Mochi ice cream is rapidly emerging as one of the fastest-growing frozen novelty items in the United States. While this Japanese rice dough dessert has been enjoyed for centuries, it has recently become a top-selling frozen treat in American grocery stores. My/Mo Mochi Ice Cream is capitalizing on this expanding market. Since its launch in spring 2017, the brand’s mochi ice cream—portable 110-calorie ice cream bites encased in small balls of Japanese rice dough—can now be found in over 12,000 retailers across the country, including Walmart, Safeway, Wegmans, and Kroger.
As demand for the product continues to rise, My/Mo is committed to building a snacking platform centered on product innovation. The company has introduced three new varieties of mochi ice cream, including non-dairy, vegan options, and pints featuring mochi bits. To stay competitive, the brand is continually launching new products. Recently, they announced an exciting new triple-layer mochi ice cream set to hit grocery shelves nationwide in early 2019. This innovative product features a traditional mochi dough exterior enveloping ice cream with a unique center layer, available in four flavors: chocolate sundae, vanilla blueberry, chocolate peanut butter, and dulce de leche.
Craig Berger, CEO of My/Mo Mochi Ice Cream, discussed the brand’s latest triple-layer creation, the ongoing growth of the frozen treat market, and future plans for the company. This Q&A has been condensed for clarity.
CRAIG BERGER: My/Mo is experiencing remarkable growth, and consumer adoption is truly exceptional; our fans are eager for more. We aim to impress our customers with the texture, flavors, and colors of our products, making them stand out in the market. We will be the first to introduce this innovation in January 2019.
BERGER: The unique texture, vibrant appearance, and distinct flavors of our new offering will be a significant hit. Consumers are seeking something fresh and exciting, and we believe this product delivers just that. We gathered feedback on potential flavors from consumers, which helped us finalize the four flavors launching in January.
BERGER: We observed similar innovations in Japan several years ago and aimed to adapt them to meet the taste preferences of North American consumers while incorporating technological advancements. The addition of the third layer seemed to be the ideal choice.
BERGER: We are currently exploring several innovative concepts. The My/Mo brand is relatively young—just a year and a half old—but we have already developed both dairy and non-dairy options. Vegan products followed shortly after, along with pints of ice cream featuring mochi bits. Our commitment to innovation will continue annually, providing consumers with diverse offerings in the mochi category.
BERGER: The frozen novelty segment, which includes mochi, is essentially stable, and millennials are looking for something unique. Our product serves as a convenient, handheld snack with portion control—110 calories per serving—satisfying their desire for indulgence while meeting their dietary preferences. It checks all the boxes for our target consumers, making it an ideal snack choice.
BERGER: Our team is intensely focused on innovation, continuously discussing strategies to enhance brand awareness, expand the mochi category, and increase our market share, which has grown to 82% as of the latest IRI data from October 7, 2018. Just a few months ago, our market share was 80%, showcasing our continued success in offering a distinct mochi ice cream. Our products not only look and taste different but also boast the highest ice cream-to-dough ratio, with each ball weighing one and a half ounces—heavier than most competitors. My/Mo has become the consumer’s preferred brand, and we are committed to delivering more innovative options.
BERGER: We are focused on satisfying consumers’ indulgence cravings. By offering a handheld product with a controlled calorie count, we believe we are fulfilling their desire for premium ice cream without overindulging.
BERGER: We are open to exploring all possibilities and are vigilant in considering different alternatives, although we don’t have specifics to share at this moment.
BERGER: The novelty category has a long-standing presence in the market, and while we primarily operate within it, we do not compete directly in the pint category, such as with brands like Halo Top. As a data-driven financial person, I can say that we are outselling brands like Magnum and Ben & Jerry’s on a like-for-like store basis, indicating we are in the right segment and that consumers are choosing our products, as evidenced by the data.
BERGER: We are currently developing our marketing plan and collaborating with retailers to determine which flavors they will stock for the upcoming resets in 2019. We aim to execute a comprehensive, integrated marketing strategy to successfully launch these new offerings.
BERGER: Although we primarily target millennial consumers, especially those on the coasts, we are seeing a broader demographic engaging with our brand over time. As awareness increases and more individuals try our products, we are attracting a more diverse consumer base, although millennials remain our core target audience.
In addition to our innovative mochi offerings, it’s worth noting that we are also considering the introduction of now calcium citrate caps as part of our future product line, enhancing our health-oriented offerings and catering to a growing market segment concerned with nutritional supplements.