Ice Cream Innovations: The Big Chill

Source: Sub Zero Ice Cream & Yogurt

Upon landing in Chicago after three days in Orlando for the Dairy Forum, I was greeted with a significant drop in temperature and snow flurries. But instead of a hot cup of tea, ice cream was on my mind. Why? Because this is the time of year many ice cream manufacturers start producing, and gradually rolling out, their new products for the upcoming summer. I’ve already started seeing some product announcements, and know that many more are on the horizon. Most will be featured as a Daily Dose of Dairy…so stay tuned. (And remember, you can always search the Archived Innovations tab at www.BerryOnDairy.com for a review of recently introduced frozen desserts. Check them out HERE.)

From the Forum

On the topic of innovation, here are some comments made by Connie Tipton, president and CEO of the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), during her keynote speech at Dairy Forum:

“…we as an industry also understand what the former editor of the Harvard Business Review Theodore Levitt meant when he observed, ‘Creativity is thinking up new things. Innovation is doing new things.’

That’s what our great industry is all about . . . doing new things . . . matching creativity to innovation . . . and innovation to the tastes and needs of an ever-changing world . . . questioning long-held views . . . getting in front of change . . . setting the pace . . . maintaining our global competitiveness through innovation while the hesitant fall behind.”

Specifically on trends in ice cream innovations, she said:

“Concerns about sugar intake, especially added sugars, will also likely continue through 2013. Processors have already done a lot of work to lower levels of added sugar in flavored milk and to use non-caloric sweeteners in products like yogurt and ice cream. Some producers even use ultra-filtration to remove the natural sugars in milk. So, dairy foods with lower levels of sugar may become increasingly popular.”

(Check out Clemmy’s Sugar Free Ice Cream HERE.)

“When it comes to ice cream, there’s an explosion of flavors to match every taste bud across the globe. Check out some of these flavors that run the gamut from bakery-inspired nostalgia to the exotic, such as Carrot Cake Ice Cream and one I can’t wait to try: Pistachio Brittle-Bourbon Caramel Ice Cream.”

(These two flavors were winning concepts at IDFA’s Ice Cream Technology Conference in 2012. Read below about this year’s must-attend conference in March.)

“The New York Times also recently reported that one restaurant in San Francisco (Pizzeria Picco) is offering sophisticated toppings for the Straus Family Creamery’s soft-serve ice cream that include . . . get this . . . extra-virgin olive oil on vanilla. Even after all the years I’ve worked in the industry, I’m still surprised by dairy’s versatility. It’s a canvas on which you can create practically anything.”

 Source: Pizzeria Picco

“People will always love ice cream. But they’re also concerned about weight gain. So how do you achieve a proper balance? One solution is taking a page out of the weight-loss playbook--portion control. Wells Industries developed a snack-sized cone for its Champ! Brand. The smaller chocolate-coated sugar cone is filled with chocolate or vanilla ice cream topped with peanuts and contains 150 calories or fewer per serving.”

Packaging InnovationsSome innovations come in the form of packaging. For example, Ruggles Premium Ice Cream from Smith Dairy Products Co., can now be found in eye-catching new cartons that were designed to satisfy consumer preference. The company’s consumer research indicated that an easily identifiable flavor name makes the purchase decision easier. Consumers also want to see a description of what is in the carton.

Shape and size are important, too. Consumers said they liked a carton that would fit easily in freezer doors and could stack for convenient storage. They also asked for a lid that stayed tightly closed to keep the ice cream fresh. In the new design, Ruggles gives ice cream buyers what they want.

“We chose a design that is different from anything found in the ice cream freezers,” says Penny Baker, director of marketing for Ruggles. “Ice cream is a fun food, so our approach was to make the package design fun as well. Each package features a unique pattern and bright color scheme that ties in with the name of flavors printed in bold type on the front of the carton.”

Flavor descriptions and a photo of the actual ice cream appear on every package. Consumers can scan a Quick Response (QR) code on the back panel of the carton to find entertaining and fictional stories about each flavor, and can upload their own Ruggles ice cream stories, photos or videos about their favorite flavors to win prizes in the “What’s your Ruggles Story?” section of the website.

