Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream Inc., Oakland, Calif., a division of Glendale, Calif.-based Nestlé USA, which is owned by Nestlé S.A. of Vevey, Switzerland, introduces Slow Churned Shakes and Smoothies. These parlor-style treats are sold frozen in single-serve containers. Consumers simply add milk to the 8.1-ounces (shakes) or 7.6-ounces (smoothies) of dairy base and stir to desired consistency. The consumer controls thickness and richness by how much milk and the type of milk they add. The shakes come in Chocolate, Cookies n’ Cream, Strawberry and Vanilla varieties, while the smoothies come in Mixed Berry, Strawberry Banana, Sunrise Blend and Tropical. Before the addition of milk, the shakes range from 190 to 240 calories and the smoothies from 160 to 170 calories, depending on variety. Shake packages tout the fact that a serving is an excellent source of calcium and vitamin D, while the smoothies are a good source.
Dan-o-nino is now drinkable. The Dannon Co., White Plains, N.Y., extends this cultured dairy children’s brand to mini drinks that resemble the popular Danimals drinkable yogurt line. Promoted as being “power packed” with “two times the calcium of milk,” Dan-o-nino dairy drinks come in two fruity flavors: strawberry and strawberry banana. Each 3.1-fluid-ounce bottle is a good source (13% of the Daily Value) of protein and an excellent source (20% of the Daily Value) of vitamin D. The company touts the fact that the formulation does not include high-fructose corn syrup or any artificial colors or flavors. The bottles are sold in four-packs in select introductory markets.
This past holiday season, fans of the famous Buddig beef and cream cheese recipe were treated to an all-in-one kit containing the ingredients to make this tasty appetizer. Third-generation family-owned lunchmeat company - Carl Buddig & Co., South Holland, Ill. - created the Buddig Cheeseball & Pinwheel Kit. Each reusable container includes enough smoked chopped pressed beef, cream cheese and seasoning to form a 10.7-ounce cheeseball or 24 pinwheels. Product retailed for about $5.
Packs of new Frigo Fit & Fun Lovers String Cheese from Canada-based Saputo Inc., contain 12 individually wrapped snacking cheeses. One variety has six light mozzarella strings and six reduced-fat colby Jack sticks. The other has six light Swirls (string mozzarella blended with cheddar) and six Superstrings. The latter is mozzarella fortified with calcium and vitamins A and D. Also in the Lovers line is Cheddar Lovers, which contains six mild and six sharp cheddar sticks, and Jack Lovers, which contains six pepper Jack and six colby Jack sticks.
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Noteworthy Introductions
Campo Lindo Queso Blanco from Advanced Products Inc., New Holland, Pa., is a rich, velvety, mild cheddar cheese sauce available in an easy-open 15-ounce can.Lancaster County, Pa.-based Turkey Hill Dairy introduces limited-edition flavors to its top-selling line of refrigerated drinks. From January to June, Light Wildberry Green Tea and Light Raspberry Lemonade will be available. In July, Light Blueberry Tea and Light Peach Mango Punch will appear on store shelves. A new Fruit Punch Drink flavor will also be available throughout the year.
International
The popularity of almond milk has exploded in the United States. Billed as an alternative to dairy milk, this nut-based beverage carries a powerful healthful halo. In Taiwan, consumers are no longer forced to choose between cows milk and plant-based milks. The Fresh Delight brand from Standard Food Co. now offers a fresh cows milk supplemented with a combination of milk from five nuts: almond, cashew, macadamia, pistachio and walnut. While a milk-and-nut drink won’t appeal to the lactose intolerant, it could be an interesting proposition for health-conscious consumers.Belgium’s Mercer’s Dairy brings the essence of wine to the frozen dairy case. Mercer’s Chocolate Cabernet Wine Ice Cream is Cabernet-flavored ice cream blended with rich chocolate ice cream. Like Cabernet Sauvignon wine, the Cabernet ice cream features notes of dried cherry and blackcurrant. Mercer’s four other wine ice cream flavors are: Ala Port, Peach White Zinfandel, Red Raspberry Chardonnay and Royal White Riesling.
