Lewes ice cream firm scoops two national awards

HB Ingredients, which imports and distributes gelato ingredients such as chocolate and hazelnut from Italian manufacturer JoyGelato, won a Best Supply House trophy for its strawberry gelato in the 2018 National Ice Cream Awards.

It also won the Best New Flavour award for a salted caramel ripple which it has only just started supplying. HB Ingredients is the first company to win two supply awards since the exhibitor awards began in 2013.

Salted caramel was invented 40 years ago by a French chocolatier but has surged in popularity recently and has been described as the flavour of the decade. Food scientists have found the complex mix of flavours makes people just want to keep on eating it.

The firm’s double success in the contest, which is run by The Ice Cream Alliance - the trade body for the UK’s £1 billion ice cream industry - has delighted staff, said business development manager and ice cream technical expert Steve Carrigan.

He said the firm, based on the Cliffe Industrial Estate, had won an award every year since it started entering the contest three years ago but this was its first double triumph.

“We are absolutely over the moon to have won both awards,” he said.

“It reflects the fact that JoyGelato leads the sector with a high quality product at a fair and competitive price.”

Zelica Carr, Chief Executive of The Ice Cream Alliance, said HB Ingredients played a key role in helping to ensure ice cream sold across Britain was of a high standard with excellent flavours and congratulated the firm on its success.

Further information on the Ice Cream Alliance can be obtained at www.ice-cream.org