By Ellen Lovegrove
Christchurch dairy owner John Patel has his finger on the pulse. Months before Adeeva Keua - who goes by @christchurchgal on TikTok - made his Richmond dairy go viral for their Fruitae Ice Creams, Patel was working hard to source them.
"I have been trying to get them here for around two months, and we were finally able to get 200 boxes from Auckland with 12 ice creams per box."
Patel owns and operates Megha Discounters Richmond, a small business which recently struck fruit-flavoured gold.
Ice cream coated in chocolate may not seem like a new concept, but one taste of these sought-after Fruitae treats reveals what the hype is all about.
"I saw them on TikTok first and then I kept seeing people trying them, which made me really want to see if they were as yum as they looked," said University of Canterbury student Brianna Sloper, 20.
After a small struggle with the packaging, Sloper reported her mango-flavoured ice cream lived up to expectations.
"I honestly didn’t expect it to taste so good.
"I thought it would be one of those things that just looks cool."
Sloper and her flatmate Mili Kitiona were on their third trip to the dairy in search of the ice creams, but this was the first time they had been in stock.
For Patel, keeping enough of the product in the freezer has been a big challenge.
"We sold out of the first 200 boxes in a day," he said.
"Then we got in 500 boxes and sold out in two days.
"I think it is only starting to slow down now."
He posted a simple announcement on August 8 via @meghadiscounter with black text on a white background to announce the so-called "viral ice cream" had arrived.
Later that day, Keua came into the shop and made a video to say "the viral ice cream has finally arrived in Christchurch".
Patel said the response was immediate.
"On the same day she posted her TikTok, we had a line out the door until we sold out."
In 2024, researchers at the University of Canterbury found social media content and engagement with influencers can be a key driver for premium food sales.
Kitiona said the price is worth it.
"Honestly, the price would’ve been worth it, even if it didn’t taste good, because it just looks so cool. The taste is just a bonus."
Aesthetically pleasing ice cream is Fruitae’s niche. The New Zealand company's website states its mission is to produce "trendy, eye-catching frozen treats".
And it is a market worth investing in. A 2021 report by market research firm Coriolis found "impulse or novelty products, typically on a stick" had global sales of NZ$75 billion (US$44b) in 2020.
When asked what the next trend he would be getting in stock was, Patel said: "Fried chicken ice cream will be arriving in about five days time."
Fruitae Ice Cream and Adeeva Keua were both approached for comment.