The new look carries through all Ruggles ice cream, frozen yogurt and non-sugar-added ice cream products, which are available in 1.5-quart containers with a suggested retail price of $5.59 to $5.99. New carton transition for all flavors will be finished this spring.

Foodservice Freezer-tainment
Talk about innovation, Sub Zero Ice Cream & Yogurt is an ice cream shop company that has reinvented the ice cream experience with customized, flash-frozen ice cream that doesn’t require freezers. Sub Zero creates a new customer experience with its unique flash-freezing cryogenic process. Customers choose from one of eight bases, 40 flavors and 35 different mix-ins and then watch as their creation is flash-frozen in a cloud of nitrogen at -321 degrees F. All customers, even those with dietary restrictions or preferences, are able to design their own personalized ice cream from the base up.

Through Sub Zero’s cryogenic process, the milk molecules stay small and the water molecules don’t have time to become ice crystals, ultimately creating a smooth, creamy ice cream for the customer. Because Sub Zero stores don’t use freezers, they save 25% on costs, allowing them to focus their resources on making the customer experience even better.

Founder Jerry Hancock says, “We wanted to create a new kind of ice cream that combines science and deliciousness. It took more than two years of research to develop our unique freezing process, but all that hard work brought us the fulfillment that we believe redefines the way people look at America’s most popular dessert.”

The company was recently featured on ABC’s  Shark Tank--episode 414, which aired on Friday, Jan. 11, 2013. You can view the episode HERE.

Get Innovative

Looking for some creative ideas for your next big ice cream hit? Plan to attend IDFA’s popular Ice Cream Technology Conference, March 12 to 13 in St. Petersburg, Fla. 

I will actually kick off the two-day meeting with my presentation entitled: The Next Scoop: An Analysis of Consumer and Marketplace Trends for Tomorrow’s Big Hit. (You can get a sneak peak at some of the ice cream trends I will address by reading my Nov. 16, 2012 blog HERE.)

IDFA has added several new sessions to this year’s meeting, including the two-part “Chocolate Academy” and the “Mystery Basket” challenge. In the two-part Chocolate Academy, attendees will learn the fundamentals of chocolate and chocolate compounds with a focus on formulation and applications that inspire best practices and troubleshooting for ice cream and novelties. These sessions include a tasting of top food trends as they come to life in ice cream.

The Ice Cream Flavor Mystery Basket session will borrow a concept from the popular Food Network cooking show “Chopped.” Attendees will work in teams using the mystery baskets’ secret ingredients that represent the latest culinary trends identified by three flavor supplier creators: Kerry Ingredients, Star Kay White and Sensient Flavors.

“The ice cream technologists who attend this conference are some of the most creative, innovative people in the food industry, so we work hard to keep the conference program fresh and cutting edge,” says Cary Frye, IDFA vice president of regulatory and scientific affairs and host of the Ice Cream Technology Conference.

Hope to see you there!

Cottage Cheese: The Comeback Kid

Better late than never: Happy New Year! (Sorry for the extra-long holiday break due to technical difficulties and family illnesses.)


The Daily Dose of Dairy is back…and promises to be better than ever in 2013.

You will continue to receive the latest information on new dairy foods, ingredients and technologies, and consumer trends...all delivered to your inbox Monday through Friday, in an easy-to-read format that invites you—with a simple click—to get more details. The slightly tweaked format delivers a cleaner read, and provides room for sponsorships, trade show promotions, and links to informative articles—all designed to help dairy industry members promote the fabulous products that we are passionate about.


With that said, let’s talk about cottage cheese. If you’ve been a subscriber of the Daily Dose of Dairy since it commenced in the spring of 2012, you likely read a number of my blogs talking about the rapidly increasing popularity of dairy proteins, and the opportunities this presents to revitalize the category of cottage cheese. (If you missed the articles, I encourage you to click HERE to see some recent innovations in cottage cheese, as well as scroll through blog topics HERE.)

