National Ice Cream Retailers Association

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1 APRIL $25.00 National Ice Cream Retailers Association SUPPLIER MEMBER SPOTLIGHT FROZEN POPSICLES By Jim Marmion Advanced Gourmet Equipment & Design Frozen popsicles are the newest, and one of the most exciting items in our industry! Often times, we find that after a busy day of serving, there is a small portion of our frozen favorites left in the pan (usually about the last quarter of the pan). The product is still high quality but you want to keep your display case looking fresh and attractive. So what do you do with the remaining gelato or ice cream? Why not turn it into frozen popsicles? Turning product that would otherwise be discarded, into a new profit center will cut down on food waste and allow you to maximize your profits. These portable and eye catching popsicles will quickly become a customer favorite! So how do you make these popsicle treats? The best method is to begin with a silicone popsicle mold. These molds allow you to not only freeze your product in them, but also bake up to 450 F. They are perfect for creating, delicious ice cream or gelato sandwiches! The silicone mold prevents the product from sticking to the sides and is flexible, making un-molding flawless popsicles quick and simple! IN THIS ISSUE Frozen Popsicles by Jim Marmion...1 Scholarship Winner Says Thanks...2 The Benefits & Drawbacks of Multiple Locations by Sarah Moore...4 Butter Prices...6 News From Vanilla Land by George Lochhead...8 New Cookbook Brings The Best of Ice Cream...10 New Active Member...10 New Supplier Members...11 Social Media: An Overview Officers, Board Members, Supplier Officers...12 the mold properly, the frozen product may seep out of the mold making your pops less uniform) Chosen, frozen product Metal spatula/spade Large piping bag Rubber spatula for smoothing Scissors Blast freezer The decorating station should consist of: Chosen coatings/chocolates Non-flavored, liquid, vegetable oil Food grade dyes, paints, or sprays (optional) Dry toppings of choice (nuts, sprinkles, coconut flakes, etc.), separated into small dishes for easy decorating Empty, stainless steel, sheet pans lined with Sil-Pat liner or comparable Empty, plastic, pint containers In order to get started, you will want to create two mini workstations, one for filling the molds and one for decorating your finished pops. In the filling station you will need: Empty popsicle mold Proper popsicle sticks for mold (if the sticks do not fit into Begin by loading your gelato, ice cream, or sorbet into the piping bag. When full, snip the corner of the piping bag off and squeeze the product to the snipped corner of the bag. Begin piping the product into the empty, silicone mold. Be careful not to under fill, some overflow is okay. Once filled, use the rubber spatula to remove any excess product and smooth until the product is flush to the top edge of the mold. After

2 CALL YOUR NICRA SUPPLIER MEMBERS FIRST smoothing, gently slide the appropriate popsicle sticks into the slots of the molds. Place the filled popsicle molds into the blast freezer for 45 minutes-2 hours. Now you can move to the decorating station and really get creative! While the popsicles are setting up, place the lined, stainless steel sheet pans in your upright freezer to temper. Once the product is completely set, remove a chilled, stainless steel sheet pan from the freezer. Then, carefully begin unmolding the popsicles by gently peeling back the silicone mold from each popsicle. Place the un-molded pops onto the frozen pan. Initially it is best to keep about 5-6 pops on a pan at a time. This keeps the pops at optimal temperature until decorating. After the pan has 5-6 pops on the tray, place the trays back into your freezer until all popsicles have been removed from their mold and are ready to be decorated. If using chocolate to coat, place the chocolate into a mixing bowl and heat in the microwave until warm to the touch or 100 F. Once your chocolate is the correct temperature, slowly begin adding, the vegetable oil, keeping the ratio 65-75% chocolate and 25-35% oil depending on the type of chocolate (white chocolate requires more oil). The consistency of the chocolate should be smooth and easily flow off of the spatula at a steady rate. Transfer the melted chocolate to the plastic pint container (the pint containers work well due to the small diameter and tall height, allowing you to coat the pops more evenly). Once your chocolate is all melted and your dry ingredients are staged, begin removing the frozen popsicles from your freezer one pan at a time. Carefully coat each popsicle in the tempered chocolate and immediately top with chosen dry topping (make sure to top with dry ingredients before the chocolate begins to set up). Place the decorated popsicles back into the freezer and continue the process until all pops are completed. The decorating possibilities are endless! Match the toppings and coatings to the flavor of the popsicle or color them (using food grade dyes and sprays) to match the colors of an upcoming holiday or event. The Natural Choice For Flavors TM Super-premium flavors