The Bulletin- March 2022 by The North American Ice Cream Association

Social Media Best Practices for 2022

Color-Coding In a Food Processing Facility: It Starts with Hue

The Official Publication Of The North American Ice Cream Association

2022 Dairy Commodity Outlook Increasing Costs and Raising Prices

March 2022

THE BULLETIN

A MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Wow. Look at this weather. I think I can safely say now for the majority of the states, that we are finally moving into the cusp of ice cream season. Many retailers I speak to from the office so excited about this upcoming season although there still are some questions in relation to supply chain issues and mix pricing. For the most part our members are excited to fire up the old batch freezer, custard machine, soft serve machine and start to get the ball rolling. The association board members have a tradition to hold their February board meeting at the location of that years convention. I am pleased to say that the 20 members of the board had a effective and useful meeting this past month in the city of Fort Worth. We stayed at the Omni hotel where our convention accommodations will be held, and toured the convention center with its breakout, main rooms, tradeshow floor and associated areas. For those of you who attended in Orlando, you will recall the excitement of having so many ice cream people in one location. As they say with Texas, Fort Worth will be bigger and better. We took the opportunity to do tour the downtown area and enjoyed some locally made ice cream as well. More information on schedule, pricing and activities will be out over the next month or so, but please pencil in your calendar the convention dates of the seventh, eighth and ninth of November this year. The location will be Fort Worth, Texas and the closest airport will be DFW. As always we will be hosting some pre-convention activities, such as golf, a food safety workshop and another education program that will happen “pre-convention”. This will be on Sunday the sixth. My feeling was that the board left Fort Worth with great positivity about this year‘s event, and about the health and growth of our association generally. We hope you continue to feel the benefits end support of your membership within the association, and as always please reach out to the office if you have any questions or concerns as we added to this season.

Steve Christensen Executive Director

Welcome to The North American Ice Cream Association Jesus Oscar Vazquez La Tiendita Confectionery Essentials El Paso, Texas Missy Stanley Farmview Creamery Ashland, Virginia Farley Toothman Farleys Hotel Cafe Waynesburg, Pennsylvania CHRIS EASTVEDT VICFTW TEMPLE CITY, California

George Dunlap George Dunlap Fremont, Ohio

Michael Sgarella Daddy O'Briens Gainesville, Georgia

Jessica La Forge God Save the Cream Denver, Colorado

Melissa Pierce Candy Mountain Creamery Mount holly springs, Pennsylvania

Rich Velez Street Kitchen Creamery North Bergen, New Jersey

Colin Dyckman Boro Cafe LLC Wilmington, Delaware

Shannon Peterson Extra Innings Ice Cream Northville, Michigan

FOOD SAFETY SUPPORT HOT-LINE FOR

SMALL/ARTI SAN DAI RY PROCESSORS

Not sure where to start? Our network of food safety experts from Universities across the US are here to help you take the next step by providing free one-on-one plan consultation and review.

315-787-2600 Dairyfoodsafetycoach@cornell.edu

Food Safety Corner Color-Coding In a Food Processing Facility: It Starts with Hue Implementing a color-coded system in your food facility is a safe, easy way to assist with hygiene zone and/or allergen separation throughout your operation. Color coding tools and supplies helps ensure finished products (and customers) are protected from cross-contamination by microorganisms or by unlabeled allergens. A color-coding system assigns colors for specific purposes (e.g., red for unpasteurized, black for cleaning floors and drains, green for ready-to-eat product contact surfaces…) to minimize the chance of cross-contamination. By delineating your tools with a specific color, you create an easily understood and easy-to-spot system that keeps tools in areas where they are supposed to be and doing the jobs they are intended to do. Color coded supplies are readily available from a number of vendors and include brushes, cleaning tools, product handling, apparel, tool racks, and many more items used in your operation. The benefits of color-coding are easy to understand if you picture a chaotic day at a restaurant kitchen. When you’re in the kitchen, you need tools to help make sure you’re keeping everyone safe so you may assign the color red to cutting boards, knives, containers for products that are raw (e.g., raw chicken) vs. another color like blue for surfaces and tools where readyto-eat food is being prepared. t’s a quick, easy way for busy employees to stay organized, keep food safe, and ensure

