Halo Top Creamery is an ice cream company and brand[1] sold in the United States,[2] Australia, Mexico, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Taiwan, Hong Kong, South Korea, Austria,[3] United Kingdom[4] and the United Arab Emirates. The brand is marketed as a lower-calorie alternative, partially substituting sugar with stevia, a plant-based sweetener, and erythritol, a sugar alcohol.
 | |
| Industry | Ice cream company and brand |
|---|---|
| Founded | June 12, 2012 |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles, California , U.S. |
Area served | United States, Australia, Mexico, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, France, the Netherlands, Germany, South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Austria, Norway, Bahrain, Denmark, Croatia and the United Kingdom |
| Products | Ice cream |
| Parent | Wells Enterprises |
| Website | halotop |
Founded in 2011 by former attorney Justin Woolverton, it is now owned by Wells Enterprises.
History
editThe ice cream brand was founded around 2011 by former attorney Justin Woolverton of Latham & Watkins LLP.[5] Woolverton had begun making ice cream in his own kitchen with the goal of reducing his consumption of carbohydrates and refined sugars.[5] In the early stages of Halo Top, Woolverton continuously experimented, tweaking and improving the ingredients for over a year. In order to create a long-lasting formula that could sustain shipment through the supply chain, Woolverton went to California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo Dairy Innovation Institute, where he was able to refine and polish the formula with a contract manufacture.[5] The company describes its product as the first ever "lifestyle" ice cream that can be eaten daily without overwhelming a typical caloric intake diet,[6] but nutritionists have expressed that "just because it's a slightly better choice does not mean that it is a good choice."[7]
Halo Top launched in Los Angeles on June 15, 2012, and annual sales grew up around 2,500% during 2016 and continued to increase in 2017, despite a retail price of $5 per pint.[8] In July 2017, Halo Top became the best-selling ice cream pint at grocery stores in the United States, surpassing in popularity the Ben & Jerry's and Häagen-Dazs brands, which previously held that distinction for years.[9] By September of 2017, it had grown to 50 employees and was sold throughout the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Canada, Ireland, Germany, Finland, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. By 2017, it had grown to 50 employees.[5]
Also in 2017, Halo Top won several international prizes, including an Institute of Taste Test Award, a Lausanne Index Clean Food Prize,[10] and it was named "Food Disruptor of the Year" by Food Dive[11] and one of The 25 Best Inventions of 2017 by Time magazine.[12]
However, 2017 proved to be the peak of Halo Top's sales, whose dollar value declined for each of the ensuing four years.[13][14] The decline was attributed in substantial part to competition from major brands as well as private label products which made similar lower-Calorie, lower-sugar products.[13][14] Additionally, during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, consumers began to shift away from lower-calorie ice cream.[14] Halo Top sales fell the most rapidly of all ice cream brands, even as ice cream sales as a category rose,[14][15] led by high-fat "premium" brands such as Magnum and Häagen-Dazs.[15]
The company was[when?] run by Woolverton and Doug Bouton, president and COO.[citation needed] Woolverton met Bouton, another former attorney, in an amateur basketball league.[5] On September 9, 2019 Halo Top announced sale of its US operations to Wells Enterprises for an undisclosed amount.[16] It has spent the ensuing years reformulating the low-calorie line, beginning with replacing spray-dried ultrafiltered milk proteins with liquid ultrafiltered milk, which is more expensive but which reduced what many consumers found to be the product's excessive density, improved the texture, and allowed it to mix more smoothly with the other ingredients, leading to a mouthfeel that is even closer to regular full-fat, full-sugar ice cream.[14]
Ingredients
editHalo Top's ingredients are relatively low in calories and sugar and high in protein and fiber. Halo Top is a mixture of eggs, milk, and cream, like other ice cream brands, but is distinct due to its substitution for sugar. Halo Top uses organic stevia, a plant-based sweetener, and erythritol, a sugar alcohol, to substitute sugar in their ice cream.[17] Each pint ranges from 240–360 calories.[18]
The ingredients used to make Halo Top ice cream include:
- Skim milk, eggs, erythritol, prebiotic fiber, milk protein concentrate, cream, organic cane sugar, vegetable glycerin, natural flavors, sea salt, organic stevia leaf, organic carob gum, organic guar gum
The nutritional value of a pint of vanilla Halo Top ice cream is:[19]
- 240 calories
- 8 grams of fat
- 24 grams of protein
- 20 grams of fiber
Halo Top offers an array of flavors, including dairy-free and vegan flavors. Consumers can also suggest new flavors online for the company team to consider bringing to market.[17]
In Canada, although the ingredients lists are very similar to those in the U.S., all varieties of Halo Top are labelled as frozen desserts, not as ice cream, due to differences in labelling requirements.[20]
Variations
editHalo Top ice cream is available in dairy pints, dairy-free pints, keto pints, pops, and mini pops.[21][22] The original pops were first introduced in February 2019 and included the following flavors: Mint Chip, Peanut Butter Swirl, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, and Strawberry Cheesecake. Each pop contains only 50–60 calories.[23] In May 2020, Halo Top released a larger version of the pops that contain 90–110 calories each. The original pops are now called Mini Pops and the larger versions are Pops. The larger Pops are available in the following flavors: Brownie Batter, Dark Chocolate Caramel, Mint Chip, Sea Salt Caramel, and Strawberry Swirl.[24]
Locations
editIn 2018, Halo Top opened three "Scoop Shop" locations in Los Angeles, CA in Westfield Topanga, Canoga Park; at The Grove; and in Century City. These Scoop Shop locations offer soft serve, scoops, sundaes, and sandwiches with various toppings to choose from.[25] The company closed all three on October 28, 2019.[26][27]
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ Snow, Shane (2016-01-28). "What It's Like to Eat Nothing but This Magical, Healthy Ice Cream for 10 Days". GQ. Retrieved 2017-03-02.