for: Ice Cream Soft Serve Gelato Sorbet Custard Sherbet Frozen Yogurt No artificial ingredients No artificial taste GreenMountainFlavors.com *One-pint minimum order The wonderful thing about these popsicles is that you can place them directly into your gelato display cabinet using popsicle display trays. These trays take up the space of one, wide 5L pan or 1-1/2 standard 5L pans. They come in either up or down versions, allowing you to decide if you want the product side up for easy viewing or the stick side up for convenient serving. Make a statement with these irresistible popsicles! Easy to take on the go and so delicious, they are sure to please! SCHOLARSHIP WINNER SAYS THANKS NICRA, Thank you so much for selecting me to receive one of the Bryce Thomson Scholarship Awards. It s been a relief to not have to worry about paying for books and I m truly grateful for your generous gift! Lora Sheridan Anderson s Frozen Custard Williamsville, New York 2 NICRA April 2014

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4 CALL YOUR NICRA SUPPLIER MEMBERS FIRST SUPPLIER MEMBER SPOTLIGHT THE BENEFITS AND DRAWBACKS OF MULTIPLE LOCATIONS By Sarah Moore Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream It always seems that people think that owning multiple locations is the key to success and more money. However, there can be many drawbacks to becoming an owner of multiple locations. When deciding whether or not multiple locations are right for you, it is important to consider all of the factors that will come into play in order to make all of your locations and your overall brand a success. Benefits The first and most obvious benefit of multiple locations is the potential for higher revenues. Two stores will generate more revenue than one store does so they will put more money in your bank account. That being said, as described below, there are more expenses with two stores so higher revenues does not necessarily mean higher profits. However, if you do it right, more locations can mean more money in your pocket. Another large benefit of having two stores is the increased visibility and brand awareness. By having two or more locations, more people will become aware of your brand which should in turn, increase sales at both locations. The more people that know about you should mean more people should be walking in the front door. The next benefit of having multiple locations is the ability to spread some of your costs across multiple locations and therefore, decreasing the expenses of each individual location. With higher volumes, you may get lower prices from your vendors. You also will be able to advertise for two locations with one advertising platform. This can drastically decrease the marketing budget for each location. Drawbacks One of the largest challenges of having multiple locations is that you are unable to be in two places at once. It is common knowledge that although you can get some amazing employees, it is very hard to replace the owner in the day-to-day business. The owner is the person who has the most at stake and puts his / her heart and soul into his / her business. Without having the owner constantly present, customers may not see the same passion and in turn, may not feel as dedicated to supporting their local businesses. Because the owner is unable to be in two locations at once, this means that other people must be hired to work in their place, which leads to higher labor costs. We all know that we have to sell a lot of ice cream in order to be profitable and to earn a living. One of the benefits of being an owner-operated store is the ability to pay yourself when you need it but also not pay yourself when the business needs it. With full-time employees, this option is no longer possible and even in the dead of winter when ice cream sales drop, employees still must be paid. When you hire a manager for a store, you are putting all of your faith into that person to display the same enthusiasm and have the standards as you. However, these standards most likely are somewhat different and you must learn to manage these differences. As much as you want to make sure that every item is made exactly the same at each location, what you may not know is that the manager or other employees have tweaked your procedures to make them work for them. This may not seem like a huge issue, but when your customers come into your store and order a product, they expect consistency each and every time. When the quality of the product is different, between employees or locations, sales will be affected. When you open your second, or third, or fourth location, owners tend to follow the same route that they have with their previous locations. You learn from your mistakes and you correct them along the way. However, what you will 4 NICRA April 2014

