
ICE CREAM & FROZEN DESSERTS
Best of Both Worlds
By Julie Cook Ramirez
Contributing Editor
Contributing Editor
Frozen dessert makers respond to consumer demand for a wide spectrum of products that meet their every desire.
The landscape of the
frozen dessert section has changed considerably in recent years. Thanks to
advances in technology, as well as a renewed interest in healthy eating, a
wealth of reduced-fat products have flooded the market, as well as a
growing number of no-sugar-added varieties, some of which were originally
introduced to meet consumers’ demand for low-carb products during the
Atkins and South Beach diet crazes.
There’s Dreyer’s/Edy’s Slow-Churned
Light Ice Cream, Pierre’s Smooth Churned Light Ice Cream and
Häagen-Dazs Light, as well as Unilever’s Double Churned Ice
Cream, which is available in light, no-sugar-added and 98 percent fat-free
varieties.
Recently, Orrville, Ohio-based Smith Dairy Products
Co. joined the “churned” ranks, rolling out Ruggles Churned
Premium Light Ice Cream in March. The company’s proprietary
production method uses no synthetics, stabilizers or emulsifiers. The
result is said to be a light ice cream with the same smooth, creamy texture
and flavor as traditional ice cream. It is currently available in eight
flavors: Vanilla, Butter Pecan, Cookies ‘N Cream, Strawberry, Cherry
Vanilla, French Silk, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk, and Caramel Fudge.
“People want their ice cream to be a real treat
with lots of inclusions and indulgence, yet they’re still
health-conscious, too,” says Penny Baker, Smith’s director of
marketing. “That compelled us to come up with something where they
can have that rich, indulgent treat without the guilt. Our Ruggles Churned
line gives them the best of both worlds.”
In the wake of yet another down year for the ice cream
category, processors have begun wondering whether consumers are really
seeking out so-called “better-for-you” products or just saying
what may be considered politically correct — or dietarily correct, as
the case may be.
A 2007 survey conducted by Harris Interactive on
behalf of Wayland, Mich.-based Denali Flavors seems to back up that
suspicion, with 67 percent of U.S. adults agreeing that indulging in
full-fat ice cream is worth the guilt. “These findings suggest that
ice cream stands apart as the kind of treat that consumers are simply
unwilling to compromise on the pleasure of eating,” says Neal
Glaeser, president, Denali Flavors.
After reporting that low-fat ice cream was the
fastest-growing ice cream category in 2006, the Washington, D.C.-based
International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) changed its tune this year,
reporting that sales of low-fat ice cream dropped more than 80 percent and
sales of fat-free ice cream fell 51 percent during the first quarter of
2007, compared with the same period last year.
Part of the problem may lie with the fact that
consumers may already consider ice cream a healthier snack option.
According to the Denali survey, 73 percent of men and 66 percent of women
say they would rather eat full-fat ice cream than full-fat varieties of
other popular snacks, including cookies, chips and candy. This finding
comes as no surprise to Jill Meneilley, market research analytics manager
for Burlington, Vt.-based Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Inc., a division
of Unilever North American Ice Cream.
“We often hear consumers tell us that if
they’re going to indulge themselves, they consider a dairy product
such as ice cream to be more wholesome than eating something like a bag of
Doritos,” Meneilley says.
That leaves some processors wondering whether the
industry could be doing more to promote ice cream as the smarter snacking
choice.
“Ice cream is a nutritious food that supplies
nutritious milk proteins and calcium and vitamin A and other nutrients that
are beneficial to us,” says Carl Breed, director of marketing for
Brenham, Texas-based Blue Bell Creameries. “There’s still a lot
of work to be done to get the message across that ice cream really does
have some healthy traits. That’s something I would like to see the
ice cream industry get more behind.”
Of course, the ice cream category has long been
plagued by the image of overindulgence. All too often, people simply
don’t know when to rein themselves in — sitting down with a
movie and a pint of ice cream, for example, and before they know it, both
the movie and the ice cream are finished.
Novelty Nation
The desire for portion control could very well be at
the heart of growth of the frozen novelty category. While sales of packaged
ice cream fell 1.1 percent in dollars and 1.9 percent in units across
supermarkets, drug stores and mass merchandisers, excluding Wal-Mart,
during the 52-week period ending June 17, 2007, the ice pop novelty segment
racked up an impressive 9.4 percent increase in dollars and a 6.2 percent
increase in units, according to Chicago-based Information Resources Inc.