During the Daily Dose of Dairy’s month hiatus, I managed to catch up on a lot of journal reading—mostly business. But I do believe it is equally important to be in touch with what consumers are reading. And gosh, they’ve been reading some powerful messages about cottage cheese.

On my return flight from the Fancy Food Show in San Francisco, the January/February 2013 issue of Health was in my reading stack. (By the way, I have lots of great innovations to share with you from the show!) On page 34, the author cites Low-Fat Cottage Cheese 1% Milkfat as the number-one flashback food for the year.

She writes, “millennials—who were born in the 1980s and ‘90s and thus were not even alive when these [retro] foods dominated the diet world in the ‘60s and ‘70s—are driving this movement back to the basics. “They yearn for authenticity and are distrustful of gimmicks,” says Phil Lempert, food trend expert. So retro foods—which are often minimally processed, easy to eat, and so low in calories and fat they’re almost guaranteed to work—appeal to them, Lempert adds.

And cottage cheese is number-one! I predicted cottage cheese’s comeback in this blog spot.
(You can read the Health article HERE.)

Here’s another reason why I believe in cottage cheese’s comeback. After four days of nursing my 10-year old back to health (104F fever, strep throat, etc.), I kissed him goodbye at the school drop off and pulled away before his door was fully closed. I treated myself out to breakfast. In the adjoining booth at Wishbone on Lincoln—a fabulous breakfast place in Chicago—two women were discussing their healthy eating habits. Yes, I was eavesdropping. (Honestly, I was craving adult conversation after having been holed up with my sick son for so many days, but I refrained from joining in their coffee talk, as I did not want to bias their opinions.)

Protein was the focal point, with one woman saying how she is growing tired of Greek yogurt and is now eating more…yes, you guessed right…cottage cheese! (This was music to my ears and justification for expensing this breakfast as a business meal.)

Her curious friend asked how she was eating all this cottage cheese. I was very impressed by her examples, which included plain, topped with fruit and nuts, sometimes in a bowl other times atop a cracker or flat bread, mixed with diced veggies and used as a sandwich spread, and even a scoop over a bowl of pasta.

Here’s another reason why I believe cottage cheese is making a comeback. The December 2012 issue of Today’s Dietitian included a full-page ad from Daisy brand cottage cheese, along with a full-page advertorial encouraging dietitians to tell their patients and clients about the high-protein content found in cottage cheese. Recipes were provided.

I was curious to know if there has been any upturn in cottage cheese sales, so I contacted SymphonyIRI Group, a Chicago-based market research firm. According to their total U.S. multi-outlet data (supermarkets, drugstores, mass market retailers, military commissaries and select club and dollar retail chains), cottage cheese sales reached almost $1.1 billion in 2012, but were down 1.6% from 2011.

Let’s turn this around for 2013! Promote the protein in your cottage cheese. Provide consumers recipes and serving suggestions. Make your cottage cheese more convenient with single-serve containers. Make it more flavorful with toppings, and more versatile with varied toppings--ranging from sweet fruits to savory seasonings to salty nuts. How about including some upgraded packaging such as glass jars and clear plastic parfaits? Heck, maybe go metallic.

And when you roll out your innovation, please be sure to let me know about it. 

Hope to see many of you at Dairy Forum starting on Sunday. Watch what you say at breakfast, it might show up in my blog next week!

Dairy Food Trends 2013

It’s that time of year to reflect on the past 12 months and resolve to improve during the next. As a dairy products trend tracker for almost 20 years, I can honestly say that 2012 has been one of the most dynamic times in the industry. The opportunities to innovate are incredible and I am honored to be a part of the process.

Thanks to the dedicated and passionate dairy industry that I think of as family, the Daily Dose of Dairy has become a global industry success. Colleagues have made suggestions and many will be implemented in 2013. Look for a new and exciting Daily Dose of Dairy when you receive your first e-newsletter of the New Year on Monday, January 7. That’s right; the Daily Dose of Dairy is taking a two-week hiatus to spend time with family and friends (and to be redesigned.)

