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ROADSHOW: SOUTH AUSTRALIA CREAM OF THE CROP YET AGAIN GTolden North has been named Australia’s favourite ice-cream for the third year in a row. he country’s most loved ice-cream brand, South Australia’s Golden North, is celebrating this accolade for an unprecedented third consecutive year. Golden North received the top rating from an independent survey of 2,791 consumers, conducted by Canstar Blue, earning the only five-star rating for overall satisfaction, as well as top marks for taste, consistency and packaging. Golden North Marketing and Export Director Trevor Pomery says the whole team were overwhelmed with the news. “We were humbled the first and second year to receive such an accolade, but to be consecutive winners for three years has completely blown us away,” he said. “To be rated in this category among some pretty impressive competitors is truly amazing. To us, it’s recognition that our decision to continue making our ice-cream with fresh milk and fresh cream was the correct decision.” The award, says Mr Pomery, is a “huge win” not only for Golden North and its 65 employees, but for SA as a whole. “What a win for our state,” he said. “We’re so grateful.” The sources of success In terms of market contribution, Golden North is the number one tub seller in SA’s ice-cream market with 15.5 per cent market share (IRI SA Grocery dated MAT 29/3/20, supplied by Golden North), beating national/multinational brands including Peters, Blue Ribbon and Bulla. But what exactly differentiates Golden North from its competition? “We use real milk and cream sourced freshly from local dairy farmers in SA,” Mr Pomery said. “We never compromise the quality of our products. “Where possible, we always prefer a local supplier to support the community. For example, the blue gum honey used in our honey ice-cream is actually from a family run beekeeper in the same region (Laura, in the state’s mid-north) where the ice-cream is produced.” Mr Pomery also notes that Golden North contributes a “huge portion” of its product to SA’s hospitality business, as the state’s cafes and restaurants “always” prefer locally made products. “The Golden North brand is known among the consumers for its locality and \\\[being\\\] a trusted company,” he said. “This helps our cafe and restaurant clients to reinforce the local message to their customers.” A Giant makeover In March, Golden North relaunched the “old favourite” Giant Twins range. A refresh has given Giant Twins a new look and introduced some additional flavours to the range: Banana, Strawberry, and Spearmint. Mr Pomery says the brand has also reintroduced the “nostalgic” ‘sharing dent’ on the product. “In the old days,” he said, “Giant Twins were made in a cake tray. We poured the ice-cream into the trays to freeze overnight. Each one of the trays, halfway along, had an indent – so that when the final product was ready, it ended up with the indent with it. “The idea was that you bought it, broke it in half and had two ice-creams – one for you and one for a friend, perhaps?” In a Facebook post, Golden North said that with advanced manufacturing processes it had to remove the dent, but longstanding customers reminisced about the ‘snap and share’ dent, asking if it could be reintroduced. So, for old time’s sake, the company says, it made sense to keep fans happy and put the indent back in ice-creams. Beyond SA Mr Pomery says Golden North has received many requests from interstate customers – who have enjoyed its ice-creams while on holiday in SA and surrounds – to bring the product to their local shelves. “We’ve certainly expanded our interstate stockists in the past 12 months, with big thanks to IGA, who’ve really come on board to support this expansion, and we hope to make it available in more locations in the near future,” he said. Currently, Golden North is available in supermarkets in SA and the Northern Territory, as well as selected independent supermarkets across the nation. “We use real milk and cream sourced freshly from local dairy farmers in SA. We never compromise the quality of our products.” 38 RETAIL WORLD MAY, 2020