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BRAND SPOTLIGHT

LITTLE MOONS

In this brand spotlight we take a deep dive into Little Moons. 

Category:  Frozen 

LIttle Moons

📖 BRAND OVERVIEW

Little Moon wants people to see ice cream in a new light. They create fun mochi ice cream balls – ice cream wrapped in rice dough – in a host of flavours that will suit everyone. 

  • Uses only – the finest ingredients
  • Fun and bold flavours –  including passionfruit and mango, coconut, pistachio, salted caramel and Belgian chocolate
  • Marketed as –  ‘ice cream from another world’ and an ‘ice cream snack’
  • Free From – Gluten free and vegan options available
  • Guilt free frozen treat – Less than 100 calories per ball

🔍  LET’S GIVE SOME CONTEXT

  • Brother and sister team – Howard and Vivien Wong, set up Little Moons in 2010. Their parents owned a bakery in London so they were inspired to follow a similar route.
     
  • Unique presentation. Each ball of ice cream is wrapped in a thin layer of mochi, which is a Japanese rice cake.

  • Took them two years – to perfect their product before bringing it to the market. 

  • Initially supplied to restaurants – like Yo!Sushi, Wasabi and Sushi Samba – now stocked in several of the ‘Big 5’ supermarkets, including Tesco and ASDA. It’s also available at Carrefour, Ocado, Selfridges.

  • They’ve dominated the UK market – partially thanks to a viral TikTok video that resulted in supermarkets selling out across the country. It created an unprecedented demand and gave people FOMO.

🏢  BEHIND THE SCENES

  • Headquarters: London, UK
  • Year founded: 2010
  • Employee count: 162
  • Investors: L Catterton
  • Purchasing Options: In-store retail

👉 PRODUCT AND AUDIENCE SNAPSHOT

  • Products: Ice cream mochi
  • Product range: Mochi ice cream, non-frozen mochi (for on the go), sorbet
  • Innovation: Unique presentation
  • Target Audience: Healthy eaters looking for a high-quality, low-calorie frozen treat. Young adults, primarily affluent, health-conscious, and fashion-forward women. Parents who seek to provide their children with unique and enriching experiences.
  • Brand positioning: Fun & exciting, premium, visually appealing, crafted with innovation and care.

🧡 THIS GETS US EXCITED

  • They don’t take themselves too seriously –  They’re all about fun, and this is demonstrated on their TikTok account where they post humorous and clever short videos to their 300k followers.

 

  • They’ve spotted a gap in the market –  and are one of the only suppliers of such a product in the UK. They’ve taken the traditional mochi and turned it into a specialist ice cream dessert. 

 

  • Not necessarily a naughty treat – at less than 100 calories per ball (unless you’re like us and eat a whole pack in one sitting)

 

  • The mochi comes in a range of classic flavours –  such as coffee and vanilla, but also more unusual ones, like pineapple and mandarin and golden blond chocolate. 

 

  • It’s a family-run business –  with a passion for food

 

  • Community love – Viv and Howard work hard for their community. Viv is an ambassador for Women Supporting Women at the Prince’s Trust and they have partnered with Blurt, a mental health social enterprise.

🤔 POTENTIAL BRAND CHALLENGES

  • Accelerated growth – While growth is important and exciting, the brand exploded in 2021 thanks to TikTok. It’s not always easy to keep up with expansion and demand, so Little Moons need to work hard to maintain momentum.

🏁 SOME OF THEIR COMPETITION

🛒 WHERE TO FIND THEM

  • Two physical stores – in London (Marylebone and Shepherd’s Bush) where you can “pick ‘n’ mix” your flavours

     

  • Delivery service – order direct to your house with Deliveroo, Uber Eats and Just Eat (location depending)

 

  • Retail – available at various retail locations, including Tesco, ASDA and Sainsbury’s. A handy location map is available on their website so consumers can find their nearest retailer.

⏭  WHAT’S NEXT?

  • More flavours? Ice cream flavour options are almost limitless, so we expect Little Moons to release many more over the coming months and years. There’s even an opportunity to add things to their ice cream, including sauces and crushed biscuits.

 

  • It’s predicted that they could double their international business. Their popularity has increased in France and Italy, and they launched their products in Woolworths, Australia, in 2022. Ice cream is popular worldwide, and there are plenty of opportunities for them to dominate the market when it comes to ice cream treats.

🧢 MEET THEIR TEAM

All data is correct at time of writing. 

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