The ‘healthier’ ice cream trend is gathering pace in the UK, with reduced-calorie brand Perfect World passing the halfway mark of its first-ever round of crowdfunding within hours as it aims to relaunch as vegan-friendly.
The business brand kicked off a 60-day Seedrs push this morning (19 February) with the aim of raising £100,000 in exchange for a 3.45% share. By noon, it had hit 55% of its target – £55,320 – mainly as the result of an anonymous investment of almost £30k.
Perfect World claims to be the UK’s first stevia-sweetened ice cream. It plans to invest in a spring reformulation “to ensure the brand remains at the forefront of ‘healthy indulgence’ in the ice cream category”. Scheduled for April, the relaunched range will be vegan, with no added sugar and fortified with 12 key vitamins and minerals.
The brand had “enjoyed robust growth” since launching in 2014, said co-founder & CEO Chris Conklin. “But this reformulation will take us into a different league. We believe the relaunched product will be a world first: an ice cream that is actively good for your health.”
Funds from the Seedrs campaign have also been earmarked for expansion with Ocado and in Europe via listings in the Netherlands.
Perfect World’s push for expansion comes weeks after reduced-cal ice cream sensation Halo Top arrived in the UK from the US, jostling for freezer space with the likes of Oppo, Breyer’s Delight and the imminent Ben & Jerry’s Moo-phoria range. Last week, Halo Top told The Grocer it was “currently looking into” the possibility of UK-based production following a “wildly successful” British debut.
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