Moving from a grocer’s ethnic door to the ice cream door is where the company wants to be. But, as an executive notes, “It’s a lot more crowded in the ice cream door.”
Is mainstream America ready for purple yam ice cream? The trends are favorable. Food and flavor preferences are moving in the direction of adventurous eating. Fusion cuisines keep evolving as the nation becomes increasingly multicultural.
The owners of Ramar Foods are counting on the day when most Americans don’t bat an eye at scooping such popular Filipino ice cream flavors as purple yam (or ube, pronounced ooh-beh), avocado and lychee. In the meantime, the owners are happily watching sales increase for more recognizable flavors like coconut, chocolate and mango.