‘Incredible’ $10 Woolies item that keeps being stripped from shelves
An Aussie who launched his own brand after losing his job has had his “mind blown” after releasing a new product to rave reviews in Woolies.
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Photos showing empty freezer aisles in Woolworths supermarkets have left one Melbourne man with his “mind blown”.
Nick Vavitis is a popular food blogger who started reviewing sweet treats online when he was made “jobless” during the pandemic.
After gaining a cult following of almost 120,000 fans on TikTok and Instagram, Mr Vavitis was able to launch his “outrageous” dessert brand Choclt in 2021.
It has gone from strength to strength after initially launching in Woolworths, and recently expanded to include a protein bar made in collaboration with Muscle Nation.
However, its latest launch with the popular Australian fitness brand – a “Protein Frozen Dessert” has proved to be its biggest success yet after months worth of stock was decimated from the supermarket’s shelves in two weeks.
“The response was incredible. I’m incredibly grateful for the support and can’t thank people enough,” Mr Vavitis told news.com.au.
“I’m passionate about everything I release, so seeing consumers buy and love my products is amazing.
“My goal is always to make people happy, and the thousands of positive reviews on social media for the protein ice cream confirm I’ve achieved that. It also gives me the energy and excitement to dive into my next collaboration with Muscle Nation, which is already in the works.”
The Choclt collaboration with Muscle Nation was one of three new frozen protein desserts released in Woolworths in October, which Mr Vavitis said “sold out” faster than either parties expected.
“Social media played a huge role, with thousands of reviews praising the creamy texture and taste, which was our goal,” he explained.
“All three flavours, Cookies & Cream, Double Chocolate, and my Caramel Cheesecake collab sold out nationally within two weeks, even though we forecasted stock to last three months.
“We quickly worked with manufacturers and suppliers to restock as soon as possible and we’re happy to confirm product is back on Woolworths shelves.”
Choclt comes from humble start-up beginnings, with Mr Vavitis explaining he initially began selling his signature desserts, a cookie pie and a loaded brownie, at Doughnut World in Queensland.
He then started selling his treats at College Drop Out Burgers in Melbourne when he moved back to Victoria during the pandemic before landing a deal with Woolworths in early 2023.
“I’ve always been someone who has loved desserts – especially outrageous ones – as I review them on my Instagram,” he said.
“Creating my own brand has been a real ‘pinch me’ moment.
“I’m truly grateful to work with Chris and Nathan, the Muscle Nation owners, who are not only brilliant in business but also incredibly supportive friends.”
Mr Vavitis is no stranger to causing chaos with his brand’s launches.
There were “empty shelves” when Choclt first landed in Woolies last year, followed by a similar response when the brand launched its first protein bar in Coles in May.
“To think back three years ago we were making 100 brownies and I was so excited,” he shared.
“Now that we’ve launched our brownies into 1000 Woolworths stores and there are more than 830 Coles stores selling my Caramel Cheesecake protein bar collaboration with Muscle Nation for the new,” he said.
“We launched the Protein Ice Cream Caramel Cheesecake as a natural progression as the Cheesecake Protein Bar showed us we can reinvent indulgent treats with protein.
“Our Protein Ice Cream is performing as well as traditional ice cream, and the amazing social media reviews show what truly matters, making our customers happy.”
Indeed, there are endless reviews online on the new frozen dessert, with many declaring it “10/10”.
“It took me a hot minute to find this... Oh my God, it’s so good,” one TikTok user declared in a video.
“Finally found it, I’ve gone to the same Woolworths three times but it was finally back in stock,” said another in a separate clip.
As one shared: “WOW, OK, this is VERY good. 10/10.”
Woolworths said that since being introduced in store in October, the Muscle Nation Frozen Protein Dessert has become a “customer favourite” that has “exceeded sales expectations”.
“The Caramel Cheese Cake flavour has proved the most popular,” a spokesperson told news.com.au.
“We are proud to support Australian businesses like Muscle Nation and with summer now on our doorstep, our customers can enjoy a protein rich cold treat in our freezer section when next in-store or shopping online.
“For customers wanting to get their hands on this popular product we encourage them to use the in-store finder to find their closest store that has availability.”
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