A consumer demand for more transparency from food and beverage brands has been on the rise in recent years and brands like Pink Albatross, who we will learn more about below, are listening. The trend for transparency was fuelled even further throughout the pandemic and continues as we make our return to normality. This was reinforced by a 2020 Innova Consumer Survey which identified transparency as the top trend for 2021 and revealed that six in ten global consumers are interested in learning more about where their food comes from.
We met up with Luke Saldanha and Pepe Biaggio from Pink Albatross in Spain to learn more about their motivations behind creating a more transparent and clean label frozen dessert that not only uses recognisable ingredients, but is also vegan and free of gluten. Keep reading to discover more about Pink Albatross.
Food brings people together
Both co-founders of the Pink Albatross brand have always paid great attention to the nutritional labels on food and beverage products. Luke, as a vegan, and Pepe as the father of a food-allergenic daughter. They both wanted to create a product that would make not only their own lives easier, but also other customers who may experience similar challenges when searching for food products to suit their dietary requirements.
“Food is something that naturally brings people together, but those with allergies, intolerances, or other niche dietary requirements can often feel isolated from certain food experiences, so we wanted to remove those obstacles and make our brand a more inclusive one.”
After noticing that the plant-based trend that was so strong in other countries they had previously lived in such as the US, was not quite as dominant yet in the Spanish market, Luke and Pepe carried out market research investigations and feasibility studies which led to the discovery of an opportunity for clean label and plant-based ice cream in Spain. At the time, plant-based ice cream products on shelf were few and far between, but the category was beginning to experience strong growth, so they embarked on the journey of bringing their plant-based and allergen-friendly brand to life.
Inspiration for the brand name came about from both co-founders international travel experience, with Luke and Pepe having both worked and lived in many countries across the globe. The Albatross is a seabird that can travel enormous distances without rest (up to 1,000 kilometers a day), and the colour pink was chosen for its connotations of health and happiness in the English language.
In April 2019, they launched their first SKU and have been in growth ever since, demonstrated by their recent achievement of reaching a product rotation of over three times the amount of the leading plant-based ice cream brand in a large Spanish retailer.
Who said you need cream in your ice cream?
After initially launching with five main flavours, the team increased their range in 2021 to include nine flavours in total: Toasted Hazelnut, Double Chocolate Chip, Choc Chip Coconut, Tropical Mango, Chocolate Bits & Peanut Butter, Chocolate Bits & White Mint, Mango & Passion Fruit, Perfect Roast Pistachio, and Arabica Coffee & Chocolate.
Many of their ingredients are custom-made for the Pink Albatross brand. For example, the hazelnut paste used in their Toasted Hazelnut SKU (created by roasting carefully-selected hazelnuts to a specific level and then grounding them to a paste) is largely responsible for making this flavour one of their bestsellers. Additionally, five of their flavours also contain chocolate bits which were made exclusively for Pink Albatross by an artisan chocolatier which gives them a unique and delicious taste that you can’t find elsewhere.
The intense flavour and creamy texture you will find with their ice creams is all natural as the brand does not use any artificial ingredients. The ingredients they use are also all plant-based and suitable for vegans as they do not contain any lactose, gluten, soy, eggs, or dairy.
“We create our vegan ice creams with only recognisable ingredients and we get the unique creaminess through a mixture of coconut milk and cashew nuts, combined with a distinctive production process.”
The brand has made all of this information easily accessible and readable on their packaging so that the customer can easily see the ingredient list at a glance. One-third of their packaging is dedicated to showcasing their ingredients in a highly visual format to make it as simple as possible for the consumer reading labels on shelf.
“If we cannot draw it, we don’t include it”.
You will currently find their 480ml pints listed in Spanish retail stores such as Sanchez Romero and Ametller, as well as Spar in the Canary Islands. They have also recently sent their first shipment to Portugal this month which is only going to be the beginning of the brand’s export potential as they look towards new markets and distribution channels including HORECA with a new 120ml format in 3 of their flavours which will be launching next season.
How can the INNODELICE network support PINK ALBATROSS’ growth?
The Pink Albatross range has been primarily designed as a retail-ready product so for retail partners looking to collaborate, the brand is open to conversations in the northern and southern hemispheres. Additionally, the team is interested in furthering conversations with interested importers and/or broker partners worldwide.
As aforementioned, the foodservice and HORECA channel is one of growing interest for the brand, and one that Pink Albatross will be looking into more as they approach the 2022 frozen dessert season. They are currently working with select fast-casual restaurants in the Spanish Market, and can supply a single-serve format or 2.2L format for foodservice. The plan is to also make more limited editions and novelty flavours available in 2022 for holidays and special occasions.
The team sees strong potential for their brand in counter-seasonal regions like Chile, Australia, and New Zealand, as well as certain parts of Asia where plant-based and clean label products are becoming increasingly popular.
Pink Albatross are hoping to work with partners, from distributors to agents, who can assist with market entry and development in terms of connecting with relevant retailers and building customer relationships. They understand the power of marketing and look forward to working closely with their partners to develop the pertinent POS and marketing materials that will ensure their product and partnership success.
How to start collaborating with Pink Albatross?
If you would like to start a conversation with the Pink Albatross team, we will be more than happy to facilitate that introduction. You can learn more about the Pink Albatross brand and products here on our website, and if you are interested in discussing potential partnership opportunities together, 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.