Madness over fruit ice cream, freezers can’t stay full

RNZ gave the popular ice-creams a blind taste test. First on the left is the original ice cream. Photo / RNZ, Ke-Xin Li

By Ke-Xin Li of RNZ

Realistic fruit ice creams are causing such a stir that one Christchurch dairy owner says he sold $20,000 worth on the first day they were in the freezer.

Megha Discounters dairy owner John Patel says hundreds of people lined up outside the Richmond shop on the August day the 200 boxes landed. They’ve been out of stock for nearly a fortnight, but he has up to 70 people popping in each day to see if the freezer is full.

The frozen treats are shaped and coloured like whimsical fruits. They smell and taste like the fruit they resemble, filled with smooth ice cream and coated in a crispy chocolate shell. They come in mango, peach, lemon, lime, grape, apple and strawberry.

John Patel, owner at Megha Discounters Dairy, says the ice cream has been the most popular product in his dairy. Photo / RNZ, Anna Sargent

Patel caught wind of the popular treats made in China when he spotted them going viral on TikTok in July.

“I thought we need to bring that on here as well,” he told RNZ. They took a while to source, but in early August he had the first delivery of 200 boxes of 12 ice creams made by Fruitae. Patel priced them at $7.99 each.

“When we got the first delivery we posted the video on TikTok and customers started coming.”

He said a local content creator who goes by @christchurchgal also made a video and the dairy went nuts.

“Within a couple of hours we had hundreds of people outside the shop and we sold out in the same day.”

At John Patel's Christchurch dairy, the viral ice creams have been sold out for 12 days. Photo / RNZ, Anna Sargent

TikTok trend data shows interest in #icecream began climbing in late July, reaching a three-year high by the end of August.

Fruitae Ice Cream is the most common brand of the viral treat sold in New Zealand. According to their website the brand’s partners include Pakn’Save, New World and Four Square. Dairies across the country stock other brands too.

HongQi created the original Fruit Ice Cream, according to a Chinese patent database. It patented a peach-shaped creation in China in 2020. They were more expensive to buy wholesale and a supply lag in June allowed competitors to fill freezers.

HonQi export manager Ke Gao looks after the New Zealand market from China. He says the company first exported their fruit-shaped ice creams to Aotearoa in September 2024, after finding success in North America two years earlier.

Business owner Samir Gandhi has a shop in Te Atatū and another on Dominion Rd and has been stocking the ice creams for three weeks. His Te Atatū Discount Superette has already become a destination, with Aucklanders visiting from outside the area for a taste.

“Winter is usually quiet for us, but this viral ice cream has just put another level of foot traffic to keep us busy,” he told RNZ’s First Up.

Samir Gandhi says the trendy ice-creams have attracted customers from all over the city to his dairy. He's holding the latest trendy chicken drumstick ice-cream, and two brandss of the peach ice creams. Photo / RNZ, Ke-Xin Li

He stocks the Fruitae, Fruity Bitez and Hicey brands, selling them for $5.99 each.

He explains it often takes at least a month for them to be shipped from China.

Gandhi says his favourite is strawberry made by Fruitae, which has a creamy taste, but Kiwi customers are more focused on the ice cream and less fussed about who actually made it.

HongQi uses New Zealand dairy Ke Gao says, a claim also made by the Fruitae brand. Fruitae did not respond to RNZ’s request for comment.

Meanwhile, a new frozen treat is next on the TikTok hit list – a tub of mini fruit bites.

“One tub they get four different flavours like two of each little fruits. They are exactly like the big one, but bite-sized.”