Markdale, Ont. – Chapman’s Ice Cream, a family-owned company based in Ontario, has gained international acclaim by winning the title of the best caramel ice cream in the world at the International Ice Cream Consortium (IICC) held in Italy last week. The company outperformed 12 global competitors, solidifying its place in the dessert industry.
Ashley Chapman, chief operating officer of Chapman’s, expressed surprise at the victory, acknowledging the tough competition. “We were up with some heavyweights,” he said, highlighting the strong presence of Italian gelato makers and the rich tradition of dulce de leche from South America. “It was quite a shock to find out among all these products that we were by far the preferred caramel ice cream.”
Chapman’s winning flavor, Salty Caramel Crunch, received top honors following a blind taste test involving 108 delegates. Voters evaluated the ice cream based on criteria such as taste, creaminess, and visual appeal. The Salty Caramel Crunch flavor features a rich caramel base enhanced with a salty caramel ripple, butter toffee pieces, and caramel cookie bits.
The journey to perfecting this award-winning flavor was extensive, with the Chapman’s team testing over 30 formulas before arriving at the final product, which debuted in stores in 2023. “It truly is to-die-for,” Chapman remarked.
In addition to the first-place honor for Salty Caramel Crunch, Chapman’s also received accolades for their cherry cheesecake flavor, which secured second place for Best Ice Cream, and a bronze award for their cold brew coffee flavor.
This recognition is not Chapman’s first success at the IICC; the company previously claimed first place for best chocolate ice cream two years ago. Looking ahead, Chapman expressed some nerves about next year’s competition, where the chosen flavor will be vanilla. “It’s the big one,” he stated. “Everybody focuses on their vanilla as being one of the mainstays of the product line. People try hard for chocolate and they try hard for caramel, but nobody tries harder than the group for vanilla.”
With five different vanilla ice creams in their lineup, Chapman’s team now faces the decision of which flavor to enter in the upcoming competition.
For those eager to sample the award-winning Salty Caramel Crunch, Chapman advises a straightforward approach: “All you need is a spoon and the container and you’ll be fine.”
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