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CONTACT:
Matt Herrick, (202) 220-3537
mherrick@idfa.org

Ice Cream Technology conference honors Kemps, Baskin-Robbins, Blue Bunny, Beyond Better Foods and many more for innovative ice cream flavors

(Washington, D.C., May 1, 2019) -Bourbon, berries with brandy, chocolate mudslide, cinnamon bun and bananas dominated the pack in this year’s annual Ice Cream Technology Conference presented by the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA). Each year, the IDFA competition brings together new and soon-to-be-released flavors from small and large U.S. ice cream makers and flavorings suppliers, and has become the top destination for companies testing bold and unique flavors. The 2019 contest was held at the St. Petersburg Resort and attracted more than 145 ice cream industry professionals and 35 flavor entries over the two-day event—including two dairy-free frozen desserts from Beyond Better Foods and Kerry that took home the top honors.

“This year’s contest really wowed us with a mix of sweet and savory, combining liqueurs with candy crumbles and spices, and bakery flavors like cobbler, French toast, cookies and pie crust,” said Cary Frye, IDFA senior vice president of regulatory affairs. “We’re so proud of how IDFA’s Ice Cream Tech has become a celebration of America’s most beloved frozen treats and a window into the innovation and creativity happening in U.S. dairy today.”

Kathie Canning, editor-in-chief of Dairy Foods, said, “I was really impressed with the creativity of this year’s entries. From an on-trend savory concept featuring the flavor of dill pickles to a nostalgia-inspired concept showcasing a sweet breakfast cereal favorite, they all managed to surprise and delight conference attendees. Congratulations to the winners, who truly mastered the ice cream flavor-creation process!”

Frye and Canning presented the awards in three categories: most innovative ice cream flavor, most innovative ice cream novelty, and most innovative ice cream prototype.

Judges recognized seven entrants in the most innovative ice cream flavor category:
Winners
First Place: Kemps – Scotcheroo: Inspired by the much-loved homemade cookie bar treat, it features swirls of peanut butter, oatmeal cookie chunks, and chocolate fudge chunks in a butterscotch ice cream.
Second Place: Baskin-Robbins Dunkin’ Brands Inc. – Bourbon Street Pecan Pie: Featuring bourbon butter pecan flavored ice cream with roasted pecans, pie crust pieces, and a bourbon caramel flavored swirl.
Third Place: Hudsonville Ice Cream – Hazelnut Cinnamon Bun: The fresh from the oven taste of cinnamon bun flavored ice cream swirled with a ribbon of rich hazelnut fudge and sweet cinnamon bun pieces.

Others recognized
Perry's Ice Cream – Oats Cream Snickerdoodle
Publix Super Markets Inc. – Irish Creme Salted Caramel
Tillamook County Creamery Association – Sea Salt & Honeycomb Toffee Frozen Custard
Wells Enterprises Inc., Blue Bunny – Chocolate Donut

Judges recognized five entrants in the most innovative ice cream novelty category:
Winners
First Place: Tillamook County Creamery Association – Chocolate Mudslide Waffle Cone Sandwich: Rich chocolate ice cream made with dark chocolate fudge chips and a thick fudge ripple is placed between two perfectly crisp chocolate waffle cone cookies.
Second Place: Wells Enterprises Inc. Blue Bunny – PB Mallow Mania Loaded Sundae: Fun-filled sundae cup of peanut butter ice cream, peanut butter and marshmallow swirls, peanuts, chocolaty peanut butter and marshmallow bunnies.
Third Place: Beyond Better Foods LLC – Dairy Free Monkey Business: Made with “almond milk” to create a banana frozen dessert with swirls of peanut butter and chocolate chips for this a-peel-ing stick novelty.

