Northern Ireland poll reveals the favourite ice cream flavour in your home town - do you agree?
According to Northern Ireland’s oldest ice cream producer, Morelli’s Ice Cream, Honeycomb is the top spot in the 2024 ice cream race
As Northern Ireland basks in a late September spell of sunny weather, the country’s most popular Morelli’s Ice Cream buying trends for summer 2024 have been announced.
The ice cream producer, founded in 1911, has detailed its best-selling flavours for this year. Sales data released by the Coleraine-based firm shows Vanilla has lost its crown as Northern Ireland’s favourite ice cream flavour after Honeycomb claimed the top spot in the 2024 Morelli’s Ice Cream report.
Meanwhile according to regional data, Honeycomb is also the most popular flavour in Antrim, Londonderry and Armagh, while Down, Fermanagh and Tyrone prefer Double Cream Vanilla.
This summer saw Chocolate and Rainbow sprinkles selected as Northern Ireland’s favourite toppings. The figures also illustrate how Devil’s Churn Ripple was the best-selling new flavour of 2024.
The company’s branches in Portrush, Portstewart and Ballycastle see more ice cream sales than anywhere else in Northern Ireland, while the most popular day for an ice cream is still Sunday.
Boosting sales of cones in 2024 was the launch of a number of new products in the Morelli’s range, including the eye-catching Morelli Purple Cone. Morelli’s also offers Gluten Free cones, and tubs that hold up to six scoops for those interested in sharing (or not sharing).
Commenting on this year’s ice cream trends, Daniela Morelli-Kerr from Morelli’s Ice Cream, said: “We love looking back each year at the trends in our sales, so we can develop new products with our loyal customers in mind. We can see the Salted Caramel trend is still going strong, and we think Salted Chocolate will be a follow-up trend and one to watch for next year.
“Although our new and more unusual flavours are becoming more popular, it’s the traditional flavours that remain at the top. I think we’ll always be a nation of Vanilla and Honeycomb lovers, but it’s great to see flavours like Devil’s Churn Ripple breaking into the bestseller charts.”
The sales figures have been released by Morelli’s Ice Cream following a successful year for the business, expanding into 120 Sainsbury’s UK stores, winning the ‘Best Vanilla’ award at the Ice Cream Alliance (ICA) National Ice Cream Championships and sending a consignment of ice cream to the family’s home village Casalattico in Italy for an annual festival celebrating Irish culture.
Speaking on the company’s recent successes, Daniela added: “From expanding to a further 120 Sainsbury’s stores across the UK, to sending ice cream to our home village in Italy, we’re proud to say 2024 has been a great year for Morelli’s Ice Cream. We are so grateful to our customers for their continued support, especially on Sundays!”
Regional data: Morelli’s best-selling ice cream flavours of summer 2024 by county
County Antrim: Honeycomb, Double Cream Vanilla and Chocolate
County Armagh: Honeycomb, Double Cream Vanilla and Chocolate
County Down: Double Cream, Vanilla Honeycomb and Chocolate
County Fermanagh: Double Cream Vanilla, Honeycomb and Mint & Chocolate Chip
County Londonderry: Honeycomb, Double Cream Vanilla and Raspberry Ripple
County Tyrone: Double Cream Vanilla, Honeycomb and Raspberry Ripple
This year, new flavours were a big hit with sweet treat fanatics across Northern Ireland. Morelli’s launched several new flavours, including Coke Float and Lemon Cookies, but the most popular was Devil’s Churn Ripple. The flavour is the result of a collaboration with Devil’s Churn and North Coast Smokehouse, boasting Morelli’s Double Cream Vanilla as a base with ripples of Devil’s Churn Campfire Salted Caramel Sauce.
Some 80s and 90s classic flavours made a resurgence this year, including Bubblegum, which makes a return to the top ten after Belgian Chocolate Chip disappeared off the bestseller list for 2024. Unicorn, the candyfloss flavour that made its debut in the top ten last year, retains its spot in 2024.
In 2023, tubs accounted for 60% of Morelli’s sales with cones making up 40%. This year, cones have caught up, with sales now evenly split between tubs (50%) and cones (50%).