RIGA, Latvia, June 10, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Food Union, a global dairy production and distribution 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. The company has prepared over 100 novel products for the upcoming summer season that feature exclusive flavours, textures, and nutritional benefits. Customers in Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Norway, Denmark, Romania, Belarus, and Russia will soon enjoy the unique flavour combinations and culinary complexities from Food Union’s innovative team.
“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.”
Food Union’s innovation team is showcasing the following five key trends in 2020 products:
- Flavour Fusions and Culinary Complexity. An indulgent experience that brings fine dining into take-home ice cream. The team tapped the power of mixology to inspire exciting new tastes, and create ice cream that evokes an experimental joy.
- Guilt-Free Gourmandise. Food Union’s innovation team expanded low-calorie snacking options to provide “guilt-free” snacking. Bite-sized indulgences are now available as a “healthy-snacking” option for those concerned with reducing calorie and sugar intake.
- Seasonal Signatures Pure to Nature. Signature fruit flavours are used that offer fresh, natural notes. The natural world was used as inspiration for products that are vibrant, refreshing, detoxing and energizing.
- Delicious Disruption. The element of surprise is key. A black cone was created, incorporating a sprinkle of something that is not typically sprinkled. The ingredient philosophy used meant taking the expected and making it unexpected.
- Plant-based alternatives. Most consumers have now tried plant-based products and are likely to continue incorporating them into their lifestyle due to health benefits and dietary preferences. New recipes were developed to be among the first to fulfill this growing demand.
Food Union’s 15 key novelties for the 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 a 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 a Pavlova Cake ice-cream in small cone, available in Estonia | |
| GUILT-FREE GOURMANDISE | ||
| 5. | Lokki Ju a salt caramel guilt-free ice cream that is a sensational sweet and savory combination, available in Norway | |
| 6. | Lokki Ju a blueberry & lavanda guilt-free ice cream that combines fruity freshness with splendid aroma of Lavanda, available in Norway | |
| SEASONAL SIGNATURES: NATURE IS HEALTH | ||
| 7. | OM a pear, lemon and ginger smoothie ice cream that is light, refreshing and dairy-free, available in Latvia | |
| 8. | Jattis a vanilla-raspberry stick, available in Belarus | |
| 9. | Sarafanovo a 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 an ice cream with Tutti Frutti flavour, filled with popping stardust, available in Denmark | |
| 12. | FULG DE NEA a coconut ice cream in black cone, available in Romania | |
| 13. | Klasika a peach flavored ice cream with watermelon sprinkles, available in Lithuania | |
| 14. | DOBBEL a chocolate ice cream with sea salt crisps in the outer layer, available in Norway | |
| PLANT-BASED ALTERNATIVES | ||
| 15. | Premier Is VegaNice a vegan ice cream cone with mint and chocolate ice cream, available in Denmark | |
Food Union is currently the leading ice cream producer in the Baltics and Denmark, and the group holds a strong market position 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 in order to finance construction of two dairy plants in China and facilitate the company’s dynamic expansion into the Chinese market.
ABOUT FOOD UNION
Food Union is a global market insight and innovation-driven company that develops local brands and delivers delightful products for human well-being. Food Union is the largest dairy company in Latvia and the leading ice cream producer in the Baltic countries and Denmark. Food Union Group is made up of the two largest dairy and ice cream companies in Latvia – Rīgas piena kombināts and Valmieras piens, Estonia’s and Lithuania’s largest ice cream makers Premia TKH and Premia KPC, respectively, the leading Danish ice cream producer Premier Is and Danish door-step-delivery ice cream company Hjem Is, Norway’s ice cream company Isbjørn Is and door-step-delivery ice cream company Den Norske Isbilen, Romanian ice cream maker Alpin57Lux, and ice cream company Ingman Ice Cream in Belarus and ice cream company Khladokombinat No.1 in Russia. In 2018 Food Union expanded in China by opening two greenfield dairy and children’s product plants in China.
CONTACT:
Linda Mežgaile
Head of PR, Food Union
Linda.mezgaile@mmacomms.lv
T: +371 29772050
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/2edfe611-4a7e-4d28-bf07-6a1bc24834aa