Did you know that in 1984, President Ronald Reagan designated July as National Ice Cream Month and the third Sunday of the month as National Ice Cream Day? Discover in this article how US brands rose to the occasion with a lot of creativity!
And even though we come close the end of the season, there is no lack of innovative ice cream launches in the market, with a special mention for those monument / exhibit-shaped ice creams launched to encourage more visitors to discover cultural and historical sites in China.
Our July Pick Of The Month is the well-known brand Magnum, who have been super creative in their most recent co-branding collaboration with artists by incorporating QR codes on beach towels so customers can have their Magnum ice creams delivered to their location. Find out more below!
NEW TRENDS
- DIY Ice Cream at Home by NINJA -
With the COVID pandemy limiting our ability to eat ice cream Out of Home, a few companies have recently introduced the Ice Cream experience at Home, with machines such as COLDSNAP or COCONUT BLISS DIY.
In a further attempt, NINJA launched their newest product - the Ninja Creami - on July 18th (National Ice Cream Day). The new innovation allows you to create personalised frozen treats and add in your own toppings from the comfort of your own home. While it can turn virtually any ingredient into a frozen treat, users will still need to freeze their preparations beforehand as the machine only blends already frozen blocks. It is available to buy from their website for $199 USD.
- Get the BANANA SCOOP! -
We previously saw Banana-based Ice Cream Brand YELLOFRUIT expand their range in the Canadian market, but now as banana becomes an increasingly popular core ingredient for plant-based frozen desserts, BANANA SCOOPS are the first banana-based ice cream to launch in the UK market.
The range is vegan and dairy-free, and only 312 calories per tub which also counts as one of your five portions of fruits / vegetables a day. It also comes in 500ml recyclable tubs in three flavours: Banilla, Chocolate, and Raspberry, and they currently sell at approximately £5.49 in UK supermarkets, Ocado and Planet Organic.
- CULTURAL HIGHLIGHT-shaped Ice Creams in China -
China saw this summer the launch of many locally distributed ice creams, modelled on Cultural Highlights of the country. As an example, the new ice cream sold in Hongyadong in China was purposely designed to be shaped like unique areas of interest with the goal of encouraging younger generations to visit the local cultural and historical areas. The must for the tech-savvy Chinese younger generations? Get the picture of your ice cream side by side with the real monument and post it on Instagram. Priced at 18 Yuan ($2.78 USD or €2.38), the sticks are available in two flavours: chocolate and strawberry.
Discover more examples of those ice creams shaped according to cultural monuments or exhibits in our recent blog on Chinese Ice Cream Market trends.
- MAGNUM: from ICE CREAM to FASHION -
Unilever's MAGNUM has teamed up in Europe with a group of artists to design a range of limited edition XXL beach towels, made from 100% cotton, that customers can relax on while they enjoy their Magnum ice creams.
This new co-branding strategy involves the collaboration of artists who have designed the beach towels in a range of cool colours and designs, and each with their own scannable QR code that enables customers to request a Magnum ice cream to be delivered to their location in less than 30 minutes. Towels cost €50 and can be purchased via Magnum’s website.
PRODUCT LINE EXTENSIONS / RENOVATIONS
- TRADER JOE's Mini Cones get a Plant-based makeover -
Trader Joe’s are slowly but surely creating vegan replicas of each of their traditional ice cream product range and their mini cones are no exception! Their new Hold the Dairy! Mini Coconut Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert Cones are the vegan alternative to their Hold the Cone ice creams, but they are made with a coconut milk base instead of a dairy one. You can find a 12-pack of mini cones in Trader Joe stores in the US for $3.99.
- LIDL regroups its VEGAN offering under VEMONDO -
LIDL, the lider discount retailer for vegan products in Europe, decided to extend its vegan offering while regrouping all plant-based products under one unique brand: VEMONDO. Within the range of 450 products, you will find vegan ice cream alternatives, with pints (such as the coconut-based frozen dessert pictured here - which can be found in LIDL at 2.99€ for a pint of 340g -), sticks cones and sandwiches.
Available in Europe and UK, the full range is also climate-neutral as Lidl offset the CO2 emissions of the products during both production and transport.
- KISSYO launch first ORGANIC MOCHIS in Europe -
Another brand supporting climate neutrality is KISSYO, the first organic mochi brand in Europe. Currently sold only in German supermarkets and online for the German market, the brand is catering to the demand for organic food which has reached more than €12bn in sales in recent years.
