Gym Bod has secured ranging at 339 Ampol Foodary sites across Australia, giving Australians greater access to the better-for-you desert.
Cian Dawson, Co-Founder of Gym Bod, sat down with C&I to discuss what it means to the brand to break into the highly competitive petrol and convenience channel.
“It’s one of our biggest achievements this year. I am so proud of our sales, marketing and production team for securing and mobilising this contract.”’
Dawson said that the contract will mean an increase in Gym Bod’s annual production, which she explained is also fantastic for manufacturing in Queensland.
“The more volume we have, the more people we can employ, and the more upgrades we can do to continue to bring innovation to the category. Every single tub counts!”
Differentiating itself in the market through its high protein, low sugar, low calorie ice cream, Gym Bod can be enjoyed everyday without compromising health while still satisfying that part of the brain that needs a sweet treat.
“We spent years and years doing R&D to nutritionally optimise our product and not compromise the flavour and texture of our ice cream. We know how customers want the best macro nutritional profile, without compromising on the flavour or textural elements.
“Traditionally, the ice cream section in P&C has been purely indulgent offerings. We celebrate Ampol for taking a risk and exploring the potential to bring new customers to the category through better-for-you.”
While initially the focus will be on successfully activating the Gym Bod in P&C, Dawson says they do have further plans for the channel.
“Based on the success of the range, and in partnership with Ampol, we would review NPD options for the channel. We are experimenting with new formats at the moment, which could be very good for P&C in the future! Watch this space!”
Although the focus may be on ensuring Gym Bod is a success in P&C, Dawson said herself and Courtney, the other co-founder of Gym Bod, always take time to recognise the wins.
“As small business owners, Courtney and I are extremely sentimental about every ‘first’ and ‘new’ customer. We have a tradition where when we achieve a milestone, like entering a new channel, we pop a bottle of Champagne, label it, and put it on our shelf.
“Our Ampol bottle is proudly sitting on our bookshelf at home. I also framed our ‘Ranging Confirmation’ letter from Ampol, and it’s framed on my office wall! We started this tradition as it’s so easy in small business to get bogged down in the day-to-day grind and to forget about celebrating every step of the way.”
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