South Australian ice cream producer Golden North has won two categories at the South Australian Food Industry Awards, proving its status as an old-school favorite in the so-called ‘City of Churches’.
Golden North sales director Dimi Kyriazis told C&I Week the company was thrilled to be recognised by both industry and consumers alike, with the industry-voted Hall of Fame Award and the consumer-voted Tasting Australia Award presented to the company in a ceremony at the Adelaide Convention Centre on Friday last week.
“We’ve calculated for every South Australian there are at least two Giant Twins consumed per year,” Mr Kyriazis said.
The company’s iconically branded Giant Twins ice cream bar has been produced for over 50 years and is a firmly established South Australian favourite with an annual production in excess of two million units.
In the past six months the company has introduced a Toffee Hazelnut variant of the Giant Twin, saying it is “going gangbusters” and rapidly approaching sales volumes comparable to the traditional vanilla bar.
Golden North has also developed its export business, with sales of its take-home tubs going to the Chinese market and helping to balance winter production. In recent months 40,000 units of the single-serve Giant Twins ice cream bar were exported to China.
Although Golden North makes its home in South Australia, by far the main regional consumer of its products, over the past year the company has sold ice-cream to a further 250 interstate, independent retailers via a direct-to-store arrangement, utilising the Metcash Cross Dock supplier system.
Two thirds of the company’s production is currently sold through the independent grocery and convenience channels, a market the company said it will continue to target through the development of new products.
In particular, the popular 2-litre, take-home flavours will soon be re-released in 125ml single serve tubs, with a spoon integrated with the packaging.
The company’s Barista Bar, a premium, choc-coated coffee ice-cream bar made from freshly ground coffee, fresh milk and cream, is “about as close to drinking an actual espresso from the freezer as you can get”, Mr Kyriazis said.
“It is already a favourite after just a year in the market!”
A collaboration with another popular South Australian, Masterchef Australia runner-up and popular television presenter Poh Ling Yeow, has resulted in the introduction of an exciting new range of ice creams called ‘Jamface by Poh’. These 850ml take-home tubs of ice cream are made “just how Poh had always dreamed; with local product and fresh milk and cream”.
Golden North has also created Australia’s first low-GI ice cream. Launched just three months ago and currently available in a 1.2 litre take-home tub, this groundbreaking product was regarded as an Australian first, and has been accredited by Sydney University with the ‘Low GI’ symbol.
C&I has profiled Golden North, Sunfresh Salads and Pangkarra Foods following their wins. Click on the links above to see how these companies are servicing the convenience channel.