The available flavours, two of which are vegan include Blueberry, Coconut, and Vanilla Yogurt, with six 35g mochi’s to a pack. They are sold 6.99€ a pack online.
NEW & SURPRISING FLAVOURS / SHAPES
- BRAVE ROBOT Partners with LEVI'S for Limited Edition Ice Cream -
Another non-food related co-branding partnership has been found between animal-free ice cream brand, BRAVE ROBOT, and well-known fashion brand, LEVI'S as they came together to celebrate National Ice Cream Day in the US on July 18th. Ice cream customers were required to simply download the LEVI'S app to get their free pint of Summer Swirl ice cream, a limited edition by BRAVE ROBOT.
- Mac & Cheese Ice Cream by KRAFT and VAN LEEUWEN -
Riding the comfort food wave and possibly the most unique of all the flavours in this month’s ice cream and frozen dessert round-up, here is KRAFT’s new Mac n Cheese flavoured ice cream. A mix of sweet and savoury, KRAFT partnered with VAN LEEUWEN Ice Cream in Brooklyn to create a macaroni and cheese-flavoured ice cream as a celebration of National Macaroni & Cheese Day on July 14th in the US.
Adding a cheese flavour to ice cream is not unusual in Asia, but no so common in the Western world. Is that a trend coming in? In any case, this very limited edition created a lot of media buzz in the US.
- JENI’s launches not 1 but 5 limited editions for summer -
Nostalgia is the main purpose behind Jeni’s newest limited edition ice cream flavours and they are releasing a new summer flavour every week between July 8th and August 6th!
The pints will be available both in shops and on their online store for $12 (USD) per pint or $58 for the whole range which includes five new flavours starting with Rocket Pop and followed by Mango Cheesecake Swirl, Orange Freeze, High Five Candy Bar, and Golden Nectar.
- BLUE BELL opts for classic creations with Coconut Cream Pie launch -
Every year, US brand Blue Bell celebrates National Ice Cream Month in July with a new ice cream flavour or by bringing back an old favourite. This year, they have gone with the former and launched a new flavour in the form of Coconut Cream Pie which includes coconut flakes, pie crust pieces, and a whipped topping swirl with toasted coconut. Customers can find this available in pint and half-gallon format.
- FRONERI ITALY customize MAXIBON for Italians -
Maxibon’s newest release in the Italian market is one to shout about. The limited edition launch is a Dark Berry flavoured waffle on one side and a cocoa covering on the other, while also featuring chopped hazelnuts and biscuits.
In a pack of 4 sandwiches, the product can be found at most Italian retailers for 3.99€.
- The SMIZE Surprise by Tyra Banks -
In our April edition of What’s New, we highlighted some ice cream launches by celebrities, one of which was US celebrity, Tyra Banks' pending ice cream brand launch, SMIZE.
Well, the brand has now officially launched in the US market with a store in LA but nationwide shipping available to those who can’t make it to the store. Technically, the product is more of a frozen custard than ice cream but it also includes a cookie dough truffle surprise at the bottom of every pint, the flavour of which is individual to the pint you choose.
SMIZE launched with seven uniquely-named flavours: The Best Vanilla I Ever Had, Strawberry BirthYAY! Cake, Brownies, I Love You!, Purple Cookie Mon-STAR & Me, Salted Caramel King, Cookie Caramel Queen, and Chocolate Barbeque.
- A SPICY and SAVOURY treat by GOODPOP -
Ethical ice cream brand, GOODPOP, have recently released a new spicy and savoury frozen treat that comes in packs of 4. Their Mango Chile flavour, which contains mango along with a hint of chili, lime and salt, is USDA certified organic, dairy and gluten free, and made free-from HFCs, GMOs, refined sugars, or sugar alcohol sweeteners, and boasts only 60 calories per stick.
- FOOD UNION are bringing a modern twist to the Classic COCKTAILS -
Just in time for summer, FOOD UNION has developed a range of cocktail-inspired ice creams under the Latvian Ekselence brand using the power of mixology to bring a modern twist to two classic cocktail flavours: Orange Spritz (in stick format) and Piña Colada (in cone format).
Ekselence Orange Spritz is available in Norway and Latvia via national retail, and the Piña Colada ice cream is available only in Latvia.
This is all folks for JULY. Got a new ice cream product or innovation coming up that you would like to be featured in our monthly round-up? Email Nicolas from Innodelice on nicolas.marie@innodelice.com with more details.
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.