A Closer Look at This Longstanding Brand‘s Bestsellers
As someone with a major sweet tooth, I was intrigued when a friend sent me a box of chocolate covered strawberries from Shari‘s Berries. The beautifully decorated berries were almost too lovely to eat…almost! As I bit into the first juicy, chocolate-drizzled strawberry, I was amazed by the quality and freshness.
This led me to dig deeper into Shari’s Berries and what they have to offer. Known best for chocolate dipped strawberries, this company actually delivers a wide assortment of sweet treats like cheesecake, brownies, specialty cakes, and fresh fruit arrangements.
In this in-depth Shari’s Berries review, I’ll share insider info on their most popular goodies, along with an unbiased assessment of taste, presentation, and value. You’ll also get the scoop on real customer experiences, how ordering and delivery works, available discounts, and more to help you decide if their indulgent gifts are worth splurging on.
An Inside Look at This Long-Running Brand
Shari’s Berries has an origin story you don’t hear too often…it all began in a garage! Back in 1989, Shari Fitzpatrick started hand-dipping strawberries in chocolate in her Sacramento, California home as a way to make extra money.
Her homemade chocolate covered confections quickly gained a following, allowing Shari to grow her homespun business into a thriving brand that was eventually acquired by 1-800-FLOWERS. Today, Shari’s Berries specializes in creating beautiful, gift-worthy arrangements of chocolate dipped fruit and other decadent desserts.
While best known for ornate strawberries swirled with chocolate, Shari’s Berries also crafts lush fresh fruit bouquets, rich cakes, cheesecakes, brownies and more. Their products cater to gift giving occasions like birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, baby showers, and holidays.
Now that you know the backstory, let’s get into the details of what this brand has to offer. I analyzed Shari’s Berries’ top sellers to give you the inside scoop on exactly what you can expect.
Gourmet Hand-Drizzled Strawberries
As you’d expect from a company built on chocolate dipped berries, Shari’s most popular product remains their artfully decorated strawberries. The Gourmet Hand-Drizzled Strawberries I tried looked straight out of a magazine spread.
Each ruby red berry arrives enrobed in either milk or dark chocolate, then drizzled with a contrasting chocolate for visual appeal. The result is fruit that looks way too beautiful to eat. However, these berries aren’t just a pretty face.
Biting into the velvety chocolate shell reveals a perfectly ripe, juicy strawberry inside. The interplay of the sweet chocolate with the berry’s natural tartness strikes a wonderful balance. These gourmet goodies definitely live up to their elegant appearance.
The Verdict: Delicious fresh strawberries dipped in quality chocolate for gift-worthy presentation. Excellent balance of sweet and tart flavors.
Celebration Cheesecake Bites
If chocolate dipped fruit feels a bit basic for the occasion, Shari’s celebration cheesecake bites make for an extra decadent gift. These petite squares of cheesecake are coated in either milk or dark chocolate then topped with rainbow sprinkles.
Biting through the thin chocolate shell unveils dense, smooth cheesecake in flavors like New York-style or chocolate truffle. The miniature size makes these rich bites easy to pop in your mouth. Yet with just 9 in an order, I’d love to see a few more added.
The Verdict: Fun, celebratory twist on cheesecake in bite-size portions. Very rich yet easy to eat. Order could include more pieces.
Specialty Cakes
If you really want to wow someone on their big day, go for one of Shari’s specialty cakes like their Time to Celebrate Birthday Cake. This mini three-tiered vanilla cake arrives iced in white buttercream and sprinkled rainbow confetti.
What sets this cake apart are the chocolate dipped strawberries decorated with even more rainbow stripes and sprinkles. The marrying of ornate berries with an over-the-top birthday cake makes for an Instagram-worthy gift.
The cake itself boasts moist vanilla layers and fluffy buttercream that’s not overly sweet. A tiny candle tops it off for an extra festive touch. Just be aware that the bottom tier of the cake is styrofoam—strictly for looks, not for eating!
The Verdict: Visually stunning cake with high quality berries and buttercream. The tiny yet mighty size makes it easy to devour.
Sweet and Delicious Fruit Bouquet
For a healthier and still decadent gift, Shari’s Sweet and Delicious fruit bouquet combines fresh pineapple, melon, grapes, oranges and strawberries sliced and arranged to resemble flowers. The carved fruit even includes leafy greens created out of melon rind.
This fresh fruit arrangement looks almost too lovely to dig into! Yet the juicy pineapple and melon slices beckon…I couldn‘t resist enjoying a few sweet grape “blossoms". The freshness of the chopped fruit makes for a refreshing and elegant gift.
The Verdict: Stunning, colorful fruit bouquet using high quality, ripe produce. Sure to impress any recipient.
How Real Customers Rate Their Experience
Curious how actual buyers rated their Shari’s Berries orders, I scoured customer reviews across the web. Unfortunately on TrustPilot their overall rating stands at a dismal 1.2 out of 5 stars. Reviewers mostly complained of warm, mushy chocolate and damaged products.
Yet positive reviews do exist, like one woman who called her gourmet berries “delicious” and perfectly shipped. Other satisfied customers on YouTube happily showed off their ornate berry and cake orders. One woman had roses that lasted over two weeks!
So while negative critiques do outnumber the positive, some buyers clearly loved their Shari‘s Berries gifts. Just temper expectations around shipping specialized desserts in warmer months.
How To Get the Best Value
Given the specialized nature of their made-to-order gifts, Shari’s Berries does fall on the pricier side. Expect to spend around $35 for just 6 chocolate dipped strawberries, while a stunning fruit bouquet runs over $70.
Yet compared to most flower delivery services, Shari’s Berries provides a memorable, Instagram-worthy alternative for gift giving. Joining their Celebrations Passport program for $20 per year also scores you free shipping and member perks.
For the best value, build a customized gift box with an assortment of their chocolate dipped fruit, specialty cakes and fresh fruit. Take advantage of seasonal promotions around holidays like Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day for extra savings.
The Final Verdict
After biting into those first chocolate and champagne drizzled strawberries, I was smitten with the idea of Shari‘s Berries. Yet upon closer inspection, this classic brand has some drawbacks to consider alongside their decadent treats.
While their gourmet berries and bite-sized cheesecakes largely live up to the hype in presentation and taste, execution inconsistencies do happen. And their steep pricing quickly adds up.
However, for a truly over-the-top gift celebrating a milestone event or birthday, Shari’s Berries uniquely intertwines edible arrangements with chocolate-dipped decadence. The final product—when all goes smoothly—hits that sweet spot of impressive yet indulgent.
Still want answers? Here’s everything else you need to know about Shari’s Berries:
Where are they available? Shari’s Berries currently only delivers within the United States. No international shipping is available.
What about returns? While no official return policy exists, Shari‘s promises to "make it right" if you contact their Smile Guarantee customer service for any issues.
Do they offer promotions? Regularly check their site around peak holidays for percentage discounts and free add-on gifts with purchase. An annual Celebrations Passport also includes perks like free shipping.
How do I reach customer service? Connect with their helpful (and hopefully smiley) customer care team at 877-Berries or [email protected]
I hope this in-depth Shari’s Berries review gave you the behind-the-scenes scoop to determine if their gifts merit a sweet splurge! Let me know in the comments if you end up ordering anything.
