Whittaker's teams up with Tip Top on icecream project

New Zealand's most trusted brand Whittaker's has branched again out, this time to create a permanent icecream range with Tip Top.

The Wellington-based chocolate manufacturer and the Fonterra subsidiary have created three icecream flavours, Vanilla and Cashew Praline, Coffee and Cacao, and Chocolate and Pretzel, which will be on sale in supermarkets from Monday.

Jasmine Currie, Whittaker's marketing manager, said talks for the Tip Top collaboration began last year.

"We've always had a dream to be able to create a delicious icecream with somebody - and on a stick [the product's] so perfect because we can have that really generous coating of Whittaker's chocolate," Currie said.

Tip Top created the flavours and presented them to Whittaker's.

Whittaker's is no stranger to brand collaborations, often introducing limited-edition products outside of its chocolate ranges to the market.

It first teamed up with Lewis Road Creamery in 2014, creating a chocolate milk craze, and has since partnered to create a chocolate butter, chocolate liqueur, and a craft beer with Garage Project.

Currie said Whittaker's, which was established 120 years ago, was constantly working on different brand collaborations.

"We're always working on new innovations and chocolate flavours ... we love to try new things and if there's an area we can delight our chocolate lovers with then we love to be there."

Kiwis are big icecream eaters, consuming a whopping 23 litres each year - the second largest amount per capita in the world.

Expenditure on ice cream and other edible ices totalled $381 million in the year to September 2017, with $2.10 of every $100 spent on food going on chilled treats, according to Statistics NZ.

Tip Top Whittaker's icecreams will cost $4.50 and $10.99 for a multi-pack.

Icecreams roll off the production line inside the Tip Top factory. Photo / Supplied

Tip Top director Kim Ballinger compared the collaboration to a hokey pokey pairing.

"We're both proud Kiwi companies with similar values and we're delighted to be working together to create this delicious new icecream," Ballinger said.

"Our partnership is like hokey and pokey, it just makes sense."

To celebrate the launch the companies will host pop-up stores in Auckland and Wellington to give out free icecreams.

The Auckland pop-up will be in Newmarket on September 22 and in Lambton Quay, Wellington, on September 27.