Eclipse ice cream made its debut in November of 2019 and has been making some serious waves ever since. Following the journey of its mere year and a half existence, Eclipse has already been written about several times, ultimately reinforcing this an ice cream brand worth paying attention to.
Going along with America’s recent health-kick, new plant-based products have been popping up almost every day, including new variations of dairy-free ice cream. So, what makes Eclipse so special?
Eclipse is standing out because of its unparalleled taste and texture, clean ingredient list, unconventional distribution strategy, and CSR initiative of creating a more sustainable food system. Eclipse is taking the ice cream world by storm – and raising the bar for competing brands while doing so.
Where Does Eclipse Come From?
Behind the curtain of Eclipse are co-founders Thomas Bowman and Aylon Steinhart, two plant-based industry experts.
Bowman is an award-winning chef, turned world-renowned product developer, turned CTO of Eclipse Foods. Formally the Director of Product Development at JUST – a revolutionary plant-based food and beverage company – Bowman created and scaled some of the best-selling plant-based products in the market. (We’re talking plant-based mayonnaise, cookies, dressings, and more). Thomas has also chef’d or staged at a total of 16 Michelin star restaurants, was named Zagat 30 under 30, and was twice nominated for the James Beard Rising Star Chef award. If that resume doesn’t scream “plant-based industry expert,” we’re not sure what does.
Steinhart is an expert in the alternative protein industry and has spoken regularly about food innovation at conferences and top schools such as Harvard, MIT, Yale, Berkeley, and Stanford. Formally working at the Good Food Institute, Aylon incubated dozens of startups and advised investors and strategic partners on the up-and-coming alternative protein marketspace. Having already co-founded two startups and with previous experience at companies such as Kraft Heinz, Nestle, and Kellogg’s, Steinhart is more than well-equipped to take Eclipse as high as it will it go.
The Science Behind the Success
Of course, it takes a lot more than business experience to have a successful business.
First and foremost, Eclipse’s raging success comes from its revolutionary approach to dairy-free ice cream. Eclipse makes plant-based dairy products that are indistinguishable from their original dairy products themselves; no sacrifice to taste, texture, or functionality. The problem with dairy-free ice cream tends to relate to a chalky texture or weird consistency; companies haven’t yet figured out the perfect formula for dairy-free ice cream. Until now, that is.
The “secret sauce” for Eclipse is more like secret base. With Bowman being the star-chef and culinary expert that he is, it’s no surprise Eclipse took a revolutionary approach to creating plant-based ice cream. How did they do it? They looked at the composition of milk and redesigned it from the ground up, using nothing but plants.
In their kitchen – not laboratory – Eclipse discovered a blend of plants and a revolutionary process that allowed them to uncover the magic of milk and recreate a plant-based version that’s just as good, if not better. “If you want something done right, do it yourself…” Done.
Sound too good to be true? In a blind taste-test conducted at Berkeley University, 77% of people said Eclipse is creamier than the top-selling dairy ice cream in the United States.
With this secret base, Eclipse has been making the first plant-based ice creams that are indistinguishable from dairy ice cream. Creamy and rich, without compromise. This ice cream isn’t a dairy alternative; it’s a dairy sequel.
How Does It Taste?
It tastes amazing. But don’t just take our word for it; Eclipse has been in the news more than a few times, all of which praising the ice cream that tastes as though it were “real” ice cream.
“We tasted this plant-based ice cream and can happily report it’s delicious.” – CNN.
“Berkeley’s Eclipse Foods releases vegan ice cream that tastes just like dairy.” – San Francisco Chronicle.
“The ice cream was rich and creamy, not icy or chalky like some others.” – Forbes.
“The Impossible Burger of ice cream.” – Grub Street.
Similar to the Impossible Burger or Beyond burgers, Eclipse ice cream isn’t a low-calorie alternative. Eclipse is the ice cream brand that will convince and win over your omnivore friends who swore vegan food is “gross.” Eclipse speaks to not only the already vegan consumers but the plant-based curious ones, too.
Nutritionally, Eclipse ice cream is on par with traditional ice creams in fat, sugar, calories, protein, and calcium. This is where we’d like to chime in with a friendly reminder that ice cream isn’t supposed to be about calorie counting and that the quality of ingredients plays into the health equation, too.
This isn’t a diet ice cream; it’s simply a dairy-free and sustainably sourced ice cream. Eclipse ice cream is plant-based (free of dairy and egg), non-GMO, free of most common allergens, and doesn’t contain any preservatives or artificial colors, or flavors. With all this other goodness going on, who’s counting calories, anyways?
The important part is that it doesn’t taste like “vegan ice cream.” Unfortunately, most brands have done us wrong by trying their take on plant-based ice cream, just not doing it very well and ultimately giving dairy-free ice cream a bad rep. Vegan ice cream doesn’t have to be chalky, bland, and boring. When it comes to vegan ice cream, it just has to be Eclipse.
Did Someone Say Flavors?
Flavors? Flavors galore.
For Eclipse newcomers, any of the classics will be a great place to start; cookie butter, chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, or mango passion fruit. The cookie butter is a verified fan favorite, just an FYI.
It’s More Than Ice Cream, It’s a Mission
Eclipse is on a mission to create a more sustainable, responsible, and humane food system.
When thinking of ways to help the environment, it’s easy to think of recycling, turning the water off as we brush our teeth, limiting our use of vehicles, etc. Actions like these are good in practice, but their impact is almost negligible, especially compared to the impact, or lack thereof, of a vegan diet.
Our food system is broken, and our climate is hurting. Choosing plant-based foods, like Eclipse ice cream, helps preserve the well-being of our planet. Vegan foods have the least environmental impact when compared to omnivorous, pescatarian, and vegetarian diets. By choosing a plant-based alternative over its standard, you’re saving acres of land, gallons of water, precious lives, and the fresh air all around us.
You don’t have to be vegan to help out with the mission. Thomas Bowman isn’t vegan; he “eats everything but is very conscious of where his food comes from.” It’s not an all-or-nothing situation; making small steps and little choices here and there add up to make all the difference. Imperfect environmentalists are more than welcome!
So you see, an ice cream company doing this much good is bound to end up in the news. And it did, over and over again; well-deserved, to say the least.
Sources
Aylon Steinhart of Eclipse Foods: “Technology” | Thrive Global
Eclipse Foods Is Making Ice Cream From Plants | Forbes
Berkeley’s Eclipse Foods releases vegan ice cream that tastes just like dairy | SF Chronicle
We tasted this plant-based ice cream and can happily report it’s delicious | CNN
Eclipse Ice Cream, Impossible Burger of dairy, launches retail amid pandemic | Mercury News
Eclipse Vegan Ice Cream Debuts at OddFellows on November 8. | Grub Street