Grocer Gold Awards 2022: food brand of the year

Winner: Little Moons

Little Moons is changing the face of the UK’s ice cream category at pace.

In 2021, it was grocery’s fastest-selling ice cream brand thanks to its mochi balls going viral on TikTok, inspired by a Tesco customer posting on the social media platform.

In the 12 months that followed, Little Moons grew its distribution by 721%, trebled its production output, increased revenue by 233% and fundamentally disrupted UK ice cream, becoming the single largest driver of growth in the market. That led to a raft of new listings, copycat products from the discounters, and the accolade of 2021 Grocer Gold Award for SME of the year.

For the judges, the food brand of the year prize was the deserved next step for innovative Little Moons, which resonated with shoppers last year like no other brand.

The bite-sized, handheld, calorie-controlled ice cream balls have certainly come a long way since being launched into foodservice in 2010 by siblings Vivien and Howard Wong.

Now boasting a raft of grocery listings, the business is valued at over £100m and hired industry heavyweight Mike Hedges as CEO. The former Tyrrells and Proper boss joined Little Moons in April to lead it into its next stage following a significant investment by US private equity firm L Catterton.

That, the judges noted, is a clear sign not only of the brand’s current value, but its future value too.

Shortlisted:

• Birds Eye Green Cuisine
• Charlie Bigham’s
• Cornetto
• Nomo
• Mindful Chef
• The Jolly Hog
• This