Halo Top — the ice cream that seemingly came out of nowhere to dominate the industry through its promise of fewer calories, less sugar and higher protein — is forcing its big-name, deep-pocket competitors to take notice.
After launching in 2012, Halo Top has experienced tremendous growth, including a 2,500% increase in sales last year. The ice cream maker, which posts the calorie content prominently on the front of its packaging, has benefited from consumer demand for products that contain clean and simple ingredients they’re familiar with. It sold more than 17 million pints in 2016, and recently became the #1 selling pint of ice cream in the U.S., beating out iconic brands such as Ben & Jerry’s and Breyers.
Justin Woolverton, Halo Top’s founder and chief executive officer, was as surprised as anyone by his product’s success and the impact his company has had on the industry in such a short period of time.
“We’ve created a new category in ice cream. Stores have had to make more room for us in the storage freezer, same with our distributors. Our manufacturing partners have had to do some creative things,” Woolverton said in an email to Food Dive. “And now that the multinational corporations are getting involved in something a little podunk Los Angeles company came up with, I think it’s safe to say we’ve disrupted some things.”
Read more at Food Dive: https://www.fooddive.com/news/food-disruptor-of-the-year-halo-top/507262/
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