Queensland based Lick Ice Cream is focused on maintaining the handmade methods and premium ingredients that built the brand’s reputation. Dae Hong writes.
Taking over Lick Ice Cream was not part of a long-term plan, according to owners Simon and Yvette West. What began as a search for an Australian manufacturing partner for a premium UK ice cream brand evolved into the purchase of a Queensland business with a loyal following and untapped potential.
“We saw a huge opportunity for improvement,” said Yvette. “We really liked the product, but we did feel that the 18-year-old brand itself needed a bit of a freshen up.”
The couple relocated from Adelaide to Brisbane after purchasing the business, taking ownership of the factory, brand and operations. While the original intention was to partner with overseas investors, the opportunity changed direction at the last moment.
“At the 11th hour, the other partners pulled out,” said Simon. “Yvette and I took it lock, stock and barrel. We bought it and moved up from Adelaide.”
The decision drew on decades of business experience. Simon came from a background in food, wine and export consulting after beginning his career with Procter & Gamble. Yvette spent years working in the couple’s consulting business while also managing a disability centre with more than 100 clients and 50 staff.
Those experiences now shape the way the company approaches manufacturing, staffing and long-term growth.
“We didn’t want to lose any quality or our handmade element,” said Yvette. “This meant that we wouldn’t sacrifice the process by making the manufacturing method easier.”
What makes it unique
Unlike many large ice cream manufacturers that rely on continuous freezing systems and automated production lines, Lick Ice Cream has retained a more traditional method.
“We make it into almost like a creme anglaise or a custard type form and from there we freeze it in the pots,” said Simon.
The process uses 100 per cent cream, Australian egg yolk and in house flavour preparations. Lick Ice Cream avoids preservatives and artificial flavourings while focusing on a dense and creamy texture.
Yvette described the process as “pot set”, a method that helps create the rich consistency that has become central to the brand’s identity.
“It’s very unique in taste,” she said. “It’s really thick, creamy and quite decadent.”
Maintaining that point of difference has become important as the company prepares to expand production capacity. Rather than shifting to conventional industrial methods, Lick Ice Cream is investing in equipment that scales up its handmade approach without compromising quality.
“We had a choice of going down the batch freezer or continuous freezer option,” said Simon. “However, we’ve actually decided to keep our unique selling point by doing it differently and enlarging our existing processes.”
The business is currently developing a new manufacturing line built around larger planetary mixers capable of producing more than 250 litres at a time. The upgraded process will improve consistency, output and workplace safety while still preserving the handmade characteristics of the product.
“It’ll help with occupational health and safety,” said Yvette. “People aren’t lifting as much. We’re doing a lot more pumping, which helps with batch consistency and quality.”
Demand for quality
The expansion also addresses rising international demand. According to Simon, export opportunities are beginning to emerge across Asia, particularly after trade missions supported by Trade and Investment Queensland. Visiting Japan, Taiwan, South Korea and China, he said discussions remain ongoing, with interest in the product already extending beyond distribution partnerships.
“I would like in the next 12 to 18 months to have two export markets secured and running efficiently,” Simon said.
Domestically, the business continues to operate across a range of sales channels. Lick Ice Cream supplies supermarkets including Harris Farm, independent retailers, restaurants, hotels and convention centres. The business also runs three retail stores in Brisbane and maintains consultative relationships with distributors in New South Wales, the ACT as well as regional Queensland.
Restaurants remain an important part of the company’s identity. Lick Ice Cream originally built its reputation by supplying premium products to high end restaurants more than two decades ago. One of its unique offerings is the ability to produce small batch bespoke flavours.
That flexibility has led to collaborations with regional producers and food businesses including Tommerup Dairy Farm, Moffatt Carrots and specialty bakeries. It has also resulted in some unconventional flavour development.
“One of the strangest ice cream flavours we’ve made was the Tasmanian Bruny Island Oyster, a collaboration we put together for Qantas and Apollo Motorhomes,” said Yvette.
Despite the novelty of some products, flavour development always comes back to balance.
“You can be creative, but at the end of the day, it’s about balance and putting in some subtle hints of some of those stronger flavours rather than overpowering it,” she added.
Endurance
The company’s broad customer base has also strengthened its resilience in changing market conditions. However, like many food manufacturers, Lick Ice Cream has faced mounting pressure from rising ingredients and operating costs.
“Every single ingredient we have has increased dramatically,” said Yvette.
Cream and eggs have posed a challenge in recent years, especially during the egg supply shortages linked to the transition away from caged egg production. Pressure on consumer spending has also affected the company’s retail operations. Rising interest rates, fuel prices and broader cost of living concerns have changed purchasing behaviour.
Even so, Simon believes small and medium manufacturers that can endure the current environment will emerge stronger. Rather than reducing quality or reformulating products to cut costs, the company has chosen to absorb part of the financial impact.
“We have a big belief that people will pay for quality, and we want to maintain that quality without skimping on it,” said Simon.
That commitment places the business in direct competition with much larger multinational brands, but the company believes customers still value authenticity and premium ingredients. Large players in the ice cream industry often use alternative powders instead of natural ingredients such as cocoa to manage supply costs.
While this solution may provide short term relief, Lick Ice Cream is focused on delivering long term availability of Australian made premium products for consumers seeking quality.
“It might not be as profitable as normal, but if small businesses can just weather the storm for the next 12 months, they can come out stronger,” Simon said.
One of the company’s most recognisable partnerships remains its connection to Queensland consumers through the Ekka Strawberry Sundae. Lick Ice Cream has supplied the dessert at the Royal Queensland Show for the past 15 years and recently secured the contract for another six years.
Last year alone, approximately 193,000 strawberry sundaes were sold across the nine-day event, requiring around 33,000 litres of ice cream.
“It’s actually a very big deal up here in Queensland,” said Yvette. “Most people that you talk to say that they go to the Ekka to buy a strawberry sundae.”
As Lick Ice Cream expands into new markets and increases production capacity, the business remains focused on preserving the methods and ingredients that shaped its reputation. For the Wests, growth is not about changing the product but ensuring more consumers can experience the same handmade quality that built the brand.
“We’re quite passionate about our product and the way we make it,” said Yvette. “And we try to keep it very premium and as Australian as possible.”