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6 find is that with each location comes new challenges and new people. Each neighborhood is different and each customer base is different. What may be wildly successful at your first location could fail miserably at your second. Owners must be willing to acknowledge these differences in clientele and account for them in the menu and prices. In addition to the points above, you must remember that what happens at one locations will affect all locations with the same name. People remember their experiences, good and bad, and will hold all stores responsible for the experience. Without being able to control the experiences of all customers, there is a chance that a negative experience at a remote location can hurt your overall brand and business at all locations. How to Make it Work With all of these benefits and challenges stated above, the right management team will be able thrive and succeed with multiple locations. The best way of ensuring that multiple locations will work is by having a team full of trustworthy, caring, good employees. Reward them for good sales and a good, clean atmosphere. Know what they are doing at all times, yet give them the freedom to make their own choices and make their location their own and something to be proud of. Their dedication and belief in the brand will translate to increased revenues. An open mind to a new location is key. Use all of your past experiences to look at the new location and decide how it can be best put to use. Maybe some of your current procedures won t work there. Maybe your hours need to be drastically different. Maybe you need to add additional menu items. Keep a consistent image across all locations but be willing to tweak details as necessary. In the end, before you make the leap and jump in, make sure you weigh all of the options. Multiple locations can be a huge benefit to your brand, but they can also turn into a headache at the drop of a hat. Two locations can be better than one. But one successful location can also be better than two sub-par locations. BUTTER PRICES February 21, Grade AA Butter finished at $ The weekly average was $ (2013 price was $1.6000) February 28, Grade AA Butter finished at $ The weekly average was $ (2013 price was $1.5590) March 7, 2014 Grade AA Butter finished at $ The weekly average was $ (2013 price was $1.6075) March 14, Grade AA Butter finished at $ The weekly average was $ (2013 price was $1.6370) March 21, 2014 Grade AA Butter finished at $ The weekly average was $ (2013 price was $1.6910) 6 NICRA April 2014

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8 SUPPLIER MEMBER SPOTLIGHT NEWS FROM VANILLA LAND by George Lochhead Lochhead Mfg. Company What s your story? Sounds a little rhetorical, right? Well besides being a common expression, it could also be a very powerful marketing tool for your business. Recently more and more of our larger customers have requested detailed information about where and how our raw materials are sourced. They want to tell the story behind the vanilla that they are using. Maybe NICRA Members can do the same in their stores and get ahead of the curve on this movement? Give your customers the Who, Where and How behind your business & products. If you could read your customers minds, you might hear them ask WHO runs this business, WHERE do they get their ingredients and HOW did they create this wonderful scoop of ice cream? Some refer to it as the farm to fork movement. Others call it the geographical story behind the food. Others still just call it eating local. Regardless of the descriptor, what folks really want is assurances that the food they are buying and consuming is fresh, tasty and made by folks who care. They are also genuinely interested in the story behind the food they are eating. It s easy for folks to just throw a carton of ice cream in their shopping cart while at the grocery store. But instead, your customers make a special trip to your store. They don t just want ice cream they want an experience. So, how can NICRA Members give them that unique and positive experience they crave? Simple share the personal side of your business and products with your customers tell your story and let your NICRA Suppliers help you along the way! Many NICRA Suppliers are family owned and operated businesses, just like yours. And many of them have been in the industry for more years than they d like to count! Ask them to help you with ideas, stories and maybe even photos that tell the story behind your product. Love it or not, Starbucks is very good at telling stories with photos. All those colorful illuminated pictures of coffee beans being harvested and processed adorning their walls are there for good reason. They put customers in the mood for buying and drinking coffee. How about trying a similar marketing technique in your store? Your NICRA suppliers can help. Let s take Vanilla Extract for example. It s a staple in any good ice cream, frozen custard or yogurt shop. The flavor is so popular in fact, that it has become just plain vanilla to some folks. In reality though, it s one of your most exotic flavor offerings! What other flavor is the fruit of a beautiful large yellow orchid that is hand-pollinated, cultivated in some of the world s most exotic locales and was considered an aphrodisiac and drink of the Gods by early civilizations? 8 NICRA April 2014