(IRI). Other frozen novelties — ice cream sandwiches, cones and the
like — didn’t fare quite as well, inching up a meager 1.5
percent in dollars, while falling 0.7 percent in units.
“Consumers are looking for products that take
the guesswork out of calorie control,” says Rachel Kyllo, vice
president of marketing for St. Paul, Minn.-based Kemps LLC. “Frozen
novelties are perfect for on-the-go snacking without having to worry about
overindulging.”
What’s more, the individual snacking nature of
novelties allows each member of the family to have the treat that they
want, points out Micheale Kester, associate new product manager for ice
cream at Phoenix-based Shamrock Farms.
Seeking to ensure that there’s something for
everyone, frozen novelty makers have unleashed a veritable onslaught of
new treats in recent months. For the chocoholics among us, Green Bay,
Wis.-based Unilever Ice Cream rolled out Triple Chocolate Brownie, touted
as a “treat of epic proportions.” The company also partnered
with Hershey to produce Breyers Hershey Kisses Ice Cream Poppers, featuring
vanilla or chocolate ice cream in the shape of a Hershey’s Kiss and
coated with Hershey’s chocolate.
In response to growing consumer demand for
portion-controlled snacks, Unilever also developed several Good
Humor-Breyers 100 Calorie frozen novelties, including Slim-a-Bear 100
Calorie ice cream sandwiches, Slim-a-Bear 100 Calorie ice cream bars, and
Fudgsicle 100 Calorie fudge bars. Kemps also rolled out a number of 100
calorie mini ice cream bars and sandwiches, including Mini Cones, Mini
Vanilla Nuggets, Mini Vanilla Ice Cream Sandwiches and Mini Chocolate Chip
Ice Cream Sandwiches.
Le Mars, Iowa-based Wells Dairy Inc. recently expanded
its line of better-for-you products, introducing Premium Light Cookies
& Cream Bar, Premium Light Triple Chocolate Sandwich and Premium Light
Sundae Cone Variety Pack, offering light vanilla, caramel swirl and fudge
swirl varieties, all dipped in chocolate coating and rolled in a crunchy
topping of peanuts and cone bits. Wells also expanded its Sweet Freedom
line with the introduction of Sweet Freedom Low Fat Vanilla Ice Cream
Sandwiches and Sweet Freedom Low Fat Mint Ice Cream Sandwiches. Borrowing
from hot trends in juices, the company also rolled out two new bars:
FrozFruit Superfruit Pomegranate Cherry and FrozFruit Superfruit Raspberry
Acai.
Seeking to ensure that even the family dog isn’t
left out of ice cream time, Unilever joined the growing number of companies
producing frozen doggie desserts. Through a partnership with the Pedigree
pet food company, Unilever now sells Pedigree Ice Cream Sandwich Treats for
Dogs, a dairy-based product said to be the first real ice cream sandwich
formulated especially for dogs. They are being positioned as a
“fetch-friendly” treat, which is not only tasty but nutritious
as well.
“With this product, dog owners can feel good
about giving their pets a treat that not only tastes delicious, but also is
low in fat, has no sugar added, and contains protein, vitamins, and
minerals,” says Dan Hammer, vice president of marketing.
The Tide Turns
As consumers come to realize that healthy indulgence
— for themselves or their pets — can actually taste good, they
are giving the frozen yogurt category another look. According to IRI, the
frozen yogurt/tofu category experienced its best growth in years, rising
4.0 percent in dollars and 1.9 percent in units. That’s quite a
change from last year at this time, when 52-week sales showed both dollar
and unit sales of frozen yogurt and tofu down 7.2 percent.
“There’s such a plethora of low-fat
products being introduced, and there are huge amounts of advertising,
promoting and discounting taking place,” Breed says. “Then
you’ve got all the media attention on the obesity health situation in
the U.S. The growth of frozen yogurt is coming from all the emphasis being
put on all this other stuff.”
Within the category, Kemps’ Live Healthy brand
experienced the greatest growth: up a whopping 62.1 percent and 55.2
percent, respectively. Live Healthy is available in eight low-fat varieties:
Chocolate Almond, Chocolate Chip, Peach, Chocolate Caramel Brownie, Moose
Tracks, Raspberry, Strawberry and Vanilla; six fat-free varieties: Caramel
Praline, Cookies ‘N Cream, Strawberry, Chocolate, Peach, and Vanilla;
and two no sugar added/fat-free varieties: Strawberry and Vanilla.