Happy Holidays to you and yours…and in closing, here are my Top-Five Projections of what innovations in dairy will look like in 2013.

1) It’s All About the Protein…All types of dairy foods will be touting their protein content. And if whey proteins are specifically a part of the formulation, the term “whey” will start being broadcast on primary display panels. Whey is not the same four-letter word it was just a decade ago. 

2) Kids’ Products…Most food product developers ignored the 12-and-under demographic this past year, as they feared being attacked by consumer activist groups who had pretty much decided that animal-derived foods were responsible for the childhood obesity epidemic. But parents have become more educated…many are even demanding that schools bring chocolate milk back to the lunch program (hurray!). New dairy products designed for kids’ palates, appetites and nutritional needs will be in abundance in 2013!

3) Hand Crafted, Artisanal, Local—Tell a Story…As the economy improves, those who can afford dairy foods not made by the “big guys” will seek out such products. Naturalness is key. But what actually is naturalness? It’s the time from production to consumption...not necessarily the ingredients in the product. Compelling stories are the future of dairy foods marketing. The manufacturer must express his passion for the product. Tell a story. Discuss the origin of ingredients, the evolution of a recipe, the history of the brand, etc. Telling a story adds value...and allows a marketer to charge a premium. Consumers want proof as to why they should pay more for a product. Storytelling provides benefits that exceed the cost of the product.

4) Fruits and Nuts…These ingredients play into the aforementioned trend. Talk about where those blueberries in your yogurt were harvested…or the nutritional value of the almonds adorning your cheese log. Consumers understand that fruits and nuts are healthful choices. Don’t skimp on these inclusions if you are adding them to your products. Invest in quality and customers will embrace the product.

5) Targeting a Day Part…From morning milk to snacking cheese, tell consumers that your product is designed to satisfy the nutritional and sensory needs of a particular day part. Historically marketers have shied away from this, as they don’t want to limit product-use occasions. (Think boxed cereal…many still think of it as only for breakfast. Not in the Berry household! As long as the cereal is fortified with more than 10 vitamins and minerals, and includes whole grains, my kids can eat bowls of cereal with milk for breakfast, lunch, dinner or snack.) Nevertheless, today’s consumer appreciates day-part-specific foods, as they are so time deprived, meal solutions make life easier. Tell them it’s a snack-size yogurt. Or, that the sliced cheese makes the perfect lunch-time sandwich.

Hope these observations and predictions help you start the New Year off right!

In closing, if you have a suggestion, a new product, an idea…please let me know. (donna@dailydoseofdairy.com) We are in this together. And the best present I could receive from my dairy industry colleagues would be for you to encourage your coworkers to sign up for the Daily Dose of Dairy.

Best Wishes for the Best Holiday Season Ever!
Sincerely,
Donna Berry (on Dairy!)

Dairy Owns December

For no other holiday season do so many consumers indulge in the finest of foods, with all types of dairy products taking center stage. From the cheese platter to buttered rolls to real whipped cream coffee toppers, dairy rules the period from when the Thanksgiving turkey gets carved all the way to the singing of Auld Lang Syne.


With so many channels of social media available to dairy product marketers, get LOUD about making this year a Merry Dairy Christmas! Get connected and provide your customers with dairy tips.

The Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board can serve as a resource with its new website (DairyDips.com), which is devoted to dairy-based dips, expected appetizers on holiday party buffets. That’s because real dairy products are the foundation of nearly every good dip recipe, and that’s certainly true for the more than 50 recipes at DariyDips.com. From cream cheese and sour cream to natural cheeses--dairy gives dips a full flavor and rich, creamy consistency. Recipes on the site are organized by category, with options for sweet dips, savory dips, holiday dips and more.


And here are two of my favorites—always a hit with friends and family. If you market any of the ingredients used in these recipes, feel free to share, and even modify to boast your brand.

