Camelicious has brought camel milk ice cream to the UK after successfully bringing liquid milk to the masses in 2017.
The ice cream tubs are set to follow its UHT milk into Asda, having gained nationwide listings with the supermarket from yesterday (28 January). Flavours available consist of vanilla, strawberry, chocolate, pistachio and hazelnut (rsp: £2.49/125ml).
The brand’s production has exploded over the past 12 years, from farming around 600 camels in 2006, to 6,145 producing in excess of four million litres of milk in 2018. Owned by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice president and prime minister of the UAE and ruler of Dubai, Camelicious operates a 15km2 farm in the Gulf state, where its camels are raised before their milk is processed in Austria.
Camel milk is considered a delicacy in the Middle East, while it was a staple of the Bedouin diet until the mid-20th century, said the brand. Faiza Akmal, sales consultant at Camelicious’ UK distributor Damasgate added the flavour was “less distinctive than cow or sheeps milk” and it was undertaking a sampling programme to increase consumer awareness.
“Sales of camel milk have taken us all by surprise,” said Akmal. “It’s a favourite drink among celebrities. The product has been a great success story.
“The health benefits of the Camelicious products are being noticed and people are buying in volumes. Consumers with a cow milk protein allergy can enjoy the tasty ice cream without worrying about having an allergic reaction.”
Other health claims touted on the brand’s website include ‘positive effects on patients with diabetes type II, hepatitis and autoimmune diseases’. It also said camel milk contained 50% less fat than its dairy equivalent, while being closer in composition to human milk than cow’s milk.
The brand has been working with Asda’s world foods buying manager Usman Bashir to list the products, and has plans to launch flavoured camel milk variants later this year. Its UHT milk had been an “enormous success” since its launch in October 2017 to great excitement after receiving endorsements from celebrities like Kim Kardashian, it said.
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