Halo Top Creamery facts for kids
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| Industry | Ice cream company and brand |
|---|---|
| Founded | June 12, 2012 |
| Headquarters |
Los Angeles, California
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U.S.
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Area served
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United States, Australia, Mexico, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, France, the Netherlands, Germany, South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Austria, Norway, Bahrain, Denmark, Croatia and the United Kingdom |
| Products | Ice cream |
| Parent | Wells Enterprises |
Halo Top Creamery is a well-known ice cream company and brand. You can find its products in many countries, including the United States, Australia, and Canada. Halo Top is famous for being a lower-calorie ice cream. It uses special sweeteners like stevia (from a plant) and erythritol (a sugar alcohol) instead of a lot of regular sugar.
The company was started in 2011 by a former lawyer named Justin Woolverton. Today, it is owned by Wells Enterprises.
Contents
History of Halo Top
How Halo Top Started
Halo Top ice cream began around 2011. Justin Woolverton, who used to be a lawyer, started making ice cream in his own kitchen. He wanted to create a treat with less sugar and fewer carbohydrates.
For over a year, Woolverton kept trying new things to make his ice cream just right. He wanted a recipe that would taste good and also last a long time. This was important so the ice cream could be shipped to stores. He even worked with experts at the California Polytechnic State University to make his recipe perfect.
The company calls its product a "lifestyle" ice cream. This means it's designed so people can enjoy it more often without eating too many calories. However, some nutrition experts suggest that even lower-calorie ice cream should still be enjoyed in moderation.
Growing Popularity
Halo Top first launched in Los Angeles on June 15, 2012. Its sales grew incredibly fast, by about 2,500% in 2016! This growth continued into 2017, even though a pint cost around $5.
In July 2017, Halo Top became the best-selling ice cream pint in U.S. grocery stores. It even became more popular than famous brands like Ben & Jerry's and Häagen-Dazs. By September 2017, the company had 50 employees. Its ice cream was sold in many countries, including the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom.
Halo Top also won several awards in 2017. It received a Taste Test Award and was named "Food Disruptor of the Year." Time magazine even called it one of the 25 Best Inventions of 2017.
Challenges and Changes
Despite its success, 2017 was the peak for Halo Top's sales. Over the next four years, sales started to go down. One reason was that bigger ice cream brands and store-brand products started making similar low-calorie options.
Also, during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people began choosing regular, full-fat ice cream again. Halo Top's sales fell faster than other ice cream brands. Meanwhile, "premium" (fancy) brands like Magnum and Häagen-Dazs saw their sales go up.
In September 2019, Halo Top announced that its U.S. operations were sold to Wells Enterprises. Since then, the company has been working to make its low-calorie ice cream even better. They changed some ingredients to make the texture smoother and more like regular ice cream.
What's Inside Halo Top?
Key Ingredients Explained
Halo Top ice cream is made with ingredients that are lower in calories and sugar. It also has more protein and fiber. Like other ice creams, it contains milk, eggs, and cream. But Halo Top uses special sweeteners instead of a lot of sugar.
They use organic stevia, which is a natural sweetener from a plant. They also use erythritol, which is a sugar alcohol. These help make the ice cream sweet without adding many calories. Each pint of Halo Top usually has between 240 and 360 calories.
The main ingredients in vanilla Halo Top ice cream include:
- Skim milk
- Eggs
- Erythritol
- Prebiotic fiber
- Milk protein concentrate
- Cream
- Organic cane sugar
- Vegetable glycerin
- Natural flavors
- Sea salt
- Organic stevia leaf
- Organic carob gum
- Organic guar gum
Nutritional Facts
Here are the nutritional values for one pint of vanilla Halo Top ice cream:
- 240 calories
- 8 grams of fat
- 24 grams of protein
- 20 grams of fiber
Different Flavors and Options
Halo Top offers many different flavors. They even have dairy-free and vegan options for those who can't have dairy. You can also suggest new flavors online to the company!
In Canada, Halo Top products are called "frozen desserts" instead of "ice cream." This is because of different rules about what can be called "ice cream" there. The ingredients are very similar to the U.S. versions.
Different Kinds of Halo Top
Halo Top ice cream comes in several forms. You can find dairy pints, dairy-free pints, and even keto pints. They also make ice cream pops and mini pops.
The first pops were released in February 2019. They came in flavors like Mint Chip and Strawberry Cheesecake. Each of these original pops had only 50–60 calories. In May 2020, Halo Top released larger pops with 90–110 calories each. The smaller ones are now called Mini Pops, and the larger ones are simply Pops. The larger Pops come in flavors like Brownie Batter and Sea Salt Caramel.
Halo Top Stores
In 2018, Halo Top opened three special "Scoop Shop" locations in Los Angeles, CA. These shops were in places like Westfield Topanga and The Grove. At these Scoop Shops, you could get soft serve ice cream, scoops, sundaes, and even ice cream sandwiches. They also had many toppings to choose from. However, all three of these Scoop Shops closed on October 28, 2019.
See also
In Spanish: Halo Top Creamery para niños
