Eighty four percent of UK ice cream parlors report that vanilla is their best-selling ice cream flavor, according to a survey conducted by the Ice Cream and Artisan Food Show. The second and third most popular flavors were Mint Chocolate Chip (20 percent) and Chocolate (18 percent). Market opportunities for the classic flavor show no signs of stopping, as the unique simplicity and versatility of vanilla drives demand.

Despite its sourcing challenges, vanilla remains the “queen of flavors” and is widely used by the industry in both synthetic and natural form. “It is no surprise that vanilla is the most popular ice cream flavor. Why else would four of the ice cream parlors that responded to our survey sell just that one flavor?” commented Zelica Carr, CEO of the Ice Cream Alliance.

Vanilla premiumization provides ample opportunities for companies seeking to emphasize provenance and luxury. Last year, Nielsen-Massey launched single-origin pure vanilla extracts from Uganda and Indonesia in response to growing consumer interest in global flavors. Earlier this year, it also released new two-ounce bottles of its Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Bean Paste and Pure Vanilla Bean Paste targeted toward gourmet chefs and bakers.

The number of products that refer to the origin of vanilla on their packaging continues to grow. However, as consumers become better informed,” companies tend to offer more and more exotic vanilla origins. It is now possible to find products with vanillas from India, Indonesia – Java vanilla is particularly popular – Tahiti or Papua New Guinea, says Marie Le Beller, Product Manager at Prova.

Vanilla is a critical flavor for producers because it is an ingredient in many other recipes, including chocolate. Other popular flavors rated by UK ice cream parlors included strawberry, which was rated the third most popular flavor by just 14 percent of parlors while bubblegum was ranked as third favorite by 9 percent of parlors.

R&D challenges
However, when taken to scale, vanilla made from real beans and pods is a challenge to manufacturers amid rising prices. Companies like Solvay have developed methods using fermentation to produce vanillin from alternative raw materials. The result is a process which hopes to meet global need for the highly sought-after flavor. At Fi Europe 2019, Solvay announced it would be doubling its production capacity of vanillin following an overwhelming response from the market.

Vegan opportunities
In a non-traditional take on the classic dairy dessert, 36 percent of parlors described vegan ice creams (of various flavors) as their most significant new product varieties. Dairy-free and reduced-sugar were the next most popular newest additions at 5 percent each.

“Our ice cream makers are in tune with prevailing taste trends judging by the numbers producing ‘free-from’ products such as vegan, dairy-free, reduced-calorie and gluten-free,” notes Carr.

Dairy alternative purchases is still most frequent in Asia and Latin America, which are homes to the greatest incidences of lactose intolerance. However, there is an above-average focus on dairy-free yogurts in Europe, for example, while ice cream represented almost a third of all dairy alternative launches in North America in 2018, reports Innova Market Insights.

Adventurous consumers
Although UK consumers were by and large found to be “vanilla” in their choice of ice cream, several UK ice cream parlors reported novel flavors, such as sea buckthorn. There were also new twists on established favorites, such as chilli chocolate and blue banana, as well as a few unusual flavors, such as chicken sorbet and crabmeat.

The innovative new flavors suggest that the UK consumer still has a streak of adventure in them. “The vast range of other flavors is testament to the creativity of the industry,” notes Carr. The Ice Cream and Artisan Food Show 2020 surveyed the members of the Ice Cream Alliance at the end of December 2019 while gearing up for the UK-based trade show.