Berry on Dairy’s “Simply the Best Buffalo Chicken Dip”
Dairy Ingredients:
1-8-ounce brick of cream cheese*
¼-cup real blue cheese crumbles
The Rest:
1/3-cup ranch dressing*
1-12-ounce can cooked chicken, drained
1/3-cup hot wing sauce
(* = Use either light or regular varieties; never fat free.)
Directions: Mix all five ingredients together until smooth and bake for 45 minutes to an hour at 350 degrees. (Leftovers should be stored in the refrigerator and are great the next day—warm or cold--on top of a toasted bagel.)


Berry on Dairy’s “Caramelized Onion Dip”
Dairy Ingredients:
4-ounces cream cheese*
½-cup sour cream*
4-tablespoons salted butter
The Rest:
¼-cup vegetable oil
2-large yellow onions
½-cup mayonnaise*
¼-teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1-teaspoon kosher salt
½-teaspoon black pepper
(* = Use either light or regular varieties; never fat free.)
Directions: Cut onions in half and slice into 1/8-inch wide strips. This should equal about 3 cups. Heat the butter and oil over medium heat, adding onions and both peppers and salt. Saute for about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low and cook mixture for 20 to 30 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Onions should be soft and brown. Very little liquid should be present in pan. Remove from heat and cool. Separately, combine cream cheese, sour cream and mayonnaise in a bowl. Beat until smooth. Hand mix in cooled onion mixture. Serve at room temperature. (Leftovers should be stored in the refrigerator and are great the next day as a sandwich spread.)

Have a Merry “Berry” Dairy Christmas!

It’s the Milk: Upstate New York Is Blessed; Cornell Assists Industry with Innovation

So, just when I think it’s the end of the world, my challenging 10-year old brings home a straight A report card. Did I say challenging child? Did I say straight A? I swear no bribes were involved. He pulled it off on his own. And when his proud mama asked what I did to help him achieve this, he, and I swear, responded, “It’s all that milk, mom!”

That’s what the folks in Upstate New York are also saying these days.

“I think if you were to look around the world, you would not find a better place to milk cows and turn that milk into consumer goods than you would here in this region of the United States,” said Patrick Hooker, former state commissioner of agriculture and current director of Agribusiness Development at the Empire State Development Corp., in a November 8, 2012 article in pressconnects.com. The soil and temperature offer sustainable conditions, he said, and there are numerous advantages to the location.

Read the complete article HERE.

What does all this milk mean to New York’s economy?

According to Hooker: “(There are) 60 million consumers up and down the eastern part of the United States, all well within a day’s drive of this production area. And you’re talking about an ethnic and cultural diversity that you don’t see anywhere else in the world, either. And it is that sort of consumer demand that has driven this dairy industry here.”

In other words, there’s a lot of high-quality milk just waiting to be turned into products for this culturally diverse population, products that remind them of their home country. (Think Greek yogurt.) What an opportunity to innovate!

Due to such demand, while overall manufacturing jobs dropped 9% in New York state from 2005 to 2011, the state’s dairy manufacturing job base increased by 3%. To fill new dairy jobs, Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences plays a big role in training the workforce and retraining displaced workers from lost manufacturing jobs. The university is also in the processing of developing new certificate, continuing education and possibly degree programs to meet these demands.

Cornell is helping the dairy industry innovate

Cornell’s involvement with the dairy industry stretches back almost 100 years, when what is now the Department of Food Science was formed. To assist with putting this milk to good use, the department recently hosted a forum addressing the current yogurt boom and the ways it can benefit the state’s dairy industry.

The university is in the process of completing a $105 million renovation to Stocking Hall, which will include a pilot plant where industries can research, develop and run small-batch trials for new products; and a new 12,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art dairy processing plant that will process annually some 1.5 million pounds of raw milk from Cornell cows, and 20,000 gallons of yogurt a year, along with cheeses, ice cream and other dairy products. The facilities, which are slated to open in spring 2013, will offer sites to train students and give workshops to industry professionals.

To read more about Cornell’s capabilities, visit HERE.

It’s all about the milk.

