Fruitas to introduce self-branded ice cream lines

FOOD and beverage kiosk operator Fruitas Holdings, Inc. is venturing into ice cream production with the addition of two new premium ice cream lines in its product portfolio.

In a statement on Tuesday, the company said it is introducing a dairy-based and a soy-based ice cream line under the brands Fruitas and Soy & Bean, respectively.

These will be distributed through the company’s Babot’s Farm and Soy & Bean physical stores, and eventually, its own delivery service CocoDelivery and select kiosks.

“Ice cream has long been the go-to dessert of Filipinos… Recognizing this customer need, Fruitas came up with two new premium ice cream lines which will certainly make Filipinos happy, yet keep them healthy at the same time,” Fruitas President and CEO Lester C. Yu said in the statement.

The company claims to use all-natural ingredients to make the ice cream. The Fruitas brand will have eight flavors: mango, mango melon, strawberry calamansi, four seasons, strawberry melon, mango pineapple, dark chocolate and Benguet coffee. The Soy & Bean brand will have three lactose-free flavors: classic, chocolate and coffee.

Earlier this year, Fruitas partnered with Carmen’s Best Ice Cream to carry its products across select locations. This is part of Fruitas’ plan to open more revenue streams by expanding its product offerings.

Fruitas currently has more than 20 brands in its portfolio, such as Fruitas Fresh from Babot’s Farm, Buko Loco, De Original Jamaican Pattie, Juice Avenue, Black Pearl, Shou La Mien Hand-Pulled Noodles, and Sabroso Lechon.

As of November, the company has re-opened about 800 kiosks and put up nearly 20 community stores under the Babot’s Farm and Soy & Bean brands. It targets to open 30 community stores by end-2020 and 100 by end-2021.

In the nine months through September, Fruitas booked an attributable net loss of P32.23 million, reversing last year’s profit of P52.98 million, due to a 55% drop in gross revenues from closing its stores during the coronavirus-related lockdown.

Shares in Fruitas at the stock exchange increased five centavos or 3.27% to close at P1.58 each on Tuesday. — Denise A. Valdez