Others recognized
Kemps – Unicorn Swirl IttiBitz
Perry’s Ice Cream – Blueberry Grape Yo Buddies

In the most popular category for participants, judges this year recognized 23 unique flavors in the most innovative prototype flavor category:
Winners
First Place: Kerry – Bramble Brandy Crumble: A hybrid frozen dessert made with half dairy and half oat-based dairy alternative, flavored with dairy-free pie crumble dough, Madagascar vanilla, and a blackberry variegate infused with brandies.
Second Place: Sensient Flavors – Brown Butter Banana French Toast: Banana French toast flavored ice cream with a brown butter flavored variegate and French toast pieces. 
Third Place: MD Enterprises Inc. – Chocolate Caramel Pecan Cookie Crunch: Chocolate ice cream with a caramel variegate and pecan and chocolate chip pieces.

Others recognized
Agrana Fruit US – Lavender Berry Bliss
Balchem/Sensory Effects – Belgian Chocolate Irish Cream Crunch
Baskin-Robbins | Dunkin’ Brands Inc. – Waffle Cone Crunch
Clasen Quality Chocalate – Espresso Myself
Concord Foods – Breakfast for Dessert (Maple French Toast)
Denali Ingredients – Strawberry Graham Forever (oat based non-dairy frozen dessert)
FONA International – Chocolate Irish Stout
Fruitcrown Products Corp. – Orange Ya Nuts!
Gertrude Hawk – Churro
Hudsonville Ice Cream – Fruity Breakfast Cereal
Jogue Inc. – Molten Sea Salt Chocolate with Siracha Variegate
Kemps – Adulting is Hard...Let's be Mermaids!
Kerry – Bramble Brandy Crumble
Mane Inc. – Hot Honey Crunch
Parker Products – Tin Cup Whiskey Cake
Pecan Deluxe Candy Company – Dark Chocolate Raspberry Brownie
Perry's Ice Cream – Just Dill With It
Publix Super Markets Inc. – Cookie Butter Creme
Rhino Foods – Spoonbreaker
Star Kay White – Sun, Surf, and HoneyCombs (the beaches)!
Synergy Flavors, Inc. – Magical Cereal Milk

The Ice Cream Technology Conference is the premier event for ice cream and frozen dessert professionals and is the only meeting that focuses specifically on innovations in frozen dessert research, technology and new market trends. It provides unique opportunities to learn from experts on food safety, labeling and regulations that affect the ice cream and frozen dessert industry. This year’s program featured talks such as, “Why Are Consumers Craving Plant-based Diets?” and “Challenges and Strategies for Formulating Plant-based Frozen Desserts”. Legal experts also covered the “FDA Policy and Pathway for Cannabidiol (CBD) in Foods and Ice Cream”, along with a food safety focus on “Control of Listeria in Ice Cream Manufacturing”. The conference features networking opportunities, hands-on sessions, and product tasting, including the annual Innovative Ice Cream Flavor Competition. The 2019 conference was held April 16-17 at the Vinoy Renaissance St. Petersburg Resort in St. Petersburg, Fla.

IDFA would like to thank the sponsors of the 2019 Ice Cream Technology Conference for their generous support. They are Clasen Quality Chocolate, Denali Ingredients LLC, Harry Davis & Company, Rhino Foods Inc., Pecan Deluxe Candy Company, Star Kay White Inc., and Tree Top Inc.

Winners, from left to right: Kurt Riethman, Sensient Flavors; Logan Cisewski, Kerry; Caroline McQueen, MD Enterprise, Inc.; Hanna Clune, Dunkin Brands, Inc.; Kinsey MacDonald, Hudsonville Creamery & Ice Cream Co.; Duane Wittlief, Kemps, LLC; Kathie Canning, Dairy Foods mMagazine; Cary Frye, IDFA; Justin Laabs, Tilamook; Brian Krauss, Wells Enterprise, Inc.; Tammy Shaw, Beyond Better Foods, LLC.

Additional photos available upon request.

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The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), Washington, D.C., represents the nation’s dairy manufacturing and marketing industry, which supports nearly 3 million jobs that generate more than $161 billion in wages and has an overall economic impact of more than $628 billion. IDFA members range from multinational organizations to single-plant companies. Together they represent approximately 90 percent of the milk, cultured products, cheese, ice cream and frozen desserts produced and marketed in the United States and sold throughout the world. The diverse membership includes numerous food retailers, suppliers, cooperatives and companies that offer a wide variety of nutritional dairy products and dairy-derived ingredients.