![]() ![]() “We’re not going to be on a par with Ben & Jerry’s and Häagen-Dazs because we don’t have the scale and we’re using more expensive ingredients. It was things like, can we bring in containers of pistachio paste from Sicily, not just pallets? Can we cut out this one distribution center and send trucks somewhere else? “Over the past three years we've got prices down through logistics and purchasing, but not by changing the product. The company – which Van Leeuwen says has always had a “ culture of frugality” and only took on outside funding in 2018 - also saw a significant opportunity to broaden its consumer base if it could get into the $4.99-$7.99 pricing tier, said Van Leeuwen. ‘We’re not going to be on a par with Ben & Jerry’s and Häagen-Dazs on price… But we didn’t want the price disparity to be jarring’Īs the category has become more complex and crowded meanwhile, Van Leeuwen has responded with a pared down approach to branding with a different color for each flavor and nothing but the brand name, the flavor, and the descriptor (‘French Ice Cream’) on the front of the pack. Sales of non-dairy ice cream - which were slightly down in 2019 - grew 20.2% to $333.4m. Nielsen data (total US, xAOC) shows US retail sales of ice cream - which were flat in 2019 - surged 16.4% to $7.36bn in the 52 weeks ended Feb 15, 2021. It was actually quite a relief because if it hadn't we'd have been asking why have we been spending all this extra money all these years?" "So we made five ice creams with five different types of pistachios, so Turkish pistachios, pistachios from another part of Italy, and so on, and the Sicilian pistachio blew everything else out of the water in a blind taste test. ![]() “It's the most expensive flavor we make, and Walmart picked it up this year, which we're really excited about, and we said, OK, we're going to be producing more of it, can we produce it for any less? “ We use Sicilian pistachios because they’re the best. While cynics might point out that every food marketer waxes lyrical about using the best ingredients, it’s not just marketing BS, says Van Leeuwen. “We’re also hyper-focused on high-quality ingredients," added Van Leeuwen, who makes his ultra-premium wares at a 5,000 sq ft factory in Brooklyn churning out 1.5 million gallons a year, which he reckons might actually make it “ the most productive factory per square foot maybe in the world.” Whether it's dairy or vegan, we’re at about 45% total solids, whereas a lot of other super-premium brands are sub-40%." Sicilian Pistachio He added: "We are 17-19% butterfat depending on the flavor, which is two to three points higher than Häagen-Dazs and Ben & Jerry’s, and we use a lot of egg yolk to give a chewiness and thickness to our ice cream. “If I’m going to eat ice cream I want 18% butterfat* with lots of chocolate chips. I feel like, if we’re going to do it, let’s go all the way. ![]() If you want to be really healthy, just eat less ice cream… or eat lentil soup. “ Ice cream is not 'better for you.' I don’t even understand the concept. Ice cream – or at least the kind its founders have poured their blood, sweat and tears into over the last 13 years – is a gastronomic delight made out of milk, cream, cane sugar, and egg yolks, not something you should be eating a bucket of every night, suggested Van Leeuwen. “ We got into dairy-free almost from the beginning, and now we’re close to 50% vegan in our scoop shops,” Ben Van Leeuwen (CEO) told FoodNavigator-USA.īut the brand – which now operates 23 scoop shops and supplies around 3,000 grocery stores - has not joined the arms race to create a product with 200 calories a pint.
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