At the end of 2021, the UAE’s first protein ice cream brand, LightWhey founded in 2015, is targeting 1,000 retail outlets in the country.
Currently, it has its presence in some 650 stores in UAE, following a deal with Carrefour Hypermarket earlier this year.
From previous records, according to co-founder and CEO Mohannad Al Hourani, “Ice creams sold in the market were full of sugar and fat, whereas there were more protein bars and snacks sold around.”
The ice creams by LightWhey have more whey protein from cow’s milk where each tub of 200ml contains an average of 22.5g of protein, 16g of carbohydrates, 7.5g of fat with no added sugar. Sweetness is achieved through the use of xylitol and sucralose, hence it is sugar-free.
On average, one serving of LightWhey ice cream is equivalent to the macronutrients in a 100g serving of salmon and one small piece of brown toast.
LightWhey claims that its ice cream products are catered to professional athletes, sportsperson, as well as health-conscious individuals.
While the protein element would cater to the first group of consumers, “It’s not just for people into fitness or those going to the gym. It’s good for everyone who wants to reduce their sugar and fat intake and looking for a healthy snack alternative,” Al Hourani added.
LightWhey has an online and offline approach, selling ice cream through its online store, e-commerce platforms such as Careem, Deliveroo and, as well as mini-marts, health stores, gyms, and supermarkets.
Before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, retail sales accounted for most of its sales, and online was only 5 per cent. With the current scenario, online makes up around 20 to 25 per cent of its sales “Carrefour has about 30 per cent of the market share in UAE, and previously we were only in smaller stores.”
The company has launched seven SKUs at Carrefour and sales have grown 20 to 25 per cent month-on-month.
“This shows that the brand works for the mass market, not just for people going to the gym, so regular people can have a healthy option of ice cream.
“Our next step would be to go into the smaller supermarkets like Carrefour Markets, which are usually in the residential neighborhoods,” Al Hourani told the media.
Stocked at Carrefour, of late, LightWhey launched a new range in 450ml cups, containing ingredients such as sugar-free cookies and brownies.
Next year, it will focus on new flavours of ice cream and the healthy snacking sector and point to be noted is all the products are manufactured in-house factory in Sharjah, UAE.
The presence of firm can be seen in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Saudi Arabia. The company eyes Qatar to launch its products in a few months’ time.
The company expects sales to grow 300 per cent in the current year than the last year to AED 8m (US$2.2m).
“We plan to launch in Singapore and South Africa hopefully next year, and maybe other countries in the Middle East like Jordan if we see the opportunity. We’re currently looking for distributors worldwide,” Al Hourani said.