Heat and releases make ice cream market grow

The volume of ice cream sold in Brazil grew 22% in the 12 months through August, compared with a year earlier, according to Nielsen. In value, the growth was 30%, to R $ 4.4 billion. The advance came after a weak year, little hot and rainy summer, which resulted in a fall of 2% on the previous period.
The performance of the market is still very linked to climatic variations in Brazil, and the industry is trying to change this reality. "We can't worry about the time, have to worry about developing the market," says John Campos, Vice President of ice cream and Unilever foods, leader of the category with Kibon. This year was the first time the brand campaigned in midwinter, headlined by the player Neymar.
The year has also been positive for the second largest company of category, Nestlé. According to the Director of the company's ice cream unit, Roger Lee, multinational sales Switzerland grow above the market this year.
The per capita consumption in Brazil was of 6.2 liters last year, according to the Abis (Brazilian Association of ice cream). "Brazil has the conditions to go for 10, 12 liters," says Fields. Europeans consume of 18 to 20 quarts of ice cream a year. Despite its extensive coastline and tropical climate, the Brazil is only the 12th largest country in the world in per capita consumption, behind countries like Chile.
"We are having one of the best years in ice cream," says Fields. Last summer, sales rose 24 percent compared to the previous season. The mark represented by a heart has the second largest global market like Brazil, after the United States. Before, the country occupies the fifth position.
Fields not performance time assigns warm and dry, but mainly the launches, campaigns and recast the line of pots that Unilever did a year ago. The restructuring included the paring down of the portfolio: the 2-liter version went from 35 flavors for just 4. The company also launched smaller versions, of 1 liter and 1.5 liter, and created the line 3 Selections, more expensive, which mixes three flavors such as Belgian chocolate types and different nuts. "We went from a price point [the pot of 2 litres] for four," says Fields. This was the largest investment repagination on Kibon until today, of R $ 70 million. In 2014, for example, investments in brand totaled R $ 30 million.
According to Lee, the releases that help boost Nestle's sales this year are the Popsicle Mega brand inspired by the Alpine chocolate, and the children Take Pop Surprise, with stuffing "surprise" chocolate or vanilla. The company also launched ice cream in pot brand La Frutta, which combines two fruit flavors. Unilever brought ice cream inspired in desserts, like pudding sweetened condensed milk and dark woods, and launched a line of popsicles Fruttare with mousse texture.