Among processors, there is a growing sense that the
rise in frozen yogurt sales comes as a direct result of consumers
recognizing that they can reap many of the same benefits from frozen yogurt
as they do from refrigerated yogurt.
“What’s happened is that consumers who are
engaged in the fresh yogurt category are looking for the benefits that they
can potentially find from those products in the frozen state as
well,” says Adam Baumgartner, Wells’ senior marketing manager
for retail brand development. “As a result, you are seeing more
innovation in frozen yogurt, such as incorporating live and active cultures
or probiotics in there. That’s going to be powerful for the
consumer.”
Nestlé-owned Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream
Inc., Oakland, Calif., rolled out Slow Churned Yogurt Blends, a line of
“cultured frozen dairy desserts, promising improved taste and texture
thanks to Dreyer’s ultra-low temperature freezing process.”
Sold under both the Dreyer’s and Edy’s brand names, Yogurt
Blends are available in seven flavors: Black Cherry Vanilla Swirl,
Cappuccino Chip, Caramel Praline Crunch, Chocolate Fudge Brownie, Chocolate
Vanilla Swirl, Strawberry and Vanilla. All contain live and active
cultures, an attribute the company promotes on-pack to help consumers make
the connection between refrigerated yogurt and frozen yogurt.
Smith Dairy considers the renewed interest in frozen
yogurt an opportunity to expand its existing product line. In June, the
company rolled out three new Ruggles Premium Frozen Yogurt flavors:
Strawberry, Black Cherry Vanilla and Blackberries & Cream. Looking
forward, Baker says, Smith Dairy may add more new varieties, possibly with
additional health benefits.
“We’ve always had good success and strong
sales with frozen yogurt, even throughout the 90s when it was dying
off,” Baker says. “Right now, we’re looking to do some
fortifying with prebiotics and probiotics, adding fiber to it, so that we
can make that claim with frozen yogurt.”
Likewise, Wells is “looking at ways we can
continue to innovate and differentiate in frozen yogurt,” Baumgartner
says. While he declines to give specifics, he hints: “You’ll
see some new things there from us going forward.” Meanwhile, Yogen
Fruz, which is already available in 30 countries around the world, is
finally entering the U.S. market with a line of fat-free and low-fat frozen
yogurts, all of which contain probiotics.
While he agrees that frozen yogurt is poised for a
comeback, Gary Hirshberg, president and “CE-Yo” of Stonyfield
Farm, Londonderry, N.H.,
says he doesn’t necessarily think that making the connection to the
health benefits of refrigerated yogurt will be the reason people flock to
the category again.
“People don’t necessarily look to the
frozen category for health,” he says. “In light of that fact, I
think frozen yogurt will probably sell more on the fact that it’s a
good-tasting alternative to ice cream.”
Other ice cream alternatives are also in the spotlight
these days — most notably gelato, Italian ice cream made from milk
and sugar with other flavorings. Because it contains roughly 35 percent
less air than traditional ice cream, gelato is described as a dense and
extremely flavorful product. While gelato is perceived as a rich, decadent
dessert, it’s actually significantly lower in fat than regular ice
cream, containing just 4 to 8 percent butterfat.
When they were first introduced at retail a number of
years ago, packaged gelato essentially fell flat, and the industry
basically deduced that consumers simply preferred their gelato to be served
up fresh at a “gelatoria” (an ice cream parlor for gelato).
Looking back, Baumgartner feels the problem was that companies tried to
package their gelato in the same way they do much of their ice cream
— in large, multi-serve containers.
Seeking to “bring the gelatoria experience to
the consumer at home,” Wells recently launched Blue Bunny Gelato, a
line of single-serve gelato packaged in clear 8-ounce. containers.
Varieties include Italian Chocolate Chip, Chocolate, Espresso, Hazelnut and
Pistachio. According to Baumgartner, the transparent packaging is important
because it allows consumers to see the indulgent top dressings, which are a
key part of the gelato experience.
Lancaster County, Pa.-based Turkey Hill Dairy also
recently introduced an Italian-inspired product dubbed Duetto. A hybrid of
sorts, Duetto combines soft-serve vanilla ice cream and tangy Venice ice
“swirled in sweet harmony.” Varieties include Cherry, Lemon,
Raspberry and Mango.
