Kiwis among the world's biggest icecream lovers

Kiwis are the second biggest consumers of icecream in the world - but when it hits 23 degrees we switch to popsicles. Photo/ File

Here's a big scoop for you: Kiwis love their icecream.

Turns out we eat 23 litres of the cold, sweet stuff per person each year.

The news that we're greedy ice-cream scoffers comes as Tip Top celebrates its 80th birthday, by finding which flavours are the most popular and introducing a new Birthday Cake swirl flavour with real cake bites.

While doing birthday research, Tip Top found its biggest selling icecream outlet was in the surprising cooler climes of Dunedin.

There, the famous Rob Roy Dairy sold the most Tip Top scooped icecream this year - 60,000 litres - followed by Napier's Cool Cats at just under 40,000 litres.

Vanilla, boysenberry and chocolate were the company's biggest sellers across the country this year, but it found that once the weather warms up people veto icecream altogether.

As soon as it hits 23 degrees, Kiwis prefer to eat ice blocks instead, Tip Top found.

Tip Top managing director Kim Ballinger said she wanted to thank the Kiwi customers who kept the company going year after year.

"We love making Kiwis smile every day and it's those moments of connection that really are priceless.

"For me personally, Tip Top icecream affords me an extra few minutes with the kids every night while we religiously divvy up the Goody Goody Gum Drops and share the bowl around the table."

In 1936, Len Malaghan and Albert Hayman first opened an icecream parlour in Wellington, serving icecream made from fresh milk and cream and locally sourced ingredients.

As the business grew, the duo opened Tip Top Corner in Mt Wellington in the early 960s, where the factory still resides today.

By the numbers

Tip Top was founded in 1936.

Every year they make:
23 thousand metric tonnes of icecream
Around 4 million Jelly Tips
Up to 13 million Trumpets
Nearly 8 million Popsicles

The most popular flavours of the year this year were:
Vanilla (935,000 litres)
Boysenberry (313,000 litres)
Chocolate (302,000 litres)

Every week, 100,000L of fresh milk and cream is delivered to Tip Top Corner.

There are 300 team members working at Tip Top Corner, operating the factory 24/7 during the summer months.

Tip Top sends one 40ft container overseas every working day - that's around 250 x 40ft containers every year.