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10 CALL YOUR NICRA SUPPLIER MEMBERS FIRST None to be exact! How about adorning your store with some wonderful photos of rolling Madagascar hillsides, vanilla orchids and folks carrying vanilla beans in hand woven baskets balanced on their heads? If a picture tells a thousand words, your story can be told through an interesting photo montage on the walls of your store. And your NICRA vanilla supplier might be a really good source for those cool photos. The Comfy Cow, Louisville, Kentucky Dave s Hawaiian Ice Cream, multiple locations in Hawaii Izzy s Ice Cream, Minneapolis, Minnesota Mike s Ice Cream, Nashville, Tennessee Mitchell s Ice Cream, San Francisco, California Purple Door Ice Cream, Milwaukee, Wisconsin Serendipity Homemade Ice Cream, St. Louis, Missouri What about your NICRA chocolate supplier? They might have some really interesting pictures of cocoa being grown and harvested on the Ivory Coast. Or maybe photos of huge vats of chocolate in their manufacturing facility that would get your customers taste buds working as they approach your counter. Your NICRA mix supplier might be another great resource. They might have access to beautiful pastoral Dairy Farm photos, or pictures of the lovely bovine ladies that happily produce the milk & cream that goes into your dairy mix. If you think about it, just about all of your NICRA suppliers could be great resources for you to access not only photos, but the stories behind the ingredients you use to make your products. If you can share those stories and photos with your customers as they visit your store, you will not only educate them on how their food is being sourced and produced, but you will also nurture and reinforce a relationship that will keep them coming back for years as customers and friends. In short, it will help provide them with that unique and positive experience they are looking for. So, when it comes to working with your NICRA suppliers don t just call on us for ingredients call on us for the story behind the ingredient as well. Your customers are interested in what you do, and how you do it. Let your suppliers help answer the question What s your story? NEW COOKBOOK BRINGS THE BEST OF ICE CREAM In her new book, Scoop Adventures: The Best Ice Cream of the 50 States (Page Street Publishing, March 2014, $19.99), ice cream maker and blogger Lindsay Clendaniel, shares the amazing recipes she picked up during her travels across the country sampling ice cream from specialty shops and restaurants for her blog, Scoop Adventures. In 2009, when I started writing my blog I was enjoying the discovery of the creation of ice cream so much that I wanted to share my recipes with the world, Lindsay says. I wanted to find other people with a passion for ice cream as strong, and perhaps as crazy, as mine. Scoop Adventures became a place for me to catalog recipes while sharing my love for food and flavor. Eventually, the ice cream lovers out there found me. Throughout my search for the best ice cream recipes in the country, I was constantly inspired by unique flavor ideas. Discussions with ice cream shop owners sparked new ideas for my own ice cream making adventures. The last chapter in my book is filled with exciting ice cream flavors from around the country that inspired me. NEW ACTIVE MEMBERS Daddy O s Irish Ice Cream 2626 Cardinal Lake Circle Duluth, GA / Fax: 678/ Frank O Brien Lori O Brien 1 DD, FC, II Mama Rosa s Italian Desserts 2067 Stone Canyon Dr. St. George, UT / Fax: 435/ Patricia Tinnerello MP, DC, GG, II Midnight s Frozen Treats 3873 S. Nucla St. Aurora, CO / Fax: 720/ Aaron Bennett Diane Bennett 1 DD, SS, FC Mill City Dairy Bar 1606 SR 307 Dalton, PA / Fax: 570/ Melodie Jordan FD, SS Scoops Ice Cream and Italian Ice 204 Christiana Rd. New Castle, DE / / Penny Weingartner The 80 deliciously adapted recipes Lindsay discovered were home-tested and designed to be easily made with a home ice cream maker. Seven NICRA members are featured in the cookbook: DD 10 NICRA April 2014

11 CALL YOUR NICRA SUPPLIER MEMBERS FIRST NEW SUPPLIER MEMBER Yuengling s Ice Cream 1058 Centre Turnpike Orwigsburg, PA / David Yuengling Ice Cream manufacturer SOCIAL MEDIA: AN OVERVIEW Connecting with customers is the best way to bring them through your doors. Social media creates a huge opportunity to reach new customers and engage with your regulars, and it s available to any operation, big or small. Even if you re a restaurant operator with a limited marketing budget, you can make a big impact by using social media tools right. Today s customers are more value-savvy than ever, and they re using a variety of tools from smart phones and social networks to daily deals and direct messages to decide where and when to eat out. Use social media to build relationships with your customers to make sure they ll come back again and again. This guide is an overview of the top social media tools, but there are many more out there. Check your local market for social media centered in your community. Why You Should Care In 2011, 63.7% of US internet users used social media. An estimated 66% will use it in % of US social media users use it to research restaurants. 