Mercadona's ice creams: the own-brand line taking on Magnum

Mercadona's ice creams that compete with the big brands

Own-brand products are no longer what they used to be. Mercadona's ice creams, in some cases made by Estíu and by the former Avidesa, have earned a place in the freezer of anyone who watches the price without giving up on flavour. The question that opens the conversation is simple: are they as good as the branded ones or just a stopgap to cool the palate? The verdict on the street is that they hold their own, though nobody is under any illusion about what they are.

The bar set 20 years ago

It wasn't always like this. The comparison with the second-tier brands of two decades ago — described bluntly as "utter rubbish" — serves to measure the leap in quality. Today the majority verdict is that these ice creams "aren't like the branded equivalent but they do the job". The ice cream tiramisu, the whisky cake at 2.45 euros, the lemon sorbet or the tub of macadamia nuts come up again and again as favourites. Some warn that the tiramisu is "addictive" and that half a kilo disappears without you noticing.

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The solid chocolate cones and the caramel thread

The discovery that generates the most excitement is a cone with a solid chocolate shell — not wafer — a scoop of vanilla with a thread of liquid chocolate caramel inside and a chocolate lid with crocanti. The description makes it clear: "a delight" which, admittedly, is eaten "now and then" because it's "a calorie bomb". The same warning is repeated about the ice cream bonbons, which some find underwhelming and others use as a stand-in for Magnum on a budget.

Bargain hunters' delight or a health trap?

Here the tone changes. Against the enthusiasm for price and flavour, one camp argues that industrial ice cream is "long-term poison" and even compares it to tobacco: "1 ICE CREAM = 3-4 CIGARETTES", it is claimed. The discussion drifts towards childhood obesity, sugar as an endorphin generator and packaged pastries replacing the usual sandwich. Someone points out that a US supermarket sells ice cream in paint-can-sized tubs alongside more than thirty types of antacids. The counterargument comes with a nutrition table in hand: for an indulgence, the tutti frutti ice cream doesn't carry as much fat or sugar as packaged pastries.

The small print of who makes them

It's worth looking at who's behind them. Several lines are made by Estíu and the litre tubs come from Aiadesa, the company behind the old Avidesa ice creams. The bonbons come in boxes of eight — two vanilla with dark chocolate, two milk chocolate and four almond — with values ranging from 107 to 119 kcal per unit. Knowing the manufacturer is the quickest way to anticipate whether the product resembles what you remember from another brand.

Price rules, flavour trinc and the scales wait. With these credentials, the own brand has stopped being the consolation option and become the default purchase for many. If the manufacturer keeps the formula, the freezer will keep filling up with solid chocolate cones. If it changes it, customers have already shown they notice.