Golden North has been named Australia’s favourite ice cream tub by Canstar Blue for the fifth consecutive year.
In the annual independent survey of more than 2700 consumers, the ice cream brand received five-star reviews for taste, consistency and overall satisfaction. It also achieved four stars for variety, packaging, and value for money.
Golden North Managing Director Peter Adamo says receiving the Canstar Blue award five years in a row is unprecedented for an Australian ice cream product.
“We couldn’t be more proud and grateful for the love and support from Australian consumers,” he says.
“[The fact that] our factory in the small regional township of Laura keeps churning out the best ice cream in Australia, in a highly competitive segment, is really remarkable. To do it five years in a row now is just incredible. These awards stand as an endorsement to our ongoing commitment to produce premium quality ice cream for our consumers.”
Canstar Blue Home and Lifestyle Expert Megan Birot describes Golden North’s achievement as outstanding for a regional brand from SA.
“The market for frozen desserts is very competitive and the fact that Golden North has outperformed a whopping 12 other big-name brands and conglomerates on these important drivers of satisfaction is a sweet victory,” she says.
Mr Adamo notes that the past year has been another “award scooping” year for Golden North.
“In addition to the Canstar Blue Awards, the company has won [the] Consumer Award [at the South Australian Premier’s Food and Beverage Industry Awards] for the third time in November 2021, voted by South Australian consumers to be their favourite brand, at the same time being inducted into the ‘Consumer Legend’ status as an acknowledgement for the achievements of winning the Consumer Awards three times,” he says.
“We’ve also won the Finder Retail Awards 2021 for Best-Rated Ice Cream Tub Brand in Australia, another award rated by Australian consumers.”
New products
Not resting on its laurels, Golden North has been full steam ahead with NPD.
“Before Christmas, we launched two dairy-free products under our new better-for-you range, Simply Better,” says Mr Adamo. “Using plant-based and organic coconut cream as our key ingredient, we’ve introduced Vanilla Bean and Chocolate Sundae to the South Australian market, which has quickly gained popularity among consumers pursuing a dairy-free and plant-based diet.
“We’re also thrilled to have just released two very indulgent products in our hero ranges, Salted Caramel Giant Twins Multipack and Sea Salted Caramel in our 2lt Simply Indulge range, showcasing the delicate concoctions of caramel and savoury notes in our very creamy ice cream.”
Challenging circumstances
The past 12 months have, of course, also come with its challenges.
“The biggest challenges … have been the rising costs in supply chain, ingredients, packaging and transportation,” says Mr Adamo.
“The shortage of dairy ingredients and delayed delivery of raw materials have added further pressure on our ice cream production. Staff shortage in regional areas due to Covid isolation also made it very hard for production planning.”
Despite these challenges, Mr Adamo says: “We defend our motto by adhering to our traditional recipe to uphold the quality and consistent standard of our ice cream.”
What’s next?
Looking ahead, Golden North has plans for all parts of Australia and its current international audience.
“Locally, we’ll continue to innovate and launch new products to keep refreshing our product range and interacting with latest flavour trends,” says Mr Adamo.
“Nationally, as a premium family ice cream brand, we’re working closely with major supermarkets and petrol and convenience stores to expand our market penetration for Australian consumers.
“Internationally, we’d like to continue our success with current markets, such as China and Vietnam, by actively increasing our range penetration, at the same time looking for distribution partnerships in other countries.”
This article is published in the July issue of Convenience World.
