Mochi is a traditional Japanese dessert, made of squidgy balls of rice dough filled with either bean paste or ice cream. While not yet on the radar of most UK consumers, these exotic treats tap to a number of key foodie trends – authenticity, artisanship and unusual flavors – while also being permissible thanks to their diminutive size.
Moreover, the profile of mochi ice cream is now starting to rise in the UK, thanks to visibility of mochi in the foodservice arena and the entrance of Little Moons mochi ice cream into the mainstream retail market.
Little Moons was unleashed into the UK market in summer 2015. Since then, Whole Foods Market was the first to stock the six-strong range, but the company hit the mainstream when it won listings with Ocado and became available to buy nationwide through the online grocery retailer in October 2016. The flavors of the line range from those very familiar to UK consumers (vanilla and raspberry) to more exotic options which are likely to appeal to the more experimental consumer (toasted sesame, coconut, Matcha green tea and mango).
According to Mintel, over two fifths of ice cream and dessert eaters expressed an interest in trying coated bite-sized ice cream, yet innovation in this area remains sparse.
“Japanese cuisine still has plenty of growth potential. While only a quarter of adults have ever eaten Japanese food, a further 40% of consumers would be interested in trying this type of cuisine in the future, according to Mintel’s Attitudes towards World Cuisines UK 2017. There is no reason for this interest to be limited to savory cuisine, with Britons’ love affair with foreign food stretching to include sweet foods,” Mintel says.
The concept of this particular type of ice cream is particularly popular among women, as almost half of them are interested in the product. Smaller portions – particularly if they are literally bite-sized – can make taste king, and even the most indulgent product can be positioned as a guilt-free ‘moment of pleasure’, Mintel analysts say.