47% of US operators say social media is the most important part of their 2012 marketing plan (up form 43% in 2011). Source: NRN Operator Survey, Reasons Customers Follow Restaurants on Social Media Sites: 67% get promotional deals 66% learn about new items 37% find out about free food 29% learn about new locations 25% check out new ads Source: emarketer, What is Social Media? Social media allows people to create an online profile and connect with other people in online communities. Promotion and advertising can be a part of it, but shouldn t be the focus. It s a way of joining groups of like-minded people online, and building a social media community around your business. Social media is a conversation, so make it work for you by becoming an active participant. Use a casual, fun tone and creative images, offers, quizzes and more to keep your community entertained and engaged. Reprinted with permission from ConAgra Foodservice s Social Media Guide. Subscribe to The National Dipper The only magazine that keeps you up-to-date in the retail frozen dessert industry. Regular columns include: New Products Industry News Calendar of Events Classified Special features include: Equipment Reviews Management Articles Association Events Employee Training Promotions Annual Source Book Also Available: Dipping Tips Training Posters Manuals for Costing Products Employee Training Posters Point of Sale Posters Magazine Binders Call or write for a subscription today! 1028 West Devon Avenue Elk Grove Village, IL Phone: (847) Fax: (847) lynda@nationaldipper.com Subscribe on-line at: NICRA April

12 2014 NICRA OFFICERS President Nanette Frey, Frey s Tasty Treat, Inc., E. Amherst, N. Y. President Elect Carl Chaney, Chaney s Dairy Barn, Bowling Green, Ky. Vice President Jim Oden, Debbie s Soft Serve, Smithsburg, Maryland Secretary/Treasurer Neil McWilliams, Spring Dipper, Mammoth Spring, Arkansas Immediate Past President David Zimmermann, Royal Scoop Homemade Ice Cream Bonita Springs, Fla. Executive Director Lynda Utterback, Elk Grove Village, Ill. Terms Ending Annual Meeting 2014 Valerie Hoffman, Yummies, Warsaw, N.Y. Kelly Larson, Sweet Temptations Grand Haven, Michigan Johnny McGregor, Clemson University Clemson, South Carolina Bob Turner, Dairy Corner, Urbana, Ohio Terms Ending Annual Meeting 2015 David Deadman, Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream Madison, Wisconsin Cliff Freund, Cliff s Dairy Maid Ledgewood, New Jersey Vince Girodano, Sno Top, Manlius, New York Bob Hearn, Hearn s Ice Cream, St. Marys, ON, Canada Juergen Kloo, Joy Cone Co., Hermitage, Pennsylvania Terms Ending Annual Meeting 2016 Jim Brown, Penn State University, University Park, PA Mary Leopold, Leopold s Ice Cream Savannah, Georgia Jim Marmion, Advanced Gourmet Equipment Greensboro, North Carolina SUPPLIER OFFICERS President Andrew Jones, Lloyds of Pennsylvania, Exton, PA Vice President Hank Sweeney, Classic Mix Partners, Neenah, WI Secretary/Treasurer Lisa Gallagher, ConAgra Foods, Naperville, IL Chairman Mary Kircher, Dingman s Dairy, Paterson, New Jersey COMMITTEES AND COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN Executive Committee Nanette Frey, Frey s Tasty Treat, Inc., E. Amherst, N. Y. Nominating Committee David Zimmermann, Royal Scoop Homemade Ice Cream Bonita Springs, Fla. Convention Committee Carl Chaney, Chaney s Dairy Barn, Bowling Green, Ky. Membership Committee Jim Oden, Debbie s Soft Serve, Smithsburg, Maryland Ice Cream Clinic Committee Mark Leichtman Scholarship Committee Cliff Freund, Cliff s Dairy Maid Ledgewood, New Jersey Web Site Committee Jim Brown, Penn State University, University Park, PA MISSION STATEMENT FOR NICRA The mission of the National Ice Cream Retailers Association (NICRA), a non-profit trade association, is to be the leader in the frozen dessert industry that others look to for help, support and education. NICRA will promote business growth and development throughout the industry. VISION OF THE ASSOCIATION NICRA will associate with similar associations dedicated to the same interests. NICRA will facilitate communication and education that both newcomers and veterans in the industry desire to be successful. NICRA will maintain a feeling of family within the association as it grows, and be dedicated to responsibly managing the association while maximizing value to the members. NONDISCRIMINATION POLICY NICRA is committed to a policy of nondiscrimination in all of its endeavors. To that end, NICRA shall not tolerate any words or acts of discrimination, harassment or any inappropriate behavior in general against any person affiliated with NICRA, including its members and guests, with regard to race, sex, color, creed, religion, age, national origin, disability, marital status or sexual orientation. This Bulletin is published by: National Ice Cream Retailers Association 1028 West Devon Avenue Elk Grove Village, IL / Fax: 847/ Jim Oden Chairman Publications Committee Lynda Utterback, Editor 2013 National Ice Cream Retailers Association Vol. 35, No. 4 This issue of the NICRA Bulletin is now available online at Click on the Members Only button and enter your Username and Password. If you cannot find your Username and Password, call the NICRA office at or send an to info@ nicra.org requesting the information NICRA April 2014