Below Zero Category: 2022 Winner Little Island - Nice Blocks Tropical

Little Island were the Chilled category winner in 2022 for their Tropical Nice Blocks.

With sustainability at the forefront of this ‘cool’ product, Little Island wanted to bring consumers an ice block that was not only environmentally friendly but also good for you. 

Described as a ‘tropical extravaganza’, Tropical Nice Blocks are made with passionfruit, pineapple and mango. The best bit – no added sugar! So not only are these Nice Blocks extremely tasty but they can also be enjoyed guiltfree. To make this product even cooler, unlike most ice blocks available at the supermarket, Little Island’s Nice Blocks aren’t individually wrapped in plastic.

The Little Island ethos is to keep things nice for everyone and make the world a cooler place one Nice Block at a time.

“We were beyond chuffed to have won the Below Zero Category in the 2022 Food Awards. At Little Island we strive to make delicious products that are better for you and better for the planet. We’re proud of our low sugar Nice Block Multi and it’s wrapper less, fully recyclable package.”

Entry (extracts):

1.     Product Name 

Nice Blocks Tropical

2.     Product Description

Is “tropical” even a flavour? Sure, it is! Blend up a good helping of passionfruit, pineapple, and mango, leave out the sugar and that, my friends, is a tropical extravaganza.
We are committed to sustainability, which is why we choose wrapper-free packaging for these blocks. By using ethical, organic, natural ingredients, and sourcing locally where possible, we keep things nice for everyone.
Making the world a cooler place one nice block at a time.

Innovation

3.     Where did the idea for this product come from?

We wanted to bring our successful Nice Blocks products to grocery in a format that aligns with shopper behaviour and category norms but also gives consumers a better choice.
Multi packs in the frozen category have a lot of excess packaging due to individually wrapped items. With our company’s commitment to minimising our impact on the environment, it was clear we needed to do things differently.

4.     How did you determine the product originality?

We analysed competitor’s product offerings in all relevant retail outlets in the NZ market to see if anyone else had successfully overcome this challenge. They hadn’t. With an MAT of 34m this not insignificant category within NZ grocery was entirely dominated by individually wrapped, unrecyclable, single use plastics without exception. We want to not only offer a better option for everyone but also set an example for what can be done if you set your mind to it.

5.     Did you consider any new technology to your company in the development of this product?

The primary innovation with this product was the packaging, we were already pretty good at making ice blocks but we wanted to do one better. Apart from the design process and finding a suitable manufacture the next technological development required will be streamlining the packing process as it is currently manual. Automation will require some nifty thinking and design to overcome this bottle neck this year.

6.     What were some of the challenges in developing your product and how did you overcome them? 

The primary challenge with this product was definitely the packaging, we have gotten pretty good at making ice blocks over the years so that came naturally. We engaged 3 different packaging suppliers at various stages and worked through many strange designs. The problem was the unique architecture of the carton which none of the manufacturers had attempted before and some ultimately did not have the capability. Being made from a single piece of cardboard that is cleverly folded and glued into a robust structure capable of being flat packed for shipping, smoothly erecting on the production line and providing a tight seal to provide an adequate moisture barrier proved tricky. We have boxes and boxes of failed prototypes. Perseverance was the key to overcoming the barriers in front of us, until we got to the point of knowing what we wanted. It then became a job of finding a partner willing to go the extra mile to do something new and innovative. We are constantly looking to improve the pack in any way possible and just recently reduced the amount of material by 25% and tweaked the design to reduce waste from 2.5% to 1% on our production line.

7. In your food technologist’s words, what was the proudest moment in the product’s journey?

A key focus for us is whenever we are formulating a product is to try and improve on it. While our original ice block range was already pretty great, we’ve always wanted to use a little sugar as possible. When Nice Blocks first began is journey sugar replacement options were pretty terrible, leaving unpleasant after tastes or just being downright unpleasant. Monk Fruit Corp. had been knocking on our doors for a few years now and their Juice Concentrate fit well with our clean and simple requirements. After extensive trials we on each flavour we reduced our sugar by about 2% of the total with no objectionable side effects. This brought us down to roughly the equivalent sugar content of an apple which is we were pretty happy about as it can be very challenging to get the balance right with frozen products as the relative sweetness is suppressed making it difficult to keep sugar levels down while still delivering a delicious product people are accustomed to.

Sustainability

8.     Describe how environmental outcomes have been maximised across the entire life cycle of the product and your company processed for achieving these outcomes?

Our environmental outcomes have been maximised through sourcing BioGro NZ certified organic raw materials, which have a wide positive impact on the environment.
The product is produced locally, where no toxic waste is produced in the process, we use an on-site water tower for cleaning and monitor our waste production closely, recycling 74% of the sites total waste with a close to zero waste target on the horizon with only 2 specific waste products left to be dealt with.
As discussed, our packaging solution was specifically designed to minimise waste and plastic use, giving the consumer a choice that doesn’t compromise their beliefs in sustainability.

 9.     Provide a specific example of environmental sustainability initiatives related to the product you have entered. 

We are currently working towards Little Island becoming a B Corp certified business.
We are an investor for impact of the Sustainable Business Network.
We are a certified organic manufacturer.

10. Describe how your company consciously addresses social sustainability across the entire life cycle of its products and your company processes for achieving these outcomes.

We source all materials in line with fair trade practices requiring 3rd party verification of social and environmental practices.
Little Island is Living Wage Aotearoa certified.
All production seconds are donated to the Auckland City Mission.

Excellence

11.     Briefly outline your product process.

1. Assess market opportunities, unique brand, and product assets we can leverage and material business viability.
2. Incorporate social and environmental considerations into product design
3. Develop concepts and trial with new manufacturing equipment
4. Test logistical route to market
5. Pitch to retailers

12.  How did you determine the product’s likely success in the market?

With category data and consumer trends around our UVP; locally made/sourced ingredients, organic, sustainable packaging, less sugar, accessibility to young families.
Retention in stores ranged.
Seasonality impact.