Unilever’s Magnum expands fresh flavors and formats with mood-inspired ice cream offerings

15 Apr 2024 --- Unliever’s ice cream brand Magnum has unveiled a trio of mood-inspired flavors called the Magnum Pleasure Express to bolster its premium portfolio. These include Magnum Euphoria, Magnum Wonder and Magnum Chill.

This comes when 75% of global consumers are willing to try “new and exciting” ice cream experiences, urging key players to experiment with fresh flavors and formats.

“Magnum has always been at the forefront of ice cream innovation. Our annual innovations are a strong contributor to the brand’s growth,” says Ben Curtis, global Magnum and luxury brands lead.

“We want to take ice cream lovers on a journey where they enjoy a new sensation with every bite.”

The company’s latest flavors have been two years in the making, he adds.

Magnum recently became part of Unilever’s separate ice cream business, in a move that the British FMCG multinational says will drive faster growth and higher margins.

A “surprising” core
Magnum has paired its signature cracking chocolate with new ice cream flavors that contain a surprising core, which it says is a “first” for the brand.

The first ice cream range is Magnum Euphoria, which pairs a lemon ice cream with a refreshing raspberry sorbet core. To add texture and fun, its thick white chocolate shell is studded with popping candy.

Magnum Wonder capitalizes on the demand for “brown flavors” such as chocolate, caramel, toffee and molasses. It combines toffee-flavored ice cream with the unexpected sweetness of a date ice cream core and is covered in golden chocolate and caramelized almonds.

Raging ice cream demands globally are pushing formulators to continuously roll out new flavors and colors.The third variant is a vegan option, Magnum Chill — inspired by blueberries. It matches a vanilla-biscuit flavored ice cream with a blueberry sorbet core and crunchy cookie pieces covered in a rich vegan chocolate couverture.

Ice cream innovations
As the love for ice creams rages worldwide, the F&B industry is striving to make the dessert more attractive for consumers through healthy inclusions such as proteins.

Last week, Valio told Food Ingredients First that the company focuses on protein-enriched products in new delicacy categories like ice cream, bakeries and desserts.

Cargill is also eyeing the ice cream segment with its latest cocoa-free confectionery range as a one-to-one replacement for chocolate or coating and filling applied in ice creams and bakery products.

Healthy indulgence in ice cream, including reduced sugar, high protein content and lactose-free alternatives, is also in demand. 

At a time when the number of vegans in 18 EU countries is set to reach about 8.25 million by 2033, experts encourage innovations such as dairy-free ice creams, in line with consumer health concerns.

 Meanwhile, food innovators are also exploring alt-dairy ingredients from pulses for ice cream applications using optimized fermentation for “greater control” of flavor profile.

Edited by Insha Naureen