Whipnotic reveals holiday LTOs, seeks to expand use of patented nozzle technology
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Starting in October, Whipnotic will offer Apple Crisp and Peppermint Mocha flavors of its whipped cream at ShopRite, Central Market, Citarella and Market District stores as well as online individually or through a holiday bundle, said Lori Gitomer, co-founder and CEO of Whipnotic.
These flavors join the rest of the portfolio, including Brownie Batter, Peach Mango, Strawberry Swirl and Vanilla Salted Caramel.
When developing the fall and winter flavors, Whipnotic first listened to their customers on social media and found that "they were congregating around holiday flavors," said Tracy Luckow, president of Whipnotic. Though pumpkin spice remains a fall staple, Whipnotic wanted to have flavors that had longevity throughout the colder months, as well as flavors that worked well with recipes and beverages, Luckow added.
“Pumpkin spice has a very loyal following, but they usually come once a season. And so, we were also looking for flavors that had a little bit more of an interest throughout the season. And so that is another thing that we were listening for – flavors that would bring loyalty and bring people back,” Luckow elaborated.
‘We are very open to partnering on ... other categories.’
Each of Whipnotic’s products features the company's patented nozzle technology that infuses whipped cream with fruit juice and flavor essences when pressed. Recently, Whipnotic changed its nozzle to make the button larger and developed new machinery to create the nozzles more efficiently, the two explained.
In May, Whipnotic developed semi-automatic machines that improved the manufacturing and filling of the nozzle, which was initially done with tools that they found at Home Depot, Luckow explained.
“In the past, we were doing that by hand, but now we have machines that take care of that. So, all of the whipped cream is manufactured in a co-manufacturer, but the machines and all the patented technology is handled by us, and that is our machines, and that is what we are really proud of,” Luckow said. “We installed this machine and trained the team to work on [it], and now we have more capacity than ever before and a better-quality product.”
Currently, Whipnotic is exploring the potential of bringing the technology to other product categories through partnerships with other companies, Luckow noted.
“We have our hands full, so our focus is definitely on Whipnotic, but our technology is so broadly applicable, and the idea of swirling two things together can work to bring innovation and fun and sensory experiences to so many products. So, we are very open to partnering on other categories,” she elaborated.
2025 Plans: Further retail expansion, growing in foodservice
Looking ahead, Whipnotic already is strategizing for 2025, which will see the brand experimenting with more foodservice channels and expanding its retail footprint beyond the 1,000 stores it set out to be in 2024, Luckow said.
"We actually started to do some testing in mom-and-pop ice cream shops [and] coffee shops throughout New York City. And so, we actually have our cans displayed pretty prominently in those stores, and they can try us organically with their ice cream or with their coffee. And I think that is another way that we will keep learning [and] spread the word about our brand, and also be really part of the community," Luckow added.
Gitomer added, “Today, we have already hit so many of the milestones that we were hoping to hit by the end of 2024 within the first six months. So today, we are already in over 1,000 stores. We are in over 30 states across the country. We have added new states like California into the mix. And in 2025, we will continue to find those right partners. Hopefully, we are looking at one potentially big retail partner for 2025 and then making sure that all our existing partners also have all flavors available to them.”