Unilever appears to be eyeing a UK launch for US frozen yoghurt brand Yasso.
It has applied to register the name ‘Yasso’ as a trademark with the Intellectual Property Office under class 29, covering yoghurt desserts and class 30, accounting for ice cream.
Unilever announced that it had agreed to acquire the Boston-based better-for-you brand in June as part of the “premiumisation strategy” of its ice cream business, with Yasso joining the likes of Ben & Jerry’s and Magnum in its portfolio.
The Yasso range currently spans sticks, frozen yoghurt sandwiches, mochi balls and chocolate coated Poppables, with each product or serving containing under 150 calories.
At the time of the announcement, Unilever global president for ice cream Matt Close said: “I am confident that with the full support of Unilever behind Yasso, we will take this fast-growing business to even greater heights.”
The Grocer understands there were no official plans for launching Yasso in the UK at the time of writing, with the transaction expected to close in the third quarter of 2023.
However, the trademark activity comes after Unilever has spent recent months seeking to improve the nutritional credentials of its ice cream portfolio.
It has tweaked the recipes across its Wall’s Kids range – spanning its Twister, Mini Milk and Calippo brands – to make them non-HFSS, reducing sugar and adding fibre.
The fmcg giant is also currently developing what it calls “cow-free dairy”, in which animal proteins are encoded into microorganisms such as algae and fermented in tanks with nutrients and sugar to mimic dairy products.
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