The Laughing Cow process cheese brand from France-based Fromagerie Bel celebrates its 50th anniversary with the introduction of a special flavor combination pack of Apéricube, a line of individually wrapped cheese cubes. The limited-edition variety pack contains the brand’s best flavors - blue cheese with walnuts, ham, onion and scallop - as chosen by French consumers. With 48 pieces per pack, the product is more reminiscent of a box of specialty chocolates than a dairy snack.
Contributed by Krista Faron, director of innovation and insights, Mintel Research Consultancy, Global New Products Database (GNPD). For more information call 312-932-0400 or visit www.gnpd.com.
Focus on Ice Cream
Even before Santa came down the chimney, ice cream marketers had been hustling and bustling to perfect their summer 2011 ice cream introductions. Product is now being manufactured, and some retailers have already received their first shipment.Premium appears to be the name of the game for many ice cream marketers. For example, Turkey Hill Dairy, Lancaster, Pa., says it is going back to its roots of premium ice creams based on homemade flavors, and recently introduced Double Dunker and Homemade Vanilla premium ice creams.
Double Dunker features mocha ice cream swirled with chewy cookie dough and crunchy chocolate cookie swirl. The flavor was one of Turkey Hill’s limited-edition options in 2009 and 2010, but following strong consumer demand, it has now been added to the full-time premium flavor lineup.
Homemade Vanilla builds on the company’s success in the vanilla category. Homemade Vanilla sets itself apart by featuring a unique vanilla taste that harkens back to more traditional vanilla ice creams.
“I’m proud that we are focusing on these two new flavors this year,” says Turkey Hill Dairy president Quintin Frey. “While Homemade Vanilla showcases our 80 years of experience making truly homemade-tasting ice cream flavors, the Double Dunker also allows us to showcase how we like to mix some of the newer, more popular mix-ins for ice cream. I think all of our fans will be pleased.”
Smith Dairy Products Co., Orrville, Ohio, adds Vanilla Orange Cream (vanilla-flavored ice cream and tangy orange sherbet) and Chocolate Peanut Butter (chocolate ice cream with a creamy peanut butter swirl) to its half-gallon premium ice cream line. The suggested retail price is $4.99.
“These two tried-and-true flavors complement our other Smith’s premium ice creams,” says Penny Baker, director of marketing. “They’re a natural fit to our product line, and, of course, Smith’s premium ice creams are still our customers’ best value since they’re offered in a full half-gallon size.”
For Brenham, Texas-based Blue Bell Creameries, the focus is on chocolate. Chocolate Mud Pie is a creamy chocolate ice cream loaded with mixed-nut shortbread, a smooth milk chocolate sauce and a whipped topping swirl.
“Our ice cream has all the flavorful ingredients you would expect to find in a chocolate mud pie,” says Paul Kruse, CEO and president. “One taste of Chocolate Mud Pie ice cream and you’ll agree it’s as smooth as the pie itself. And if you love chocolate, I have a feeling this will quickly become your new favorite flavor.”
This is the first new flavor released from Blue Bell this year. “We have a great lineup of new flavors we’re very excited to introduce to you,” Kruse adds. “Each year we spend countless hours in our research and development lab creating and perfecting recipes. Many are suggestions from our very own employees. The inspiration can come from anywhere; sometimes it’s as simple as another dessert.”
And for G.S. Gelato & Desserts, Fort Walton Beach, Fla., that dessert would be the king cake, a traditional sweet treat consumed in New Orleans during Mardi Gras. Just in time for this year’s festivities, the company rolled out pints of King Cake gelato, a biscotti-flavored base with cinnamon and dark Italian cherry swirls. The packaging is designed with traditional Mardi Gras flair and even includes a sugar “baby” inside to keep with the tradition of king cake.
“Being a major manufacturer in the Southeast, we wanted to merge our Italian background with a custom that is dearly loved in our region,” says Cynthia Harrison, national grocery account director. “Mardi Gras is a tradition that is unmatched in terms of spirit and festivity, so King Cake was a natural choice.”
