While ice cream rises to the top of the consumer list for decadent treats at winter time, luxury brands are tapping into new flavours and textures in the dessert arena.

Latvian ice cream brand Ekselence, and member of Food Union, has unveiled a gourmet range of winter flavoured ice creams.

Pumpkin spice latté, peanut butter crunch, vanilla and chocolate with cookie dough, milk souffle, banana and chocolate and vanilla and chocolate cookies.

“The latest consumer market data shows significant changes in consumer preferences; ice cream has become not only one of the top choice desserts to eat at home, but also serves as home entertainment,” Alexander Mayorov, head of R&D, Food Union Ice Cream Competence Centre, producer of the Ekselence brand, tells FoodIngredientsFirst.

With other out-of-home entertainments such as cinema, cafés and restaurants, as well as attraction parks for children closed down or with limited access, ice cream has become “a vehicle of popular entertainment to be enjoyed in the comfort of consumer’s homes.”

Spiced up for the season

In Denmark and Norway, consumers have been indulging in ice cream all year round. However, the trend is only now beginning to take shape in other parts of Europe such as the Baltic region, according to Food Union.

“We expect that with recent lifestyle changes more and more people will be opting for ice cream in winter months,” says Mayorov.

Brands were challenged this year in creating new products due to disruptions in supply chains due to the COVID-19. Consumers have also become health conscious as a result of the pandemic and the ice cream sector has seen rising demand for formulations with functional ingredients.

Food Union got creative by developing warm and creamy flavours suitable for winter such as chai latté. Meanwhile, sauces, chunks and crisps have been applied to elevate ice cream.

“The different levels of restrictions on people’s mobility have led to changes in lifestyles and, consequently, in food consumption,” Mayorov explains.

The challenge was threefold – coming up with entertaining flavours influenced by global trends, using convenient packaging solutions in an environment of considerably disrupted supply chains and stepping-up consumer-centric innovations.

“Consumers went back to ice creams that offered comfort and delight. Interestingly, one of the hero products was the vanilla and chocolate with cookie dough,” adds Mayorov.