Last year, over 6 billion NT dollars nationwide; Royal T.K. "Doria" held the top market share; Uni-President's subsidiary T.K. also saw a surge in profits due to ice cream distribution.

June 9, 2025, Commercial Times, Li Li-man

The ice cream market is vast and continues to grow, giving rise to Namchow's "golden chick" Royal Taiwan, the first company with ice cream as its main revenue source to approach public listing. It was registered on the emerging stock market last November. Uni-President's subsidiary, which has transformed into an agent for ice and beverage products and its own brands, saw its revenue and profits reach new highs last year. Photo/Provided by our newspaper

Frozen treats are doing well, benefiting recent performance of food channel stocks.

Global warming means Taiwan's summers are getting longer. According to food and retail businesses, last year's summer lasted at least 210 days, meaning ice cream could be sold from May all the way through November. Additionally, Taiwanese people love all-you-can-eat hot pot, and ice cream is a must-have dessert. This makes ice cream sales in Taiwan practically a year-round business. Preliminary statistics indicate that people in Taiwan consume over 6 billion NT dollars worth of packaged ice cream annually.

The ice cream market is huge and continues to grow, even leading to the first quasi-publicly traded company whose main revenue driver is ice cream – Nanqiao's golden child, Royal Tasty, was listed on the emerging stock market last November. Uni-President's subsidiary, Tet-Chee, has also seen record revenues and profits last year due to its transformation into an agent for ice drinks and its own brands.

According to Statistics Bureau data, among the over 6 billion yuan ice cream market in Taiwan last year, the "Doredo" brand ice cream under Royal House Foods ranked first in market share. Royal House Foods Chairman Chou Ming-fen stated at this year's shareholders' meeting that new products are continuously being developed throughout the year. In addition to its own brands, the soft-serve ice cream co-branded with a convenience store chain (FamilyMart) also launches over a dozen flavors annually, and Doredo ice cream is launching 6 new flavors at once for the summer.

Zhou Mingfen pointed out that Royal Delicious's ice cream sales account for 65% of its overall revenue, amounting to approximately NT$1.8 billion. The remaining 35% of revenue comes from frozen cooked noodles, with an annual revenue growth rate in the double digits. She is optimistic that ice cream sales will grow from 3.43 million boxes last year to 3.74 million boxes this year, a nearly double-digit increase. In addition, performance from OEM and ODM ice cream for business-to-business (B2B) clients continues to grow.

De Ji also stated at the shareholders' meeting that with global warming extending summer to 210 days, De Ji will focus its marketing efforts on three product categories: ice cream, refrigerated desserts, and beer. This year, the company will also strengthen its private brand development and expand its agency business to meet evolving market demands. In terms of agency business, De Ji currently offers customized ice cream from Morinaga of Japan, refrigerated desserts such as caramel crème brûlée from OHAYO Dairy of Japan, and ice cream products unique to Korea, including green plum, rice milk, and rice cakes, from Korea's Woongjin Foods under a strategic alliance with the Uni-President Group. With strong in-store promotions and favorable weather conditions, De Ji's performance has shown double-digit growth.

Added to that, Decheng has the advantage of omnichannel resources within the Uni-President Group. Its own brands and agency brands are supplied to Uni-President Group's retail channels, including over 7,100 7-ELEVEN stores across Taiwan, as well as Carrefour hypermarkets, supermarkets, and the premium supermarket Mia C'bon, encompassing both physical and online e-commerce channels. This provides a solid sales base, leading to record-breaking revenue and profits.

Meanwhile, local ice cream vendors, including I-Mei Foods, Xiao Mei, and POKI, are also actively launching new products, even collaborating with bubble tea shops to offer more substantial ice cream options. Imported ice cream vendors are not to be outdone. Last year, Japanese LOTTE Ice Cream was brought to Taiwan by Bailu Company, the agent for Swiss ice cream Movenpick, launching many new frozen treats to compete in the market, making Taiwan's ice cream market incredibly dynamic.