69. Oppo Ice Cream

Founders: Charlie and Harry Thuillier
Launched: October 2014
Website: www.oppoicecream.co.uk

Everyone loves ice cream; we all know it’s a delicious treat but also know that it’s by no means a healthy one.

So what if we told you that ice cream could indeed be ‘healthy’, and could have the same amount of calories as an apple?

Well we have good news as Oppo has created this very concept; all-natural ice cream with 60% less calories and sugar than standard ice cream.

Founding brothers Charlie and Harry Thuillier came up with the idea while on a kite buggy trip along the Brazilian coastline. Living off the indulgent but nutritious food of the land, the brothers wondered why other decadent treats – like ice cream – couldn’t also be guilt-free.

Despite being told by numerous industry professionals that it couldn’t be done, the pair persevered and their determination paid off. 25 months on from idea-stage, the duo hit upon a winning recipe of fresh milk, virgin coconut oil and stevia leaf. This combination would later launch straight into Waitrose and Ocado as the only UK dairy ice cream with an EU Authorised Health Claim.

Having broken crowdfunding records in 2015, Oppo’s biggest breakthrough came in February 2016 when it completed its second crowdfunding round, with investors including Andy Murray, and appeared on the BBC’s Dragons’ Den in the space of one week. Within these fateful seven days, the business’ sales tripled.

Oppo is now stocked in over 1,600 UK stores including Co-Op, Holland and Barrett and Budgens, and is also distributed through national caterers and wholesalers. The business continues to scale rapidly: between 2015 and 2016 it achieved 700% year-on-year growth, and grew 250% from 2016 to 2017.

In the 12 months ahead, Oppo plans to increase its rate of sale and is currently expanding overseas; you can find it on the shelves of 180 Supervalu stores in Ireland.