FOOD UNION INNOVATION TEAM UNVEILS OVER 100 NOVEL ICE CREAM PRODUCTS 2020

Food Union, a global scale ice cream and dairy producing and distributing group, is changing the ice cream landscape across Northern Europe by harnessing insights from sensory and behavioral research and development to bring innovative new ice cream flavours to market for the upcoming summer season. The company has prepared in total over 100 novel products featuring exclusive flavours, textures, and functional benefits. Customers in Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Norway, Denmark, Romania, Belarus, and Russia will soon enjoy the unique flavour combinations and culinary complexities that Food Union’s innovative team spent months developing.

“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 prioritize sensory innovation and behavioral science to identify what consumers demand at a time when disruptive changes have increased the need for joy, comfort, and nutrition from trusted brands. Consumer-centered innovation will always be at the core of our product strategy and business model,” he said.

Highlighted of our 2020 Food Union Innovation showcase are the following 5 trends and 15 key novelties:

• Flavour Fusions and Culinary Complexity. An indulgent experience that brings fine dining into take-home ice cream. We utilize the power of mixology to inspire exciting new tastes and create ice cream that evokes an experimental joy by utilizing unique flavours across the spectrum.
• Guilt-Free Gourmandise. We aim to expand the low-calorie snacking category and influence the demand for “guilt-free” snacking and bite-sized indulgences by offering “healthy-snacking” options for those concerned with reducing calorie and sugar intake.
• Seasonal Signatures Pure to Nature. We use signature fruit flavours that offer fresh, natural notes. The natural world is a deep source of constant inspiration which is vibrant, refreshing, detoxing, and even energizing.
• Delicious Disruption. The element of surprise is key. We incorporate the unusual by creating a black cone, incorporating a sprinkle of something that is not typically sprinkled. Our ingredient philosophy is to take the expected and make it unexpected.
• Plant based alternatives. Most consumers have now tried plant-based products and are likely to continue using them due to a healthier image and the spread of vegan lifestyles. We develop new recipes to be among the first to fulfil the growing demand.

Our 15 key novelties for 2020 Summer season:

FLAVOUR FUSIONS AND CULINARY COMPLEXITY
1. Ekselence Macchiato mimics the experience of an espresso with a dash of frothy milk, available in Latvia
2. Ekselence Mini Pistasj & Makroner which consists of pistachio-flavoured ice cream, covered in milk chocolate and sprinkled with chunks of macarons. Mini Kaffe Latte consists of coffee flavoured ice cream, dipped in coffee sauce and two layers of chocolate, available in Norway
3. Gammeldags Flodeis Bourbon vanilla ice cream with a coconut twist, dipped in white chocolate and sprinkled with almonds and coconut flakes for added crunch, available in Denmark
4. Premia Pavlova Cake ice-cream in small cone, available in Estonia

GUILT-FREE GOURMANDISE

5. Lokki Ju Salt Caramel guilt-free ice cream that is a sensational sweet and savory combination, available in Norway
6. Lokki Ju Blueberry & Lavanda guilt-free ice cream that combines fruity freshness with spleindid aroma of Lavanda, available in Norway
SEASONAL SIGNATURES: NATURE IS HEALTH
7. OM Pear, lemon and ginger smoothie ice cream that is light, refreshing and dairy-free, available in Latvia
8. Jattis Vanilla-raspberry stick, available in Belarus
9. Sarafanovo mango sorbet stick, available in Russia

DELICIOUS DISRUPTION

10. Tumehelbeke Snowflake is wrapped in a black waffle to enhance the visual journey alongside its delicious flavour, available in Estonia
11. Premier Is Ice cream with Tutti Frutti flavour, filled with popping stardust, available in Denmark
12. FULG DE NEA coconut ice cream in black cone, available in Romania
13. Klasika peach flavored ice cream with watermelon sprinkles, available in Lithuania
14. DOBBEL chocolate ice cream with sea salt crisps in the outer layer, available in Norway
PLANT BASED ALTERNATIVES
15. Premier Is VegaNice Vegan ice cream cone with mint and chocolate ice cream, available in Denmark

Food Union is currently the leading ice cream maker in the Baltics and Denmark, as well as holding strong market positions also in Norway, Romania, Russia and Belarus. The Food Union Group’s shareholders include its founder and global head Andrey Beskhmelnitsky, the Hong Kong-based investment company Meridian Capital Limited and one of Asia’s largest private capital firms PAG. They became Food Union shareholders in 2015 and 2018 respectively in order to finance construction of two dairy plants in China and facilitate the company’s dynamic expansion to this market.