Perfetti Van Melle Brings Airheads Branded Ice Cream and Cream-Based Frozen Novelties to the Freezer Aisle

Ice Cream with Ribbons of Airheads Taffy Create a Never-Before-Seen Combination

February 3, 2015, New York, NY., - February 3, 2015 – Beloved confectionery manufacturer Perfetti Van Melle is unveiling its first-ever Airheads ice cream and cream-based frozen novelties. Airheads has partnered with Koldwave Foods LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Spring Creek Holdings LLC, to create an assortment of frozen treats that capture the unique, tangy fruit flavor of Airheads candy. Koldwave Foods and Airheads were brought together by Beanstalk, Airheads’ exclusive licensing agency.

Owned by Perfetti Van Melle, Airheads was introduced in 1986 and has become a favorite non-chocolate candy for people of all ages known for its chewy texture, tangy fruit flavors and bright colors. Over one billion pieces of the popular candy are consumed annually.

Airheads ice creams and cream-based frozen novelties will be available at grocery, club, convenience, drug, and mass retailers nationwide beginning in early February.

“Airheads is a candy brand with a recognizable flavor profile that is translatable to the ice cream category,” said Jerry Isaacson, CEO of Spring Creek Holdings LLC. “And our retail partners are embracing this. Virtually every buyer that we have met with has been impressed with the innovation that the new offering brings to the ice cream case. The bold and exciting look of the products and packaging, and our ability to capture the special and unique flavors of Airheads candy in our ice cream and novelty products will offer consumers a new experience in the frozen dessert aisle.”

Airheads ice cream is available in eight distinctive flavors, including Blue Raspberry, Cherry, Watermelon, Orange, Green Apple, Pink Lemonade, Grape, and Strawberry. The ice cream also incorporates ribbons of Airheads taffy, creating an innovative, never-before-seen combination. In addition to ice cream, Airheads’ line of delicious frozen desserts includes the following cream-based frozen novelties: cups of the first-ever DitZ ice cream mini bites, sundae cups, tri-flavored ice cream sandwiches, and 2-in-1 flavor ice cream squeeze-up tubes.

“This is a natural extension of the Airheads brand. We can now offer our consumers the same unique and delicious Airheads flavors they know and love in a full assortment of ice cream products!” said Jen Redmond, Associate Brand Manager at Perfetti Van Melle USA. “Our partnership with Koldwave Foods enables us to engage with both loyal and new consumers in a unique and innovative way.”

“Airheads is a lighthearted brand that resonates not only with kids, but with adults as well. Who doesn’t love its burst of flavor? Bringing the brand to the ice cream case is a way for all to enjoy this beloved treat in a completely new way,” said Allison Ames, President of Beanstalk. “Through this new introduction, Koldwave Foods is bringing a level of creativity that we have never seen before to the frozen category.”

Spring Creek Holdings LLC

Spring Creek Holdings LLC (SCH) is a leading Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) company, leveraging the power of global brands. Through manufacturer license agreements, SCH provides the infrastructure and operational team to innovate and drive category growth. Focused areas include: Product Innovation, Manufacturing, Sales, Marketing and Operations.  SCH has been developing new and innovative ice cream products for more than 25 years. Koldwave Foods LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of SCH.

Perfetti Van Melle

Perfetti Van Melle USA, headquartered in Erlanger, KY, is the manufacturer of Airheads bars, Airheads Bites, Airheads Xtremes and Airheads Xtremes Bites. The company is part of Perfetti Van Melle, a privately owned company and one of the largest and most trusted global confectionery and gum manufacturers. With over 100 years of experience, brands include Mentos, Frisk mints, Chupa Chups and Fruittella.

About Beanstalk

Beanstalk, a global brand extension agency, works closely with our clients to unlock brand equity and create many of the world’s most recognizable products and services.  We help leading brands, celebrities, media properties, manufacturers and retailers creatively find ways to strengthen their relationship with their most important stakeholder – the consumer.

Beanstalk offers a breadth of services including brand licensing, direct-to-retail program management, license acquisition for manufacturers, and royalty auditing. Blueprint – Powered by Beanstalk, our consulting division, advises clients through four key practice areas: brand extension + retail development, research + insights, design + identity, and operations + governance.  Tinderbox, our digital division, works with new media properties to realize their potential in the world of consumer products.

The company is headquartered in New York, with offices in London, Los Angeles, Miami, and Cincinnati, and affiliates throughout the world.  For more information, please visit www.beanstalk.com. Beanstalk is part of the DAS Group of Companies.

About The DAS Group of Companies

The DAS Group of Companies, a division of Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC) (www.omnicomgroup.com), is a global group of marketing services companies. DAS includes over 200 companies in the following marketing disciplines: specialty, PR, healthcare, CRM, events, promotional marketing, branding and research. Operating through a combination of networks and regional organizations, DAS serves international, regional, national and local clients through more than 700 offices in 71 countries.