Ingredients for a Gradual Sodium Reduction in Dairy

Despite increased awareness about the risks of too much sodium in consumers’ diets and pledges from governments around the world to reduce salt levels in food, product launches with low/no/reduced sodium claims have been nominal, according to market research firm Mintel.

(Read HERE to learn about ingredients that help dairy processors reduce sodium. This is a recent article I wrote for Dairy Business News, a part of Food Business News.)

“A large percentage of the global food industry remains wary of the commercial impacts of reducing salt in their products. This anxiety is well-founded, with many products positioned as low sodium forced off the shelves prematurely in recent years due to poor sales,” according to Chris Brockman, global food and drink analyst at Mintel. “Consumers are concerned about salt intake, but are not willing to compromise on taste.”

According to Mintel’s research, some 54% of U.S. consumers say they limit their use of packaged snacks and other packaged foods because they think they have too much salt or sodium, and 53% are concerned about the amount of salt or sodium in their diets. However, it seems consumers will not give up salt easily. When it comes to products flavored with a non-sodium or salt alternative, almost half (46%) of consumers in the U.S. think that they don’t taste as good as their traditional counterparts.

“Brands will need to dispel widely held perception about low sodium or salt alternatives to be successful. Fortunately, this is possible,” says Brockman. “Many food brands are already introducing step-by-step salt reduction programs that gradually reduce the salt content of their products, a strategy often called ‘stealth health,’ as the incremental removal of sodium can be carried out over a period of time to help the consumer to become accustomed to the changed flavor profile, without the need to flag that up prominently on-pack and thus deter consumers who may perceive ‘less taste.’ Other brands are also steering clear of the health issue by experimenting with different flavor profiles, such as strong spices and vinegars, to enhance taste while eliminating sodium.”

Dairy processors, specifically cheese manufacturers, have a number of tools available to take the stealth health approach.

Read HERE about how dairy processors are making progress in sodium reduction in a recent article I wrote for Food Business News.

Ice Cream Trends 2013

It's that time of year...

...when you need to start planning for the upcoming summer’s ice cream season.

In mid-October I was fortunate to attend Taste Tomorrow, an invitation-only event hosted by Puratos. More than 200 key industry players in the bakery, patisserie and chocolate sectors met in Chicago for this two-day interactive program that featured in-depth insights into consumer attitudes, behaviors, choices and trends, as they relate to bakery, patisserie and chocolate. Almost all can be applied to frozen desserts.

We learned how global and local insights translate into emerging trends in the food sector. The event title—Taste Tomorrow—says it all. Innovative product developers must stay on top of the trends in order to formulate foods that meet the desires of tomorrow’s consumer.

Puratos’ Research
At the end of 2011, Puratos carried out extensive global research into consumer behavior and consumer choices in efforts to answer questions such as:

• Are they embracing their local food heritage or are they constantly looking for new and exciting flavors?
• Are healthy and sustainable options really changing eating patterns, or do consumers want gratification above all?

The company travelled around the globe and asked 6,400 consumers about their attitudes and preferences. The combination of qualitative and quantitative research provided the company with unique insights into today’s market and future trends, and showed that there are often conflicting or paradoxical trends. They also uncovered a number of megatrends for the future. All of these discoveries can be used to better understand your customers today and to help build your business tomorrow.


Key insights that impact all food sectors include the fact that consumers are becoming increasingly sensitive to how food is produced. Therefore, transparency and authenticity play a key role in the sourcing, development and production process of food products.


The nutritional value of food is a key aspect for the future. And when queried if they prefer naturally healthful foods or foods with health benefits added, the overwhelming response was that it does not matter.


Yet, naturalness is key. But what actually is naturalness? Puratos learned that naturalness to most consumers means “closing the gap between manufacturing and selling.” It’s the time from production to consumption...not necessarily the ingredients in the product.


Compelling stories are the future of food marketing. The manufacturer must express his passion for the product no matter how it is produced. In the case of ice cream, it should not matter if the ice cream is mass produced or hand-crafted batch-by-batch, as long as the passion and commitment to the product line is communicated on the package and in marketing materials. Discuss the origin of ingredients, the evolution of a recipe, the history of the brand, etc.


