Blue Bunny Load'd Sundaes® Redefines Frozen Dessert Category on Nielsen's 2020 U.S. BASES Top 25 Breakthrough Innovations List

Load'd Sundaes spoons up consumer demand, named "Emerging Play" standout

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Oct 13, 2020, 10:45 ET

LE MARS, Iowa, Oct. 13, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Wells Enterprises, Inc., the largest privately held, family-owned ice cream manufacturer in the United States, is thrilled to announce that BASES, a Nielsen Global Consumer business division, has named Blue Bunny Load'd Sundaes® to its 2020 U.S. BASES Top 25 Breakthrough Innovations List for its success in driving sales and frozen dessert category growth. The 25 brands that made the 2020 list reflect a wide range of products and approaches that succeeded in making meaningful connections with consumers, an impressive feat within an increasingly crowded marketplace.

"Blue Bunny® was categorized as an Emerging Play winner, meaning the brand transformed its category by offering innovative benefits before becoming mainstream," said Ben Macedo, BASES Leader, Nielsen North America. "Emerging Plays tend to start out smaller, but with sufficient and thoughtful activation, they see larger growth long term, and that's what we've seen from Blue Bunny's Load'd Sundaes."

"We've always been proud of delivering all the fun of the ice cream parlor with our Load'd portfolio, loaded up with delicious mix-ins and swirls," said Jamee Pearlstein, director of brand marketing for Blue Bunny. "We are honored that Load'd Sundaes is the singular frozen dessert offering to be recognized amongst an exceptional array of CPG product innovations."

"With all of our brands at Wells Enterprises—from our flagship Blue Bunny to Halo Top®, Bomb Pop®, and Blue Ribbon Classics®—we are constantly looking for new ways to delight consumers with inventive, differentiated experiences," said Joe Brooks, VP of marketing, Wells Enterprises.

Blue Bunny has always sparked Funlightenment™ in the freezer aisle with its products, and in a time when most Americans were in lockdown, the brand's standout innovation answered unique consumer needs to deliver a convenient and fun treat to rival the ice cream parlor experience at home. Load'd Sundaes (SRP: $2.99 per 8.5-oz. single-serve cup) are deliciously soft, frozen treats packed with tons of toppings swirled right into a single-serve cup and ready for your spoon, so there's no need to wait for it to temper. Load'd Sundaes are filled to the brim with signature Blue Bunny treats—chunky cookies, crunchy nuts, rich chocolate pieces and Blue Bunny's signature candy Bs—swirled together with gooey syrups.

This year, Blue Bunny expanded its Load'd Sundaes line to include 16 total flavors with four new additions—Turtle Cheesecake, French Silk Pie, Chocolate Caramel Pretzel and S'more S'mores—and paved the way for more Load'd products in the portfolio. In March 2020, Blue Bunny debuted Load'd Cones® (SRP: $5.99 / four cones per box), a delicious treat that captures the scoop shop in a cone, packed with 2X the mix-ins*. Load'd Cones are currently available in five decadent flavors: Bunny Tracks, Brownie Bomb, Strawberry Shortcake, Cookie Dough and S'mores, sold at grocery stores nationwide. 

To stay up to date on the brand's latest dessert innovations, follow Blue Bunny on Facebook (BlueBunnyIceCream), Twitter (@Blue_Bunny), and Instagram (@Blue_Bunny). Find out where Blue Bunny Load'd Sundaes are sold near you by visiting the store locator on BlueBunny.com.

To view the full U.S. BASES Top 25 Breakthrough Innovations List, click here.

*As compared to Blue Bunny Hot Fudge and Caramel Lovers Cones. Excludes toppings.

About Blue Bunny
For more than 80 years, Blue Bunny has been bringing delicious dairy desserts made with fun, fresh ingredients—adding a little playfulness to any occasion. Blue Bunny offers over 75 flavors of ice cream and frozen novelty products with recent innovations, such as new Load'd Cones, Load'd Sundaes, Bunny Snacks and Mini Swirls, available at retailers and convenience stores nationwide. For more information, visit BlueBunny.com.

About Wells Enterprises
Wells Enterprises, Inc. is the largest privately held, family-owned ice cream manufacturer in the United States. Founded in 1913 by Fred H. Wells, the company is still proudly owned by the Wells family today.

Wells produces more than 200 million gallons of ice cream per year and distributes products in all 50 states. Wells manufactures its signature brand Blue Bunny®, lower-calorie Halo Top®, the iconic Bomb Pop®, and Blue Ribbon Classics®.

Wells employs more than 4,000 ice cream aficionados across the country. The company is headquartered in Iowa and operates two manufacturing plants in Le Mars, Iowa, a manufacturing plant in Dunkirk, New York, a manufacturing plant in Lakewood, New Jersey and a manufacturing facility in Henderson, Nevada. As the world's largest manufacturer of ice cream in one location, Wells has made Le Mars the "Ice Cream Capital of the World."

SOURCE Wells Enterprises, Inc.