Swoop, a protein-forward dessert brand, is gaining early traction in the frozen novelty space after securing a third-place finish in Refrigerated & Frozen Foods’ Best New Retail Products contest.

Available in five flavors, Swoop delivers the creamy, rich satisfaction of classic ice cream—with 30 grams of complete whey protein per pint, clean ingredients and lower calories—for an indulgent experience that feels like you’re cheating ice cream.

Built on years of category experience, the brand reflects a convergence of functional nutrition and clean-label formulation, according to Co-founder Meghan Dowd.

“We’ve had some years behind us now,” Dowd said. “About 15 years ago, we started this journey of being in the CPG world … really, Swoop is kind of the convergence of two brands that we’ve built up over the last 10 to 15 years.”

Those two brands included a direct-to-consumer protein business and a dairy-free ice cream line, which together informed the concept behind Swoop.

“Protein just seemed to be really trending upward and plant-based was leveling off to some degree,” Dowd said. “All that experience in ice cream had led us to want to create the ultimate dairy dessert… with that sort of function of protein.”

The resulting product emphasizes taste and ingredient transparency, with formulation starting from small-batch testing, guided by a strict commitment to clean ingredients.

Swoop uses coconut nectar as a primary sweetener, a decision driven by consumer demand for alternatives to sugar alcohols and synthetic options.

“It’s 100% taste first for us, but we’ll only use ingredients that are really clean, that we want to eat ourselves, share with our family and bring to the world,” Dowd said. “We didn’t want to compromise in any way with sugar alcohols or synthetic sweeteners, we just wanted a really good, sweet taste.”

The formulation also incorporates avocado oil and whey protein, the latter presenting unique processing challenges.

“As you’re mixing in protein, it has certain properties that don’t necessarily lend itself to freezing easily,” Dowd said. “We had to figure out how to incorporate things in a way that allows it to move through the machines.”

To accelerate commercialization, the company moved quickly from benchtop development to production trials with their co-packer, before an initial launch in Target last year.

“This brand has been very much a build-the-plane-as-you’re-taking-off brand,” Dowd said. “We were selling the product into distribution, into stores at the same time we were trialing it.”

The company has since expanded distribution to additional retail partners and is focused on driving velocity, while exploring future channels.

Looking ahead, innovation remains central to the brand’s roadmap. New flavors, larger formats and potential novelty offerings are under consideration, alongside broader brand evolution.

“Swoop is a lifestyle brand,” Dowd said. “It’s leaning into potential … it’s always possible that we’d expand beyond just ice cream into something else.”

Swoop Blends Protein, Clean Ingredients to ‘Cheat’ Ice Cream

In this episode, we're diving in to the story behind Swoop, the third place finisher in our annual Best New Retail Products contest. Meghan Dowd, co-founder of Swoop, tells us about everything from the initial concept to formulation, manufacturing, and what is next for the brand

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For more, listen to the complete podcast in the player above or download it. And discover more on the winning companies in our Top of the Freezer cover story.