'Food Union' kicks off the 2024 ice cream season with 11 new products; investments around 115 thousand euros

Innovative and classic, creamy and lean, fruity and vegan-friendly, crunchy and springy – this ice cream season, the leading dairy processing company in Latvia, Food Union, has prepared new products that cater to a wide range of trends. A total of 11 new ice creams have been created for the Latvian market, which customers will recognize on store shelves by the names of their favorite brands: Pols, Tio, Ekselence, Jungle Pop, and Karlsons. The investments made in the development of these new products amount to approximately 115 thousand euros.

Ģirts Liniņš, the ice cream brand manager of Food Union, says: “Summer is the most anticipated time of the year for most people, including us, as we are the leading ice cream producer in the Baltic countries. Therefore, as usual, we have prepared carefully for it, and as a result, we have created 11 interesting novelties for our five major ice cream brands – not only from milk and sweet cream but also with lower fat content and vegan-friendly options.  Therefore, every fan of this refreshing treat will be able to find something that suits their taste buds and dietary preferences this summer. Buy, enjoy, and savor, because ice cream is the true taste of summer.”

Innovative ice creams with care for sustainability

Following the growing consumer demand for “lighter” ice creams, the Vēsma ice cream line has been expanded with three new varieties. Now, in addition to the well-known lemon flavor, apple Vēsma ice cream made from cheese whey is also available in waffle cones. Additionally, two vegan-friendly "Vēsma" ice creams on sticks, made from real raspberries and mango, are now offered.

Meanwhile, the legendary and always witty ice cream brand Pols has introduced an entirely new category to its range – a medium-sized vanilla ice cream cone with a chocolate “cap” and a volume of 150 ml. There are two flavors on offer: Pols vanilla ice cream with dark chocolate coating and peanut crumbles, and Pols vanilla ice cream with cranberry sauce and dark chocolate coating.

But with the most innovative recipe, texture and also the potential to win the hearts of ice cream lovers of all ages this year is the ice cream brand Jungle Pop, which is popular among children and adults. Its range has been supplemented with a very playful innovation - bubble gum-flavored gel ice cream, which becomes playfully springy when it melts a little.

Four classic ice creams with new flavors

The dessert ice cream brand Ekselence will surprise gourmets this summer with one very expressive novelty – sweet-cream ice cream in a large waffle cone with Riga Black Balsam and cherries. As with all Ekscelence ice creams, this one also has an elegant topping topped with berry sauce and mini brownie cookies.

Pols brand mango ice cream in bright orange mango glaze on a stick has just returned to store freezers. But now, taking into account consumer preferences, it is available in a slightly larger size - 75 grams.

Finally, the range of both most popular ice cream brands in Latvia has been supplemented with two new products. The traditional Tio ice cream has returned to its classic values, introducing vanilla with whole raisins in a waffle cup. On the other hand, the iconic vanilla-chocolate ice cream Karlsons is now available with a new - cranberry jam.

All 11 new ice creams are already available in the most popular store chains  throughout Latvia.

ABOUT FOOD UNION LATVIA

In Latvia, Food Union is the leading producer and distributor of fresh dairy products and ice cream. The Food Union group in Latvia comprises Rīgas piena kombināts, Valmieras piens, and Premia FFL. In the market, the company is renowned for historic and widely recognized brands such as Kārums, Limbažu piens, Valmiera, Lakto, Pols, Ekselence, and TIO. The company’s key expertise lies mostly in the fresh dairy and ice cream segments and its brand portfolio boasts healthy and high value-added products made from the very best quality milk sourced from over 100 Latvian farmers. The central office of the Food Union Group is situated in Latvia. Since 2019, Riga has served as the group's ice cream development center. Each year, the Ice Cream Competence Center develops over 100 new ice cream varieties for the European market.