Three Ben & Jerry’s innovations roll into freezers for New Year

Ice cream tub brand Ben & Jerry’s is expanding its Sundaes range with two indulgent new SKUs inspired by an iconic American dessert, the s’more. Both Marshmallow & S’more and a non-dairy NPD, Oat of this Swirled, hero the s’more’s star ingredient, toasted marshmallow – a top ingredient according to recent CMI consumer research. Both brand-new s’mores-inspired ice cream flavours and are fully loaded with cookie chunks, toasted marshmallow-y swirls, topped with a soft whipped top that Ben & Jerry’s Sundae flavours are famous for, and finished off with traceably sourced Open Chain chocolatey chunks – providing more indulgence in every spoonful.

The values-led ice cream maker is also introducing a new SKU, Spectacu-love, as a decadent addition to its core collection. Inspired by market insight that demonstrates a popular consumer trend of speculoos cookie, the fully loaded tub is jam packed with chunks of crunchy, golden speculoos cookies, nestled into sweet cream ice cream with swirls of complimentary smooth caramelized cookies. Ben & Jerry’s three mouth-watering new flavours will launch into the grocery and convenience channels from 4 January 2024.

“Ben & Jerry’s is known for its innovation, and we are excited to introduce three new taste adventures to fans’ spoons,” said Flo Howell, Country Business Lead at Ben & Jerry’s UK. “Our Sundaes flavours topped with a never-before-seen whipped top continue to be a hit, so we’re thrilled to be adding two brand new flavours, Marshmallow & S’more and Oat of this Swirled to the range.

“Out of this Swirled will be our first flavour made with the new oat-based formula, allowing our ever-popular Sundaes range even more inclusive for our non-dairy fans. Using oat for our new dairy alternative base offers an improved taste and texture, resulting in a dairy-free tub with no compromise. The rest of our non-dairy range will also be making the switch to the new oat base throughout the year.”

Marshmallow & S’more

Although traditionally associated with the American campfire dessert, s’mores products and flavours are growing in Europe. A recent CMI study shows that 60 per cent of respondents were aware of s’mores, but that there is an opportunity to raise more awareness of the flavour and drive excitement surrounding the concept. Filling this gap in the market, Marshmallows & S’more brings the nostalgic American flavour to the EU in decadent ice cream Sundae form.

The tub of rich chocolate ice cream is jam packed with chocolate cookie dough chunks and gooey marshmallow swirls, topped with a creamy whipped ice cream, toasted marshmallow caramel swirls and popping candy traceably sourced Open Chain chocolate. The new flavour offers a complete dessert solution and drives consumer trade upwards with uber-indulgence.

Oat of this Swirled

Oat of this Swirled Sundae is the first Non-Dairy ice cream flavour purposefully created with Ben & Jerry’s new oat-base recipe. In August the ice cream maker announced it will transition its entire non-dairy ice cream portfolio from the current almond-base to an oat-base mix. Oat of this Swirled is the first ice cream flavour to be made using the new oat recipe.

The burnt sugar Non-Dairy ice cream is loaded with oat cinnamon cookies and toasty marshmallow-y caramel swirls, topped off with a soft whipped top and Open Chain chocolatey chunks.

Ben & Jerry’s new non-dairy recipe is made with oats, creating a smooth and indulgent texture that allows flavours like chocolate, decadent caramel, and rich vanilla to shine as intended, giving fans the most indulgent taste experience they deserve. In consumer testing, the new non-dairy formulation saw increased repeat purchase interest with both current and potential Ben & Jerry’s non-dairy buyers.

Spectacu-love

Spectacu-love is the latest addition to Ben & Jerry’s iconic line-up of cookie-filled ice cream flavours. The tub is loaded full of chunks of crunchy, golden speculoos cookies, nestled into sweet cream ice cream with swirls of complimentary smooth caramelised cookies, harnessing the popularity of the speculoos cookie. According to recent CMI research, when faced with a choice between flavours, sweet cream continues to prevail with shoppers in terms of appeal, and 84 per cent of Ben & Jerry’s fans regard the new flavour as new and different.

Ben & Jerry’s Marshmallow & S’more (Sundaes Range)

· 427ml Tub (Sundae)- RRP £5.50

Ben & Jerry’s Out of this Swirled (Sundaes Range)

· 427ml Tub (Sundae) – RRP £5.50

Ben & Jerry’s Spectacu-love

· 465ml Tub (Classic) – RRP £5.50