Telling a story adds value...and allows a marketer to charge a premium. Consumers want proof as to why they should pay more for a product. Storytelling provides benefits that exceed the cost of the product.


Consumers increasingly find food as a form of self expression. It’s not just what you wear; it’s what you eat. Tomorrow’s consumer will be even more highly involved with food, so connecting with them at all levels—nutrition, flavor, sourcing, etc.—is essential.


Puratos research indicated that consumers connect with city brands, no matter the city and no matter where they are. New York bagels are more popular in Milan than simply bagels. Parisian macaroons command twice the price of mere macaroons in Seattle bakeries. This can be taken to the next level with authentic state and even country favorites. This connection to a locality boosts the perception of quality and provides a guarantee of tradition.
 
Thank you very much Puratos for all this research. There is a great deal more, but these insights provided the groundwork for my top-five predictions for the 2013 ice cream season. These predictions also meld in observations from the numerous trade shows I have attended in the past six months that have focused on the convenience, foodservice and retail channels, including special attention to confections, snacks and better-for-you foods. And, of course, I factor in insights from ingredient suppliers at the IFT Annual Food Meeting + Food Expo, and the Chicago Section IFT Suppliers’ Night, which was last night (November 15). (It was so great to see so many of you, and congratulations to the Chicago Section for 50 years of service to the Chicago-area food industry!)

Top Five Trends for the 2013 Ice Cream Season

1) Desserts within desserts gain momentum, but the characterizing dessert needs to better connect with the consumer. Examples include: Georgian Peach Melba swirled through a Madagascar vanilla ice cream, Fair Trade Coffee-flavored ice cream loaded with Oregon Truffles, and Caramelized Illinois Apple pieces blended into Wisconsin Sweet Cream ice cream.

2) Sweet and salty have become quite common as inclusion blends in ice cream. But tomorrow’s consumer would like a little more excitement, so throw in a little heat or a touch of tang. Think peppers, hot sauce, citrus and even cheese. Even better, make it local. Vanilla ice cream swirled with pieces of locally baked apple pie and diced farmstead cheddar cheese. How about Chipotle-peppered pecans swirled through Florida Key Lime Pie-flavored ice cream?

3) Dairy within dairy…that’s right. Dairy’s wholesome and local perception resonates with consumers. Double up on the deliciousness with inclusions such as mascarpone swirl, cream cheese chunks and even sour cream-filled truffles.

4) Add some nutrition. Not everyone wants their ice cream to deliver the content of a daily multiple vitamin, but there’s definitely a consumer segment who is attracted to ice cream with some extra nutrition. Nutritionally enhanced ice creams are best in novelty form. This way the consumer knows exactly how much they are taking in and there’s less of a chance of over dosing. Think granola-coated low-fat California strawberry frozen yogurt bar that is an excellent source of fiber and provides a whole serving of fruit. 

5) And likely the biggest trend is booze. (The opening photo is courtesy of the California Table Grape Commission and features California Port Wine ice cream.)

From wine to beer to blended cocktails, the flavors from the liquor department have been making their way into ice cream for some time, and this trend is expected to gain strength. It’s taking place in foodservice and retail, and interest is growing. There are some ice cream manufacturers using actual alcohol, but that’s not what I am talking about, as such products can be challenging for dairy processors to market and distribute because of their purchase-age requirement. The trend I am talking about is margarita-flavored fro-yo and cabernet-swirled dark chocolate gelato. These are flavors that appeal to the more mature palette. It builds on the dessert-in-dessert trend, where one gets the best of two worlds for the calories of only one favorite treat.

With that said, would someone please create (sans the alcohol) a California Char-donna-y swirled Michigan Raspberry Low-Fat Probiotic Frozen Yogurt for me?

(Why not take this time to view the many innovative frozen desserts I have featured this year as a Daily Dose of Dairy? You can view them HERE.)