Food Union launches 100 ice cream flavours in Northern Europe
Food Union, a dairy production and distribution group, has prepared over 100 novel products for the upcoming summer season for customers in Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Norway, Denmark, Romania, Belarus, and Russia. It says it is harnessing insights from sensory and behavioural research and development to bring new ice cream flavours to market.
“We have built research and design deep into the DNA of our company and have ambitions to test and invent new products while upholding the highest standards of taste, quality, and nutritional value,” said Normunds Staņēvičs, CEO of Food Union, Europe.
“We prioritise sensory innovation and behavioural science to identify what consumers demand at a time when disruptive changes have increased the need for joy, comfort, and nutrition from trusted brands.”
Food Union’s 15 key novelties for the 2020 summer season tap into five different trends:
Flavour fusions
Ekselence Macchiato, which mimics the experience of an espresso with a dash of frothy milk, is available in Latvia. Ekselence Mini Pistasj & Makroner, which consists of pistachio-flavoured ice cream, covered in milk chocolate and sprinkled with chunks of macarons and Mini Kaffe Latte consists of coffee flavoured ice cream, dipped in coffee sauce and two layers of chocolate, are both available in Norway. Premia, a Pavlova Cake ice cream in a small cone, is available in Estonia.
Guilt-free gourmandise
Lokki Ju, a salt caramel guilt-free ice cream that is a sensational sweet and savoury combination, is offered in Norway.
Seasonal signatures: Nature is health
Jattis is a vanilla-raspberry stick that is available in Belarus, and Sarafanovo is a mango sorbet stick, available in Russia.
Delicious disruption
Tumehelbeke Snowflake is wrapped in a black waffle to enhance the visual journey, and available in Estonia. Premier Is is an ice cream with Tutti Frutti flavour, filled with popping stardust, available in Denmark. Fulg De New is a coconut ice cream in black cone, available in Romania Klasika is a peach flavoured ice cream with watermelon sprinkles, is available in Lithuania.
Plant-based alternatives
Premier Is VegaNice is a vegan ice cream cone with mint and chocolate ice cream, available in Denmark.
Food Union is currently a key ice cream producer in the Baltics and Denmark, and the group holds a strong market position in Norway, Romania, Russia and Belarus, it says. The Food Union Group’s shareholders include its founder and global head Andrey Beskhmelnitsky, the Hong Kong-based investment company Meridian Capital, and one of Asia’s largest private capital firms PAG. They became Food Union shareholders in 2015 and 2018 in order to finance construction of two dairy plants in China and facilitate the company’s expansion into the Chinese market.
