Melbourne-based chain, Trampoline Gelato, has developed a reputation for unusual and interesting flavours since first opening in 2004.
The local chain has a rotating roster of ice cream and sorbet flavours and sells up to 30 products variants any given time.
While it has its base favourites, Trampoline also has a policy of always offering new flavour sensations in line with shopper trends.
So, how does it decide what goes in the store window? The first step involves ‘Flavour Gurus’ who decide what taste the retailer should create next.
“All of our flavours are developed inhouse. So our Flavour Gurus have their thinking caps on a permanent fun setting,” says Stan Gordon, CEO of Trampoline.
Food trends, staff ideas, and customer requests are also considered, with shoppers able to fill in ‘Mates of Trampoline’ flavour requests online or instore.
The second step is taking whimsical ideas, such as spicy chocolate or bitter lemon, and seeing if they actually work as a gelato.
Gordon told Inside Shopper that a customer “may like the idea of a particular flavour”, but that doesn’t mean they’ll pick it when they have 20 to 30 other choices.
“Just because a flavour sounds appealing or tastes amazing doesn’t necessarily mean it will fly our the door,” he says.
“It really just depends on what the customer feels like on that particular day, as well as the choices it’s up against in the cabinet.”
Trampoline usually creates three to four variations of a new flavour before even considering selling it to customers.
These variations are made instore and taken to the retailer’s head office, where the Flavour Gurus provide feedback on the pick of the bunch.
If they aren’t happy with any of the results, Trampoline store staff repeat the process until they get it right, says Gordon.
“If they are happy, we’ll run a test batch of the preferred variation in a couple of stores.”
The next step of development
“The flavour is put on display in the cabinet and the staff are encouraged to sample it to customers,” says Gordon.
Customers are then asked to fill in a flavour evaluation form about the new flavour.
“We’ll also monitor the flavour to get an indication of how it’s performing from a sales perspective and to ensure its structure holds up well in the cabinet.
“If everything comes back positive, we’ll launch the flavour across the full network of thirteen Trampoline stores.”
While there’s no magic recipe for a perfect gelato, it does appear that a little bit of chocolate doesn’t go astray.
“Generally speaking, any sort of chocolate in any variation is a high seller,” says Gordon.
“Think chocolate nougat, chocolate crackle, white chocolate and raspberry, jaffa, and chocolate therapy, just to name a few.
“Our highest seller across the board is by far our classic chocolate, which is a rich and smooth milk chocolate gelato.”
