London-based mochi ice cream maker Little Moons has said international markets are key to its growth, as the once-viral brand faces squeezed UK consumers and fends off supermarkets rolling out own-brand versions. Co-founder Vivien Wong said manufacturers around the world were racing to replicate the sweet treat. Little Moons, which makes mochi balls – ice cream, wrapped in soft and chewy rice dough – was founded in 2010 by Ms Wong and her brother Howard, and has grown to generate a turnover of more than £50 million. It experienced a sudden surge in popularity when it went viral on video-sharing platform TikTok during the Covid pandemic, with users rushing to find the dessert amid limited supply. Ms Wong described the period as the “best of times and the worst of times”, with the business having to quickly grow its factory and production capabilities to keep up with the boom in demand. She said it was a “huge risk” to upscale but that the business had managed to maintain growth since, and the product can now be bought in supermarkets across the UK including Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Ocado, and Asda. It also exports to about 35 countries around the world, not including the US. Ms Wong told the PA news agency that the sales environment had been “tougher” in the UK, where consumers have been squeezed by the cost-of-living crisis. “The UK has been hit harder than any other country that we supply,” she said, adding that it is “really hard out there” for consumers. “The UK is our home market and it’s still really important for us, but we also have 35 other international markets that we’re developing to help our growth.” The founder, who is one of three finalists for this year’s prestigious Veuve Clicquot Bold Woman Award, said there had been plenty of competitors springing up in the market. “We have definitely seen lots of competition come in,” she told in PA. “Lots of larger own-brand manufacturers around the world have seen our success and are trying to replicate our product.” Fast-growing discounted supermarkets Aldi and Lidl, as well as Marks & Spencer, are among those to have brought out their own-label ice cream mochi balls. In a high-profile case, Aldi lost a trademark battle against Thatchers over its cloudy lemon cider, after the Somerset-based brewer sued the supermarket for infringement. Ms Wong said it would be a “fool’s errand” to try to legally challenge supermarkets over their mochi balls – largely because they have not attempted to copy her business’s branding. Meanwhile, she said Little Moons – which currently sells for about £4.50 a box – had stayed the same in terms of the size of the box since coming to supermarkets. “Other ice cream brands have been able to benefit from shrinkage – they’ve shrunk their products,” she told PA. “We haven’t been able to benefit from the tricks that I guess multinationals are able to have up their sleeve. “I think a lot of difficulty is getting consumers to understand what a really good quality product is and why it costs so much,” she said, with the company being impacted by things such as rising milk prices and chocolate shortages. Little Moons, which was initially self-funded by the founders, sold a “significant” minority stake to US private equity firm L Catterton in 2022. It also brought in former Graze boss Joanna Allen as its new chief executive last year.