finished product quality. The concept is the same in the food processing environment but at a larger scale. Whether its during production or when cleaning it is imperative to ensure hygienic and allergen separation to protect your customers. The great news is that you can easily customize a system that caters to your particular needs and operation. There are several suppliers of color-coded tools who can also help you when you implement your system. Here are a few key thoughts to consider from a supplier we work with here at Nelson-Jameson, Remco: 1. Keep it simple. Limit the number of colors you use, maybe 3-5 for small to medium facilities. For larger facilities, keep the number of colors each individual has to remember to that same small range. 2. Avoid complicated color assignments. Having very customized tools - like a green broom with a blue handle for specific zone/allergen combo - may seem like a good idea, but it will inevitably lead to confusion and chaos. Simplicity and instant recognition are very important. 3. Roll out the program all at once - This will help in avoiding confusion. Make all tool changes at one time, along with an education program and a widely announced start date for the new transition. 4. Use signage for reinforcement. Don’t

Consider what’s best for your facility and the products you make. Customize your program for the greatest impact. In addition to improving safety and quality, you’ll likely also enjoy new efficiencies and workflow improvements.

leave room for ambiguity with colorcoding. Let signs, in however many languages, to remind workers which color is assigned to which zone.

Dr. Mathew J. Bartkowiak, Nelson-Jameson, Inc.

2022 Dairy Commodity Outlook Increasing Costs and Raising Prices Andrew Jones-Lloyd’s of Pennsylvania, Inc.

The frozen dessert industry is inherently filled with enjoyment and smiles. Owners and high level managers deal with difficult issues and uncomfortable decisions, but are blessed with the opportunity to witness lots of smiles and positive energy on the retail floor. With that in mind, I encourage you to keep perspective as we walk through the current and long term climate as it relates to raw materials impacting the scooping world. Good news is that every industry has been hit with increasing raw material and operating costs, albeit not welcome, and we are all in the same position. Consumers are cognizant that their dollar doesn’t stretch nearly as far. Also, from a historical perspective, end consumers will cut or reduce their spending on other items before they forgo trips to the local ice cream and frozen dessert store. Houses, automobiles, boats, expensive vacations, lavish dinners, etc. all tend to get cut first from the family budget. . Common raw materials for dairy and frozen dessert products are: 1. Milk 2. Butter (cream) 3. Sugar (granulated or liquid) 4. Non Fat Dry Milk (skim condensed) 5. Cocoa 6. Corn Syrup 7. Plant Oils (soybean, palm kernel, corn, coconut, etc.) 8. Emulsifiers (mono & diglycerides) 9. Stabilizers (guar, carrageenan, locust

bean, tara, etc.) Every one of the above items has been impacted by supply issues, logistical constraints and inflationary pressures during the past two (2) years. Especially for the products grown and/or processed outside of the United States. Let’s highlight some of the materials that are easily tracked. All numbers on the right side of the charts are on a per pound basis. MILK - Markets indicate a 10+% since 4/1/20

Dairy.com, March 1, 2022 https://www.marketprices.dairy.com

BUTTER - Markets indicate a 53+% since 4/1/20

NFAT DRY MILK - Markets indicate a 44+% since 4/1/20

Dairy.com, March 1, 2022 https://www.marketprices.dairy.com

SUGAR - Markets indicate a 17+% since 4/1/20

CORN - Markets indicate a 77+% since 4/1/20

Dairy.com, March 1, 2022 https://www.marketprices.dairy.com

COCOA - Markets indicate a 12-% decrease since 4/1/20

Dairy.com, March 1, 2022 https://www.marketprices.dairy.com SOY - Markets indicate a 87+% increase since 4/1/20

Dairy.com, March 1, 2022 https://www.marketprices.dairy.com Domestic dairy ingredients (milk, cream, nfat dry) are expected to hover at current levels in the upcoming months, while imported products continue to be volatile.

