The International Food Information Council (IFIC) reported in its 2021 Food & Health Survey that 72% of US consumers said they are limiting or avoiding sugar in 2021. This increased demand for lower in sugar foods likely comes as a result of Covid-19 as consumers around the world are even more driven to eat healthier and look for nutritionally-improved options than ever before.
Very few, if any food categories have been unaffected by this reduced-sugar trend, and ice cream is no exception with more low-sugar ice cream brands making an appearance in consumer freezers worldwide. Canadian company, BETTERWITH Ice Cream, founded by Lori Joyce, is encouragingly sharing the message that her ice cream is full of flavour, not sugar.
Whilst speaking with Lori recently, she told us why she started an ice cream company. Turns out, she was meant to do this. Continue reading below to learn more about why BETTERWITH’s simple, cleaner label is a real winner in the ice cream category.
From Farm to Freezer
Lori Joyce, Founder and CEO of BETTERWITH Ice Cream initially found success in the foodie world as one half of The Cupcake Girls, an international TV series following their Cupcakes business journey across Canada. When the show ended in 2013, Lori was a mom for the first time and began to develop a different perspective on the types of foods available in her local grocery stores. Having been brought up on a self-sustaining farm by Croatian-born parents, Lori was alarmed one day when she read that what she was buying was called Frozen Dessert and not Ice Cream. She was curious why it was not called Ice Cream and thought that the ingredients on the label could be improved upon.
“As a food entrepreneur, the ice cream category got me excited because it offered a lot of opportunities that I couldn't achieve with Cupcakes, primarily the ability to scale a purposeful, better-for-you product with a much longer shelf-life.”
The recipes used in Betterwith Ice Cream are inspired by the idea of eating real, whole, less processed foods with ingredients that you can typically find in any home kitchen.
“Farmers understand that good things take time, and you don’t cut corners when you want to do something right, make something better.”
One example that Lori is particularly proud of is the work she put in to ensure that the strawberry ice cream recipe emulated the fresh taste of real strawberries. Once she achieved this, she knew she was on the right track and started to work on producing 5 more authentic, real tasting flavours.
Betterwith launched into Canadian grocery channels in late 2016 in Western Canada and despite the pandemic, they have experienced 45% growth in the last year alone. Given the strong reputation for Canada’s high-quality dairy products, further growth in their domestic and export markets is expected.
"On par with Häagen-Dazs"
Available in 500ml containers, BETTERWITH currently offers six flavours: Cream, Strawberry, Chocolate, Vanilla, Coffee, and Caramel. When brainstorming flavour possibilities, Lori knew that she wanted to keep it simple and do the classics, better. Inspired by her upbringing on the family farm, this meant using only real, whole ingredients to produce the richest, smoothest, most indulgent premium ice cream, ever. Their ‘Cream’ flavour comprises only four ingredients, and their Coffee flavour is an extension of ‘Cream’ but with the one added ingredient of a Fairtrade Arabica coffee bean from Brazil.
In addition to the classic flavours that BETTERWITH offers, the products are made using the lowest possible sugar. Each flavour boasts between 15-50% less sugar than other similar brands in the category which cuts any excess sweetness and leads to a healthier nutritional label.
“Our ice cream is popular with consumers who miss the forgotten taste of traditional dairy ice creams. Our customers tell us that we are better than Häagen-Dazs in terms of mouthfeel. Plus, we have achieved the same level of creaminess and smoothness, while using the lowest possible sugar. We are also currently the only two premium ice cream brands in the grocery market that contains absolutely no gums, fillers nor preservatives.”
In terms of price, BETTERWITH is also on par with Häagen-Dazs, retailing at $7.99 CAD. They can be found primarily in Western Canada in retailers like Whole Foods, Safeway, Sobey’s, as well as many independent natural stores.
How can the INNODELICE network support BETTERWITH’s growth?
BETTERWITH’s primary focus now is in building sustainable growth in their domestic market before moving towards export markets. Alongside their current co-packer who has the capabilities to scale the brand, BETTERWITH is looking for investment partners that share their brand values and ethos, and who can also help them scale within Canada initially.
Additionally, BETTERWITH is starting a crowdfunding campaign in order to allow their customers to become more involved in the brand’s growth and success. This raise will be used to produce more products and market the product more effectively. The company will also be documenting the process on their LinkedIn channel so that they can be as transparent as possible with their customers.
Following this, they would start to look towards export markets such as the US, Europe, and particularly Asia, where BETTERWITH sees huge growth opportunities as a Canadian dairy company.
How to start collaborating with BETTERWITH?
If you see an opportunity between BETTERWITH and your business, we would be happy to facilitate an introduction and help you start that conversation. If you are interested in discussing potential partnership opportunities, reach out to Nicolas on nicolas.marie@innodelice.com or Andrea on andrea.montreuil@innodelice.com and we will connect you.
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ABOUT INNODELICE
Founded by former executives in the Ice Cream industry, INNODELICE aims to create a worldwide ecosystem of solutions within the frozen dessert industry. Thanks to the relationships fostered by INNODELICE, manufacturers, brands, importers, distributors and suppliers can discover, buy and sell solutions to GROW their business. These solutions include co-manufactured and branded products as well as innovative and competitive ingredients, packaging and services. Our collaboration model generates lower costs and fewer risks for our participating partners while optimising their time to market. To learn more about INNODELICE, contact Nicolas MARIE (nicolas.marie@innodelice.com), Andrea MONTREUIL (andrea.montreuil@innodelice.com) or visit www.innodelice.com.
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