A new luxury dessert for Dutch consumers every month
White chocolate pudding with raspberry sauce, bokkenpootjes (similar to Viennese whirl biscuits) pudding or apple and pear pudding with kiwi sauce. Every month, Mona, our luxury dairy brand in the Netherlands, introduces a new luxury dessert treat. And it’s been doing so since 1993. The ‘Dessert of the Month’ has become an unmitigated success. People call to ask whether their favourite pudding can be permanently included in the range.
For decades, ‘toetje’ has been the Dutch word for tasty desserts. In fact, Mona launched the concept. Surprise is an integral element in desserts. And that’s what we’ve delivered: 16 years after the introduction of the Dessert of the Month, we’ve created nearly 180 flavours. Eleven times a year, we launch a new dessert, which is available for only one month. There is, however, one exception. Every year we hold the Dessert of the Year contest, whereby consumers can vote for their favourite Dessert of the Month. In the twelfth month, the winning dessert reappears in the chiller cabinet.
Every day, we receive requests from Dutch consumers who want to keep their favourite dessert in the range. For the most part, we can’t accommodate them, but sometimes we can. Mona yoghurt pudding strawberry quark tart was such a success in 2008 that it became a permanent fixture in the range.
Who comes up with the ideas?
The new desserts are created by an entire team, involving product developers and a chef. These people have built up a lot of expertise. Research & Development develops a new pudding quickly and efficiently and then it’s tested. Where necessary, we perfect the taste.
Involvement of consumers
Normally, Mona invents the flavours, but now consumers can also get involved by submitting a pudding request to the website www.mona.nl. We look at all the ideas, but most of all we consider the motivation behind the idea. If that makes us happy, there’s a good chance the pudding idea will become reality and will end up in the shops as Pudding of the Month.
The Dessert of the Month even has its own online social networking site (Hyves) and a discussion forum. And consumers can register with Mona for a text messaging service, so they are the first to find out the flavour of the latest Dessert of the Month.
Variety
Our Mona people make sure there is good variation of flavours. Seasonal influences also play a role. In the winter, chocolate flavours do better while fruit flavours are more popular in the summer. Big successes from the past include the vanilla slice pudding and a coconut pudding with rose sauce. But it is sometimes tough to gauge how well a pudding will fare. A comforting thought: if you aren’t so keen on the dessert this month, wait for a new surprise next month. And if you do enjoy the dessert of the month, you can vote for it as the Dessert of the Year.