Cornetto mini

Unilever is looking to take a bigger bite of the lucrative ice cream snacking market with the launch of two new Cornetto products.

Cornetto Bites are a 28ml scaled-down version of the classic cone. Aimed at sharing occasions such as the ‘big night in’, they come in a pack of 12 containing six Classico and six chocolate versions (rsp: £3.50).

Cornetto Taco (rsp: £1.50), meanwhile, is a taco-shaped waffle shell filled with vanilla ice cream and caramel, with chocolate and peanut pieces coating the ice cream. It is exclusive to the out-of-home channel.

Mini ice cream formats have added value to the ice cream market, with Unilever’s own Magnum Mini Baileys and Magnum After Dinner - which both launched in 2013 - worth £1.6m and £2.6m respectively. Meanwhile, Mars said value sales of its Mars Minis ice creams had grown 22.9% last year [Nielsen 52 w/e 25 January 2015].

“As the UK’s number-one filled cone brand, we are perfectly positioned to increase consumption and drive frequency of purchase from consumers looking for new snacking options,” said Cornetto brand manager Sarah Atkins. “We’re looking to increase consumer appetite for smaller formats with our NPD and offer a lucrative sales opportunity for retailers by tapping the teen snacking market.”

Cornetto Taco will tap the ice cream sandwich sector, which has grown following the success of the Oreo sandwich launched by R&R Ice Cream. Unilever has since rolled out a Wall’s Gingerbread Sandwich.

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