“By using a little creativity and a lot of
research, we’ve found a way to maintain the soft consistency of
gelato, while still being able to store it at lower temperatures,”
says Quintin Frey, Turkey Hill president. “The end result is a
product unlike anything we’ve ever produced.”
Ben & Jerry’s, meanwhile, has focused its
attention on sorbet, a smooth, soft dairy-free frozen dessert of French
origin, usually made from pureed fruit or fruit juice and sugar. While
similar to sherbet, sorbet does not contain milk. While the company has
been producing sorbet since 1996, Ben & Jerry’s renewed its
dedication to the category last year with two new varieties, Berried
Treasure and Jamaican Me Crazy, joining one of the company’s original
sorbet flavors, Strawberry Kiwi.
“Sorbets offer a more refreshing fruity
indulgence,” says Dena Wimette, associate brand manager. “And
with Ben & Jerry’s, it’s all-natural and has chunks of
fruit, which makes it a little different than some of the other sorbets on
the market.”
But not necessarily all that different from other
sherbets on the market. Pierre’s recently introduced Hola Fruita, a
line of all-natural, antioxidant-rich super-premium sherbet containing
pieces of real fruit. Naturally low in fat and cholesterol-free, Hola
Fruita boasts just 130 to 150 calories per half-cup serving. Varieties
include Margarita, Peach, Pina Colada, Raspberry, Strawberry, Pomegranate
and Pomegranate-Blueberry.
Kemps produces a wide assortment of sherbets,
including several co-branded candy-flavored varieties: Life Savers 5
Flavor, Life Savers Rainbow Sherbet, Life Savers Tropical Fruit, Life
Savers Wild Berries, Crème Savers Chocolate & Caramel,
Crème Savers Orange & Crème, Crème Savers
Raspberry & Crème and Crème Savers Strawberry &
Crème.
In Warwick, R.I., Gaga’s Inc. recently added two
new varieties to its SherBetter line. Orange and Chocolate have taken their
place alongside Lemon and Raspberry varieties. Containing more butterfat
than sherbet, but less than ice cream, all-natural SherBetter is co-packed
by Buffalo, N.Y.-based Perry’s Ice Cream.
While sherbet isn’t exactly making headlines
these days, such innovations may be just what the category needs to put it
on the path to the same kind of resurgence that frozen yogurt seems to
finally be enjoying.
“It’s just considered a given that sherbet
will be there,” Baker says. “It never really moves one way or
the other, but if somebody were to do something with flair and try to
expand on it, I think people would start to look their way.”
TOP 10 INDIVIDUAL ICE CREAM BRANDS* | ||||||
$ Sales (In Millions) |
% Change vs. Year Ago |
Dollar Share |
Unit Sales (In Millions) |
% Change vs. Year Ago |
||
Total Category | $4,135.9 | -1.1% | 100.0% | 1,271.3 | -1.9% | |
Private Label | 845.1 | 0.2 | 20.4 | 295.7 | 1.3 | |
Breyer’s | 631.4 | -4.0 | 15.3 | 191.4 | -5.5 | |
Dreyer’s/Edy’s Grand | 439.1 | -5.6 | 10.6 | 128.0 | -8.5 | |
Dreyer’s/Edy’s Slow Churned | 343.5 | 17.8 | 8.3 | 92.6 | 15.7 | |
Häagen-Dazs | 293.8 | 3.7 | 7.1 | 85.0 | -0.2 | |
Blue Bell | 249.4 | -2.9 | 6.0 | 73.0 | -4.4 | |
