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Another issue that comes up is production gling with the lack of resources and knowledge
facilities. O12 Nutrition that currently produces 3 necessary to expedite their growth. O12 Nutrition
“lactose-free” ice cream flavors (plain, strawberry, CEO recognizes the global trend, but doesn’t think
chocolate) in addition to a host of dairy “protein ice it’s anything but that—their plant-based products
cream” options using the same equipment for all, are mainly sought out by people who are willing to
sometimes struggles with the fact that machines try new things, are lactose-intolerant, or follow the
designed to work with cow’s milk (and its certain orthodox Christian practice of Lent.
viscosity) can’t handle working with oat flour that’s
used as the base for their dairy-free options. What Is Vegan Ice Cream an Indulgence of
they risk in case that happens are delays in the pro- the Privileged?
duction cycle and costly repairs.
For smaller artisanal brands the story is differ- In the last 3 years, a host of vegan brands of-
ent – having never worked with dairy ice cream, it’s fering plant-based alternatives appeared on the
hard for them to compare the production process. Russian market. But what often creates a barrier for
When asked about the challenges of replicating a more widespread consumption of these products
traditional ice cream with strictly plant ingredients, is their price point. With disposable income in Rus-
the Sladenkii co-founder shared that “the production sia being much lower on average than in Europe,
itself isn’t that hard anymore. It’s the shaping, glaz- vegan alternatives are often seen as an irregular in-
ing, and transporting”. Warm Ice, who have no ob- dulgence or a venture of the privileged, which limits
jective whatsoever to replicate dairy ice cream, are their spread, confining the market to big cities and
therefore only aiming at making the highest quality high-end chains. Ilya Kuznetsov of O12 Nutrition
artisanal product there is from ingredients that can says that if the concept of plant-based eating was
be safely consumed on an everyday basis. really resonating with the masses, the supply chain
Nina Titova, whose brand FRIKY currently would follow suit, however, it is not, “and perhaps
offers 12 vegan ice cream flavors ranging from that’s what’s valuable about it”.
chocolate fudge and tiramisu to bubble gum and
mascarpone caramel, says it’s not that complicated
to replicate the texture of dairy ice cream if you’re
working with soy milk as the base: “The protein
composition of soy and cow’s milk is very similar,
but it is still not quite the same. These factors need
to be considered, and here’s where the food chem-
istry knowledge needs to come in”.

Meeting the Demand

If you follow any plant-based vegan news
outlets, you have likely seen impressive headlines
like “Vegan Food Sales Reach $7 Billion As Consum-
ers Embrace New Options”. But does this global trend
translate into emerging markets? When asked about
the correlation between the worldwide trend of
plant-based eating and their own production vol-
umes, Russian brands gave different answers: FRIKY
doubles its production volume every year to meet
the demand, despite ice cream being a seasonal
product, whereas Sladenkii co-founders are strug-

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