- ^ "The Delightful "Ice Cream" That Helps You Slim Down or Bulk Up". Bloomberg.com. 2016-11-03. Retrieved 2017-03-02.
- ^ "Aktuelle Finanznachrichten und Börseninfos direkt von der Quelle – dgap.de". mobile.dgap.de (in German). Retrieved 2019-04-13.
- ^ Williams-Grut, Oscar (November 5, 2017). "Hugely popular 'healthy' US ice cream brand Halo Top is coming to Britain". London Evening Standard. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e White, Ronald D. (15 September 2017). "How L.A.'s Halo Top became America's bestselling ice cream pint". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2019-01-24.
- ^ Buss, Dale (4 April 2017). "Making Ice Cream Cool: 5 Questions With Halo Top CEO Justin Woolverton". brandchannel. Archived from the original on 5 April 2017. Retrieved 5 April 2017.
- ^ Entis, Laura (August 3, 2017). "Halo Top Says Its Ice Cream Is Healthy — Nutritionists Aren't Buying It". Fortune. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
- ^ "The 25 Best Inventions of 2017". Time. 2017-12-01. Retrieved 2019-01-24.
- ^ "Halo Top Creamery is Now the Best-Selling Pint of Ice Cream in the United States". Business Wire. 31 July 2017.
- ^ "Chocolate Almond Crunch". Lausanne Index Prize.
- ^ Siegner, Cathy (August 4, 2017). "Food Disruptor of the Year: Halo Top". Food Dive. Industry Dive. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
- ^ "The 25 Best Inventions of 2017". Time. November 16, 2017. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
- ^ a b Doering, Christopher (April 19, 2022). "After a sharp decline in sales, Halo Top changes its recipe". Food Dive. Industry Dive. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
- ^ a b c d e Jett, Tyler (June 7, 2022). "Sweet victory?: After 200 tries, Iowa ice cream maker may have created a tastier, creamier version of Halo Top". Des Moines Register. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
- ^ a b Dawson, Abbie (February 26, 2021). "Brain-freeze Britain: ice cream category report 2021". The Grocer. William Reed Business Media. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
- ^ "Wells Expands Brand Portfolio with Halo Top". wellsenterprisesinc.com.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b "Us vs. Regular Ice Cream". HALO TOP®. Retrieved 2019-01-23.
- ^ "Surprise! This Ice Cream With a Cult Following Is Now the Best-Selling Pint in America". Bravo TV Official Site. 2017-08-01. Retrieved 2019-01-23.
- ^ "Healthy or Not: Halo Top Ice Cream". Food Network. Retrieved 2019-01-23.
- ^ "Flavours". Halo Top Canada Ltd. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
- ^ "About Us". Halo Top. 17 August 2020. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
- ^ "Vegan & Dairy-Free Ice Cream Flavors". HALO TOP®. Retrieved 2019-01-23.
- ^ "Halo Top Ice Cream Now Comes on a Stick". Food Network. Retrieved 2020-08-17.
- ^ Q. "Halo Top Reveals New Bigger Halo Top Pops in Five Flavors". Retrieved 2020-08-17.
- ^ "Halo Top Scoop Shop". Halo Top Scoop Shop. Retrieved 2019-01-23.
- ^ "Our Scoop Shops Have Closed, But Your Local Store Is Open". Halo Top Scoop Shops (Instagram). Instagram. October 28, 2019. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
- ^ "Halo Top closes its fun, delicious and creative Halo Top Scoop Shops". Stack3d. October 28, 1019. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
Further reading
edit- Boscamp, Emi (December 2, 2016). "Can a low-cal ice cream taste as good as the real deal? We put it to the test". Today.
- Bans, Lauren (September 13, 2016). "Low-Cal Halo Top Ice Cream Is \*Gasp\* Truly Amazing". Bon Appétit. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
- Calderone, Julia (August 25, 2016). "Is There Such a Thing as Healthy Ice Cream?". Consumer Reports. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
- Dziemianowicz, Joe (August 31, 2016). "This ice cream is 250 calories a pint. We binged on a pint so you don't have to". New York Daily News. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
- "Ice cream review: Halo Top, healthy ice cream?". The Republican. June 20, 2016. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
- Carlson, Jen (January 25, 2017). "Have You Tried This Protein-Packed, Healthy Halo Top Ice Cream Yet?" Gothamist.
- Wohl, Jessica (March 6, 2017). "How Halo Top Is Conquering the Ice Cream Biz – Without Ads". Advertising Age. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
- "Ice cream that's tasty and legitimately good for you, plus 2 DIY guilt-free ice cream recipes". The Times-Picayune. June 6, 2016. Retrieved March 12, 2017.