At the 2022 Canadian National Exhibition, Black Halo Ice Cream put a tangy twist on the classic banana split by swapping the potassium-rich fruit for pickle. The pickle split consists of a swirl of smooth dill pickle-flavored vanilla ice cream (lightly sprinkled with dill, naturally) served alongside crunchy dill pickle chips and a whole pickle on the side.
This mouth-puckering fair food treat pleased pickle lovers and challenged others to expand their palates with an adventurous and unexpected mix of textures and flavors.
The taste of pickle satisfy consumers' demand for bright, bold, sour and briny flavors and for that reason, pickle flavors have become popular in everything from hummus to hard seltzers—and evidently, ice cream.
Tangy Pickle Splits
Black Halo Ice Cream's Bold, Briny Split Swaps Banana for Pickle
Trend Themes
1. Pickle-flavored Food - Opportunity for companies to explore with new pickle-flavored products in other food categories such as bakery and snacks.
2. Adventurous Food Combinations - Opportunity for companies to experiment with non-traditional food combinations to create both novelty and excitement for customers.
3. Sour and Briny Flavors - Opportunity for companies to incorporate more sour and briny flavors in their products and expand their consumer base beyond traditional sweet flavors.
Industry Implications
1. Ice Cream Industry - Ice cream companies can offer more unusual and adventurous flavors to stand out in the saturated market and gain new customers.
2. Snack Industry - Companies in the snack industry can consider introducing pickle-flavored snacks, such as chips or crackers, to cater to the growing demand for bold and savory flavors.
3. Beverage Industry - The growing popularity of hard seltzers with pickle flavor suggests an opportunity for the beverage industry to explore pickle flavors in non-alcoholic drinks such as soda or tea.