Kapiti claims a sweet victory & wins Canstar Blue’s Most Satisfied Customers Award – Ice cream 2019

Keeping Kiwis refreshed during hot summer days and satisfied after a scrumptious meal, Kapiti has won Canstar Blue’s Most Satisfied Customers Award – Ice cream 2019. The New Zealand dairy product company prides itself on being experts in their pursuit of taste and offer a wide variety of ice cream products, from single-serve cups, cones, singles and multipacks, to even sorbet.

Kapiti’s ice creams received a five-star rating for overall customer satisfaction, with survey respondents giving the dairy product brand’s ice cream five-star ratings for its packaging appeal and overall satisfaction.

New Zealanders love ice cream

Despite becoming a consumer product in the mid-1800s, ice cream only became a mass-market product in New Zealand in the early 1930s. Since then, Kiwis have adopted the tasty, creamy treat as a summer staple and go-to dessert.

According to the New Zealand Ice Cream Manufacturing Association, Kiwis consume an annual average of 23 litres per capita, making our little nation amongst the largest ice cream eaters in the world.  In fact, according to Statistics New Zealand, $1 out of every $44 of our food spend is spent on ice cream.

Ice cream satisfaction

So, when we’re cruising the freezer section of the local supermarket in search of the perfect ice cream, what is it about this frozen treat that really hits the spot? Our research revealed that the key drivers of customers’ ice cream satisfaction are:

• Taste 46%
• Value for money 29%
• Variety/range 17%
• Packaging appeal 9%

Choosing ice cream appears to be a straightforward affair, with 28% of Kiwis buying the same brand every time, however for others, the opportunity to try different brands and flavours are just too tempting to resist.

When it comes to eating ice cream, there’s a sense of sentimentality and nostalgia, with 46% of people saying that ice cream brings back fond memories ranging from thoughts about summer, to childhood memories and spending time with family.

So, which flavour takes the cake as a Kiwi favourite? This year, Cookies & Cream claims the top spot, followed closely by Chocolate.

How is ice cream made?

Ice cream is typically a combination of milk, sweeteners, plant-based stabilisers (usually corn syrup) and occasionally, eggs.

To make ice cream, these key ingredients are whipped together in a mixing tank where the products are heated and pasteurised to kill off any germs. The mix then passes through a homogeniser to break down the fats to give ice cream a smooth texture.

Following this, the mixture is then cooled to around 2 degrees and left to partially thicken. Once the ice cream has thickened, additional flavours and sweeteners are added. The final product is then poured into tubs and stored in a freezer to harden before being shipped off to your local supermarket. Of course, this is a very general explanation and each company will have its own unique methods.

A few fun facts about ice cream

• The biggest ice cream sundae was created in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada in 1988. It weighted 24 tons.
• Waffle cones were invented during the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis, when large demand forced an ice cream vendor to find help from a nearby waffle vendor. Together they made dessert history.
• The most profitable day for ice cream sellers is almost always a Sunday.
• Hawaii is a home to the “ice cream bean”, a type of fruit that tastes like vanilla ice cream.