George Brown Polytechnic is located on the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation and other Indigenous peoples who have lived here over time. We are grateful to share this land as treaty people who learn, work and live in the community with each other.
Making decadence guilt-free with Hero Ice Cream
Hero Ice Cream prides itself on being 100% Canadian, made locally in Toronto. Their ice creams are high in protein, lower in calories, fat and sugar, and made with all-natural, easy-to-pronounce ingredients.
Learn more about the project below.
Project Essentials
- Principal Investigator: Robert McCurdy
- Co-Investigators: Emily Lim, Dhananjay Agarkar
- Years Active: 2019-2020
- Research Area: Food & Beverage
The Challenge
Founded by former chef Jason Cherun, Hero Ice Cream prides itself on making "real" ice cream with fresh all-natural Ontario cream, without additives or unpronounceable ingredients. Building on a previous project to perfect a proteinenriched Vanilla Bean ice cream, Hero Ice Cream wanted to develop three new flavours: Chocolate Covered Strawberry, Chocolate, and Salted Caramel.
The GBP Solution
Hero was founded on the vision of a treat with the same decadence of a "premium" ice cream brand, but with better-for-you ingredients and nutritional qualities. And so, the research team worked hard to source organic and clean-label ingredients to support and create balanced recipes that met Hero's nutritional targets. They tested many prototypes with different ingredient mixes, and the FIRSt food scientists attended trial runs at a manufacturing facility in Guelph in support of Hero's mission.
The Result
As a result of this project, Hero Ice Cream has successfully launched a four-flavour ice cream line currently available throughout southern Ontario. Made with 100% real Ontario cream and certified kosher, the ingredients combine to make delicious frozen treats high in protein, lower in calories than other conventional brands, and lower in fat and sugar.