Big Idea Venture’s portfolio company LILO Desserts announced that it would be releasing New Zealand’s first dairy-free ready-to-eat, real-fruit cheesecake across New World stores nation-wide!
“New Zealand fruit has some of the world’s highest concentrations of antioxidants and minerals […] Yet it’s estimated that 10-40% of our local fruit crops are lost each year depending on weather, availability of pickers and access to markets.” – Alex Worker, co-founder, Lilo Desserts
Viewing this ‘b-side’ produce as more than just pig food, Lilo Desserts harnesses the fruit’s flavour and nutrients into a range of next-generation snacks that deliver on both taste and nutrition!
Their dairy-free, fruit-forward cheesecake launch flavours include Central Otago Summer Fruit and Gisborne Lemon and Golden Kiwi!
LILO has come a long way since first iterations. Producing a creamy, indulgent-tasting cheesecake without the cheese was challenging, and early encouragements like winning the 2021 FoodStarter award and being accepted into Big Idea Ventures Alternative Protein Accelerator have been key for the start up, says Gilmour. “You can do all the good you want, but the product needs to be delicious.”
Playing to the brand tagline of “eat with your third eye”, LILO’s tie dye packaging also unapologetically breaks the mould for FMCG branding. “We are here to push the boundaries, rethink snacking and rethink how we use and value fruit – it’s taking fruit and making it supernatural”.