The sixth time’s a charm for Nanashake: it is finally getting its Nanapops frozen dessert bars into Whole Foods nationally after failing to secure a listing five times.

The brand launched in 2016 as a plant-based ice cream parlour in north Toronto. Prior to signing the Whole Foods deal, the banana-based frozen dessert was available in a few Empire and Foodland banners, as well as a selection of retail banners, mostly premium independents.

“When we first started thinking of the CPG route, Whole Foods was the first store we approached because of the proximity to our store and the fact we were using their bananas,” says Yazeed Yasin, Nanashake’s CEO.

Yasin tells strategy that Nanashake is currently considering creating shelf talkers and having them set up at supermarkets and stores to draw attention to the core attributes and values of its products.

“That is something we’re looking at now, and having talks with supermarkets and stores first.”

When it first became available at grocers in 2019, Nanapops came in a pouch format. But based on a customer satisfaction survey, along with grocer feedback that they did not stand up well, the brand pivoted to a more environmentally-friendly and easily merchandised cardboard box packaging.

Jump Branding is responsible for the design overhaul, which has a conspicuous cartoon monkey as a prominent design feature. “He’s our mascot, as we are very much a family-oriented brand,” Yasin says.

The Nanashake and Nanapops names, mascot and logo are associated with bananas. That’s a differentiator, not an hindrance to innovation, Yasin says. While it may change, for the foreseeable future, he says Nanashake is focused on strictly using bananas as a base. To succeed in supermarkets, Nanapops’ key messaging is that its naturally occurring sugars is what makes it a healthier, more natural alternative to ice cream.

“We already compete with Nestlé, Häagen-Dazs and Ben & Jerry’s, we are merchandised side by side next to these brands,” Yasin says.

The main consumer target demo is parents and young families looking for healthier dessert options. “Our most prominent demographic are women, between the ages of 25 and 45,” Yasin says.

The brand recently participated in a Local Food Week Breakfast Tasting event that was organized by Sobeys for its staff at the banner’s Mississauga head office. To drive trial, the brand has been a participant at events such as Veg Fest and Vegandale, and done a lot of food festival and farmer’s market sampling, though not as intensely as it once did, Yasin admits.

“Being a fully CPG business now, we are really just focused on getting traffic into stores to encourage purchase and velocity,” Yasin says.