Consumption
The biggest ice cream eaters in the Baltics can be found in Estonia, where each person consumes around 11.7 liters per year, according to data provided by the market research company Nielsen. Lithuanians are second in line with 8.2 liters ahead of Latvians with 7.7 liters.
But this is nothing compared to the world leaders: In New Zealand and the USA the ice cream consumption per person is around 22 and 20 litres respectively.
Ice Cream Trends
Owing to increasing health-consciousness among consumers, ice creams suitable for different alternative diets including vegan, low calorie, dairy-free, and zero sugar have gained momentum in freezers around the globe. “One megatrend is naturalness – the rejection of synthetic additives, the use of abundant heavy cream and natural raw materials in the preparation of ice cream“, Ieva Lejniece, head of marketing at Food Union Latvia, told Baltic Business Quarterly.
“The inhabitants of the Baltics have been spoiled in this respect because traditionally, ice creams with vegetable fats or synthetic additives have not been popular here.“ Still, ice cream is comfort food and in the treat category – and enjoyment remains the main driver of consumption.
Favorite Flavors
“In the Baltics, as in other parts of the world, the most popular and best-selling flavors are the classic flavors – vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry and caramel ice creams,” explains Lejniece, adding that “all three Baltic states also share a love of ice creams flavored or glazed with local fruits and berries“.
However, each country has slightly different taste preferences related to local products, local traditions and childhood nostalgia that are tapped by legendary brands in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania that have been around for decades, according to the marketing expert.
Tantalising Tastes
While many in Baltics and elsewhere prefer to stay classic, the world becomes more open to unconventional and extravagant flavors. In recent years, icemakers have been experimenting with new ways to give their frosty treat a unique twist.
A vast selection of some bizarre and downright stomach-churning flavors can be found on the ice cream map published by national tourism agency Lithuania Travel. Among them are smoked mackerel, pine needle, seaweed with Sturgeon caviar or linden honey with dill oil flavor – true musts for real culinary adventurers.
For the less adventurous there are also other special flavors in the Baltics that are not too far over the top and will give a taste of llocal life. Where else can you savor ice cream infused with black rye bread, Vana Tallinn or Riga Black Balsam liqueurs, or quince? If you don’t have much of a sweet tooth you might also be interested in sampling a scoop of beetroot ice cream to push your flavour boundaries.
World Championship
The best ice cream in the world comes from Hungary – at least according to the verdict of the jury at the Gelato Festival World Masters championship in the Italian city of Bologna in December 2021. Held only once every four years following a rigorous qualification process with local, national and continental qualifying rounds, eleven experts awarded the 1st place and gold medal to the creation “Frutto di Pistacchio" (pistachio fruit) by Àdàm Fazekas from Budapest. The Baltic States went home empty-handed.
Gelato University
In the Baltics and elsewhere, small local gelaterias have increasingly started to challenge the dominance of industrial manufacturers. Following the general trend for locally and sustainably produced food, several family-run companies in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania offer small-batch multi-flavor gourmet ice cream.
Do you also want to learn how to make your own tasty summer treat? Then sign up and enlist yourself in the Carpigiani Gelato University in Bologna. Founded in 2003 to spread Italian ice cream culture all over the world, the university teaches how to make true Italian gelato. Each year more than 6,000 people all over the globe participate in courses for the right creaminess or the perfect amount of added fruits.
Ice Cream Diplomacy
The warm relations between Estonia and Latvia have been even more intensified with chilly treats. On two occasions, the heads of state of both countries met in the Latvian ice cream capital Rūjiena to enjoy some ice cream together.
Keeping his promise made ahead of the euro introduction in Latvia, then Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves paid a visit to Rūjiena on 2 January 2014 to congratulate the neighboring country on joining the euro area and buy his favorite ice cream using the European currency.
”Saldējums is a Latvian word that all Estonians know well, because Latvian ice cream is considered very tasty ”, Ilves said before entering a small supermarket to purchase a whole box of the locally produced rum and raisin flavored ice cream together with his Latvian counterpart Andris Bērziņš who, in turn, went for the ice cream version of Latvia’s beloved layered rye bread dessert with cranberries.
Almost ten years later, the small unassuming town in northeast Latvia saw again two heads of state strengthening the bonds between their countries over ice cream: Egils Levits and Alar Karis, together with their spouses, took an excursion on April 26 this year through the premises of the famous Rūjiena ice cream factory.
The tour was part of the official three-day state visit of the Estonian president to Latvia, indicating once more that state officials north of the border seem to have developed a taste for Latvian ice cream. Delighting their palates with one of the most recent novelties in the Baltic ice cream industry, both presidents were quickly
putting their spoons into self-filled cups to sample flash-frozen colorful mini ice cream balls.
Consolidating its claim to be Latvia's ice cream capital, on May 27 this year, Rūjiena hosted its city-wide Ice Cream Festival, and the actual capital city, Rīga, followed suit with an Ice Cream Festival of its own on June 10.
This story was originally published in the Summer 2023 edition of Baltic Business Quarterly, which is published by the German-Baltic Chamber of Commerce in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. You can read more here: https://www.ahk-balt.org/lv/publikacijas/zurnals.