Ben & Jerry’s | 222.7 | 11.5 | 5.4 | 72.7 | 11.9 | |
Turkey Hill | 128.9 | 18.4 | 3.1 | 46.4 | 20.4 | |
Wells’ Blue Bunny | 127.2 | 6.6 | 3.1 | 35.0 | 3.0 | |
Friendly’s Always Rich and Creamy | 55.1 | -7.6 | 1.3 | 16.1 | -8.8 | |
* Total sales in supermarkets, drug stores and mass merchandisers, excluding Wal-Mart, for the 52-week period ending June 17, 2007. SOURCE: Information Resources Inc. |
TOP 10 FROZEN NOVELTY BRANDS* | ||||||
$ Sales (In Millions) |
% Change vs. Year Ago |
Dollar Share |
Unit Sales (In Millions) |
% Change vs. Year Ago |
||
Total Category | $2,333.9 | 1.5% | 100.0% | 786.7 | -0.7% | |
Private Label | 327.5 | -0.8 | 14.0 | 137.3 | -0.8 | |
Weight Watchers | 143.9 | 27.2 | 6.2 | 33.3 | 28.8 | |
Nestlé Drumstick | 136.5 | -0.4 | 5.9 | 38.9 | -3.7 | |
Klondike | 126.8 | -7.4 | 5.4 | 42.4 | -11.1 | |
Popsicle | 114.0 | 3.8 | 4.9 | 40.1 | -3.8 | |
The Skinny Cow | 91.8 | 18.8 | 3.9 | 20.9 | 12.3 | |
Dreyer’s/Edy’s Dibs | 86.6 | 14.8 | 3.7 | 26.3 | 13.9 | |
Dreyer’s/Edy’s Whole Fruit | 82.7 | -25.3 | 3.5 | 24.9 | -29.7 | |
Häagen-Dazs | 59.8 | 9.3 | 2.6 | 20.4 | 14.2 | |
Klondike Slim-A-Bear | 54.8 | 7.2 | 2.4 | 16.7 | 2.1 | |
* Total sales in supermarkets, drug stores and mass merchandisers, excluding Wal-Mart, for the 52-week period ending June 17, 2007. SOURCE: Information Resources Inc. |
TOP 10 FROZEN YOGURT/TOFU INDIVIDUAL BRANDS* | |||||
$ Sales (In Millions) |
% Change vs. Year Ago |
Dollar Share |
Unit Sales (In Millions) |
% Change vs. Year Ago |
|
Total Category | $173.6 | 4.0% | 100.0% | 51.0 | 1.9% |
Private Label | 35.1 | 4.6 | 20.2 | 12.6 | 3.5 |
Dreyer’s/Edy’s | 34.7 | 6.6 | 20.0 | 8.9 | 5.6 |
Ben & Jerry’s | 17.1 | -7.8 | 9.8 | 5.2 | -9.4 |
Turkey Hill | 13.8 | -5.6 | 7.9 | 4.5 | -6.1 |
Häagen-Dazs | 12.8 | 11.3 | 7.4 | 3.7 | 6.8 |
Organic Soy Delicious | 7.7 | 22.9 | 4.4 | 1.8 | 21.9 |
Kemps Live Healthy | 6.4 | 62.1 | 3.7 | 1.5 | 55.2 |
Ben & Jerry’s 2Twisted | 5.8 | 9.2 | 3.3 | 1.8 | 7.9 |
Blue Bell | 3.9 | 9.4 | 2.2 | 0.9 | 9.2 |
Tofutti | 3.8 | -13.8 | 2.2 | 1.2 | -17.2 |
* Total sales in supermarkets, drug stores and mass merchandisers, excluding Wal-Mart, for the 52-week period ending June 17, 2007. SOURCE: Information Resources Inc. |
TOP 10 INDIVIDUAL ICE POP NOVELTIES BRANDS* | ||||||
$ Sales (In Millions) |
% Change vs. Year Ago |
Dollar Share |
Unit Sales (In Millions) |
% Change vs. Year Ago |
||
Total Category | $71.0 | 9.4% | 100.0% | 43.3 | 6.2% | |
Fla Vor Ice | 12.5 | 37.9 | 17.6 | 7.4 | 68.9 | |
Select | 11.7 | 10.8 | 16.5 | 4.1 | 10.2 | |
Pop Ice | 7.9 | -17.1 | 11.1 | 2.7 | -20.3 | |
Private Label | 7.7 | 24.5 | 10.8 | 2.8 | 25.0 | |
Bolis | 5.7 | 0.4 | 8.0 | 8.9 | -2.1 | |
Otter Pops | 5.4 | -0.2 | 7.6 | 2.0 | -9.0 | |
Frootee Ice | 2.9 | 209.1 | 4.1 | 1.2 | 219.9 | |
Kool Aid Kool Pops | 2.4 | -12.3 | 3.4 | 1.7 | -11.1 | |
Fla Vor Ice Spiderman | 2.0 | -62.1 | 2.9 | 1.4 | -66.3 | |
Wyler’s | 2.0 | 4.6 | 2.8 | 1.2 | 23.3 | |
* Total sales in supermarkets, drug stores and mass merchandisers, excluding Wal-Mart, for the 52-week period ending June 17, 2007. SOURCE: Information Resources Inc. |