemed a little daunting to me. I want to be fully immersed in my adventure, not worrying about if my food is going to spoil.
Paleo Meals To Go - Pros:
Although swinging more on the healthy side, when cooked, the Caldera Chicken Curry packed a punch of flavors that I was not expecting. The curry is strong in this one. However, keep in mind that you’re cooking in a pouch so everything is going to get mushed together regardless. For a dinner, the entire package of Caldera Chicken holds 400 calories, which, depending on your adventure may be just the right amount to fill you up.
The Butte Cacao Banana is a sweet and filling way to start the day! It contains a high amount calories at 430 calories for the package and 46 grams of carbs will get your day jump-started. The ingredients are also naturally sweet - so this breakfast will help avoid the sugar crash later on.
The meals tried (see list above) looked upon opening like any typical dehydrated meal. As per typical cooking standards, these meals can be made within the package making for quick clean up which is always a plus. After pouring in some hot water I found the wait time to also be that of typical rehydration, 5 - 15 minutes depending upon ones current altitude and the specific meal.
You are eating all good stuff with these meals! Compared with a lot of other rehydrated meals on the market I’ve tried, I didn’t feel gross after eating these. I didn’t feel overwhelming thirsty an hour later due to a high sodium intake, my stomach didn’t feel upset, and I didn’t feel bloated after eating either meal. I have a suspicion that this has something to do with the lack of processed crap and chemicals found in Wild Zora products.
Paleo Meals To Go - Cons:
The Caldera Chicken Curry may not pack enough umph for your body’s needs. Depending on your adventure and how many calories you burned through out the day, you may find yourself craving a little more. Flavor can only sustain you so much.
If you have a consistency issue, do not grab the Butte Cacao Banana. This dehydrated meal when hydrated was nothing but mush and lacked the flavor that I was hoping for with the delicious ingredients advertised. I found this meal somewhat nutty but very bland overall. Keep in mind, too, I am only human so there is a possibility that too much water was added. The amount of water needed may depend on personal preference and good ol’ trial and error. Regardless, don’t look forward to eating what the picture shows; it will not look like that.
As with any rehydrated meal, the wait game when you’re hungry is hard to deal with and Wild Zora is no exception. I do feel that the Caldera Chicken meal was even harder to wait for thanks to the delicious smell of curry emitting from the pouch.
These meals and snacks can be considered to be on the pricey side compared to other dehydrated meals on the market. One single-serving Wild Zora Meal can range from $10.95 to $12.95, where as other meals advertising two servings in one pouch range from $6.99 to $7.99. This to me seems very similar to buying organic food or non-organic. For the budget strapped hiker, Wild Zora may not be the best option.
Final Thoughts:
Quality, quantity, taste, and over all health decisions are always specific to the person. Everyone’s digestive system is different too, but if you have found that other processed meals and snacks do not sit well with you, you should give Wild Zora a try. Wild Zora makes a variety of products all with good ingredients. Since their food is made well and not tainted by chemicals and processed out the wha-zoo, it to me, seems worth a few extra bucks.
You may not take Wild Zora out on every adventure, but once you try a meal or bar, I’m sure you’ll be taking it with you somewhere.
For more about Wild Zora, check out their website here.
You can find Wild Zora products available in the OE store.