Dairy company Food Union has created four new ice creams, inspired by childhood tastes. The total investment invested in placing products on the market is about 50 thousand euros.
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Sandra Usačeva, head of ice cream brands at Food Union, said: “This year is special with new ice cream eating habits – people prefer larger ice cream to last longer and should go to stores less often.”
Among the new products are ice cream “Paul” with condensed milk, as well as “Paul” cotton candy ice cream with “marshmallow” marshmallows. The other two new products are launched under the brand “Carlson”. These are tricolor ice creams in large family segment packs for home-made tricolor ice cream balls: Carlson vanilla, chocolate and blackcurrant ice cream are white-brown-purple, while Carlson vanilla, chocolate and strawberry ice cream – white-brown-pink. They are sold in 850 ml environmentally friendly cardboard packaging, which is sortable, recyclable and decomposes in the environment without residue.
According to Usacheva, all new ice cream recipes have been developed in Riga – “Food Union“Ice cream competence center.” “Pols” is also produced here – “Rīgas piena kombināts”, while “Karlson” is produced in the “Food Union” group company in Estonia – “Premia TKH”, because there is a specific production line on which producing ice cream of such a large size, packing it in environmentally friendly cardboard packaging, “she explains.
For now, the new “Paul” and “Carlson” ice creams are available only in Latvia, but as the demand grows, export opportunities will also be evaluated. “The new” Paul “could go to Lithuania, where our ice cream, but especially this brand, is already popular with consumers. In turn,” Carlson “as a well-known brand in Latvia could theoretically be found in countries with large Latvian communities, such as Great Britain and Ireland. , but it is too early to judge, “says a company spokeswoman.
Asked how much of the ice cream produced by Food Union is currently packaged in environmentally friendly packaging and what the company’s goals are in terms of environmentally friendly production, she says: “All of our ice cream carton packaging is made from semi-recycled carton. which makes it easier for the packaging to decompose into the environment without residue.Small portion ice creams are packed in polypropylene films – Our technologists have long worked on the best proportions of product safety and environmental friendliness, so that the ice cream is as protected as possible and the film is as thin as possible. It is also worth noting the 1 liter cans of the brand “Ekselence” ice cream – this is a great example of “upcycling”. Rarely on a family’s shelf has such a box not found re-use, for example for storing grits or household goods, as a lunch box and in many other ways. “
Carlson imports environmentally friendly packaging because there is no adequate supply on the domestic market. “It is important to understand that ice cream is a complex product from a storage perspective. Therefore, its packaging not only fulfills its most important function – protection of the product from external factors, but it must also withstand low (at least -18 degrees Celsius) temperatures and long-term storage. Only a few large European manufacturers specialize in the production of this type of packaging, with whom we also cooperate, “explains Usačeva.
Food Union currently provides 60 types of ice cream to the Latvian market. “Most of the assortment is occupied by ice creams, popular for many generations, whose recipes have not changed for decades, such as the classic” Paul “on a stick, cocktail ice cream” Tio “in soft packaging and a bar-shaped” Carlson “. However, almost a third of the assortment consists of stylish tastes that change with fashion and demand, “asked about how the ice cream offer is formed, says Usacheva.
She explains that ice cream, like the dairy categories, has a certain life cycle: “Some news takes on a permanent place, but some lose its relevance after a few seasons when it is replaced by other news. This is normal and natural. Most rotations are experienced by” Excellence “small portion and ice cream for children, as the target audiences in these categories are particularly demanding of the latest taste trends.Customers generally prefer familiar flavors, which from time to time add something new.Our work as ice cream innovators is to constantly follow the wishes of customers and create more and more new ones. We are already finishing the development of ice cream for the 2021 season – we are grinding recipes, we are working on design and we will soon start planning communication as well. “
In Latvia, 60% of the ice cream produced here is sold, but 40% is exported to nearby and further markets as Lithuania, Estonia, Belarus, Russia, Romania, Norway, Great Britain. “We are especially pleased with exports to East Asia – this year the demand for Latvian ice cream brands” Pols “and” Ekselence “has significantly increased in Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan. Next year we plan to increase ice cream exports to these exotic markets by 50%,” says Food Union representative .
Compared to 2019, a slightly larger amount of ice cream was sold in this year’s ice cream season. This was achieved despite the late start of the summer, changing weather conditions and also lower consumer activity due to the conditions created by Covid-19.
Asked how the Covid-19 crisis in Latvia and the world has affected the Food Union as a company, Usačeva says that there have been no significant changes in production volumes or workforce. “If demand for one product category declined, it was offset by growth in another. It is too early to judge the financial performance this year, as the autumn ice cream season has just begun, but overall it looks like we will reach the target,” she is optimistic.
The “Food Union” group unites the two largest milk processing and ice cream production companies in Latvia – “Riga Dairy Plant”, and “Valmiera milk“, the largest ice cream producer in Estonia” Premia “and” Premia “in Lithuania, the largest ice cream producer in Denmark” Premier Is “and the ice cream delivery service company” Hjem Is “, the ice cream producer in Norway” Isbjørn Is “and the ice cream delivery service company” Den Norske Isbilen ” , an ice cream producer in Romania, Alpin57Lux, an ice cream producer in Belarus, Ingman Ice Cream and Russia’s Hladokombinat No.1 In 2018, Food Union opened two dairy and baby food plants in China.
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