FDBusiness.com

WILD is using creative ideas to breathe new life into the ice cream segment. The focus is on premium-quality enjoyment. The ingredient expert is also implementing new concepts based on the current trend towards “lemonade on a stick.” All of the options are based exclusively on natural ingredients, satisfying the high consumer demand for natural products.

The demand for dessert flavors in ice cream continues to grow. According to the market research institute, Innova, these kinds of product launches increased by 47.7% in Europe between 2010 and 2013. Ice cream products featuring the taste of cakes or cookies are also on the rise with clear growth of 19.7%. Caramel plays a solid part in many dessert formulations — and it comes as no surprise that this flavor is benefiting from the dessert boom as well. Within the same time frame, caramel has recorded encouraging growth rates of 8.3%. WILD continues to respond to this trend and is using innovative concepts to create surprising new varieties.

A delightful duo: fruit and caramel

WILD is offering unusual combinations of fruit and caramel which are specially developed for the premium market. In the German market, these blends are practically unknown in an ice cream. Not only do the innovative products win consumers over with elements of freshness, the different kinds of caramel flavors feature variety and interesting taste sensations. A wide range of options is now possible. Particularly harmonious blends include apricot and creamy caramel, pear and salted caramel, banana and burnt caramel, as well as pineapple and fudge. The caramel products are available as solids and liquids, which means they are ideal both as toppings and as fillings. The texture of the filling is comparable to that of honey: by lowering the freezing point, the core remains liquid.

Thanks to the products’ easy handling, they are easy to integrate into countless ice cream creations. With their varying textures, particularly in liquid form, WILD’s new concept is both a real innovation and a source of major sales potential. Another advantage is the exclusive use of fruit juice as well as natural flavors and colors.

Tea on ice: chai is conquering the ice cream market

India’s national beverage has become a favorite around the globe. Last year, chaibased product launches doubled in Europe, according to Innova. Originally made popular in café chains, this aromatic spiced tea is continuing to blaze a trail through retail markets as well; after having taken the beverage market by storm, it is now winning over the ice cream sector.

The first chai ice creams have been quite a success in the US and Australia. WILD now offers manufacturers the option of leveraging this sales success: the company’s new chai tea concept focuses on a blend of ever-popular Ceylon black tea and rooibos, and the resulting extract is used in dairy-based ice cream.

New infusion technology allows the tea to be extracted even more gently, and when combined with spices such as ginger, cinnamon and cardamom, it creates an incomparable and authentic taste sensation as well as a clearly defined USP in comparison with traditional kinds of ice cream. These tea variations offer manufacturers interesting approaches to position their products. Furthermore, they are equally appealing in summer, when they are considered a refreshing ice cream option, and in winter with the warming nature of the spices. The heart and soul of this concept is naturalness.

Soda on a stick: a new form of sweet beverages

In Europe, water ices are extremely popular, and Germany remains stable with its top-ranking sales: 100 million liters were sold in 2013, amounting to 23% of the total volume of 434.7 million liters. Fruity flavors tend to be the clear favorite among product launches on the ice cream market. Citrus fruits in particular are in very high demand. According to Innova, they managed to increase their market share by over 20% between 2010 and 2013.

WILD has determined which citrus-based product innovations are especially promising: water ices based on citrus soda. Developments in the past several years have conclusively shown that sweet beverages such as cola or iced tea work wonderfully as ice cream. WILD is now going one step further and offering the appropriate compounds to let consumers enjoy citrus soda in frozen form.

Refreshing water ices with the familiar and popular taste of citrus soft drinks are a fruity source of refreshment for people of all ages, especially in summer. With a fruit content of 10 to 15%, the flavors lemonade, orange, lemon-lime, pink grapefruit and blood orange are particularly aromatic. Using coloring foodstuffs makes this “soda on a stick” visually attractive as well, harmoniously complementing the natural ingredients of this product range.