In 1984 Bill Lyons created a major super premium ice cream brand called New Zealand Natural Delight, that was exported to Japan, Australia and the United States which became America’s only imported ice cream in the 1980’s and 1990’s.

The brand surpassed Ben & Jerry’s ice cream sales volume in Hawaii from 1986 through 1991 and in Japan the sales grew large enough to build a special ice cream factory in Kanazawa, Japan. This New Zealand super premium ice cream was voted the best food product in New Zealand by “Supermarketing Magazine” and it received many international awards, including being voted the best ice cream in the world, beating out Haagen Daz in Paris, France by a panel of eighteen supermarket editors and food experts, thus winning the Sial D’OR trophy. (www.dessertworld.net)

In the 1990’s the company expanded to frozen yogurt, cheesecakes, frozen novelties and opened up franchise stores in California, Canada and Australia which was followed by a major contract with the Safeway and Seven Eleven stores. In 1995 the company fueled expansion with franchise distribution to supermarkets and dessert stores country by country throughout Asia with a base office in Singapore that expanded to over twenty countries, including Europe.

The New Zealand manufacturing operation was produced for years in Auckland by Chateau Crème Delight and in 2005 the manufacturing operations were bought out by new owners. Bill Lyons continues to retain ownership of the brand’s licensing rights and is involved in new product development with sugar free desserts, plus all natural products for licensing expansion to the China and India markets.