We highly encourage everyone to raise pricing as there is simply no way to absorb these additional costs while maintaining the health of your business. As an example, pricing on an eight (8) ounce cone, based on regional averages, would increase between $.50 and $.80 per unit. Current mix, flavor, cone and add on pricing are factored into this recommended increase. Calculate your actual costs before going on record as these will vary, sometimes greatly, depending upon your region or products offered. Price increases in 2022 don’t need to be scary. Remember, you are not alone and you need to make sure your business adjusts to the current economic environment! Andrew Jones President Lloyd’s of Pennsylvania, Inc.

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Social Media Best Practices for 2022 In 2022, social media marketing is important to any business. Social media has become an essential part of many marketing strategies, which is why knowing social media best practices for 2022 is so important. Multiple business practices and marketing strategies can be implemented online through social media platforms to grow profits. These platforms have ongoing trends and changes that help boost online presence such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and LinkedIn. For this reason, digital marketing has become a core practice in the field of marketing. When using the best practices, any business can grow in the industry and attract traffic from potential target markets and customers. Here’s a look at social media best practices for 2022 that will help grow your business: Keys to Social Media Best Practices for 2022 Engaging Content First and foremost, the quality of your content is important. It is necessary to know what type of content engages most with your target market. This type of content varies based on each business. There are also content limitations depending on the platform you are using, which may dictate what your content creation and quality look like.

Facebook Content limitations are non-existent for Facebook, however, there are suggestions for what you should or should not post. Facebook is a great platform for all content creators. While longer formatted content is allowed, generally posts with 50 characters or less perform best and receive the most engagement. You should also always include an image or graphic on Facebook posts. If you are posting a video and want high engagement, it should be no longer than 2 minutes. Although 15-second videos get the most start-to-end views. When it comes to hashtags and tags, hashtags should not be used unless you are recognizing something like “#tiptuesday” that you want the follower to use. As for tags, it is always appropriate on all platforms to tag another brand when you are in partnerships or when sharing another brand’s content. Instagram While Instagram is in fact all about the visuals, social media best practices for 2022 include having effective captions and written content. They have a caption limit of 2,200 characters. While you can use the entire space, Instagram will only show the first three lines with the option to read more. You should make your first three lines really count or put the most important information first.

For Instagram, the use of hashtags in your photo captions/comments/stories is one of the best ways to get new eyes and likes on the visuals. You can include up to 30 hashtags on your post, and up to 10 hashtags on your story. However, peak engagement of hashtags on your post is around 10-11. Hashtags should be included in the caption or added as the first comment to be the most effective. Twitter Captions are more limited for Twitter, as the character limit is set at 280. For the most engagement, the ideal length of the caption should be 71-100 characters. When creating captions you should be including creative calls to action or CTAs, to drive engagement from your profile. If you are including a link with your call to action, you can use Bitly to shorten your links. Hashtags for Twitter should be 2 or less as any more will actually drop engagement. Pinterest You should be creating your own pins for Pinterest in order to direct traffic back to your website. To use social media best practices for 2022 on Pinterest, use keywords in the description that are relevant to the post when publishing the pins. LinkedIn LinkedIn is a preferred platform when sharing brand storytelling, business intro videos, BTS, infographics, updates, business events, meet the team, FAQs, and industry topics. LinkedIn statuses can be up to 700 characters long for company pages. The best length for engagement is around 100 characters. Frequent Content Another aspect of social media best practices for 2022 is how often you post and when you post. The timing and frequency of your posts are important. There are preferred times for posting on each platform for the most

engagement and views. Based information you can set goals frequently you want to post. You plan and organize what content posting and when.

on this of how can then you are

Quality over quantity is important for your social media platforms, so make sure you choose a posting schedule that works for your business! Not every frequency recommendation is right for every business, that is where your marketing strategy comes in. Here is a quick guide to the ideal post frequencies for each platform. Facebook: It is recommended to post daily to Facebook. You should not post more than 2 times per day. The best times to post are between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Instagram: It is recommended to post visuals 2-3 times a week, no more than once post a day. However, stories can be more frequent. The best times to post are between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Tuesdays, or 11 a.m. Monday thru Friday. Twitter: It is recommended to post once or twice a day. If you have enough content you can post no more than 5 times a day. The best times to post are between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Wednesdays, or 9 a.m, thru 11 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Pinterest: It is recommended for Pinterest profiles to post at least once a week to your boards. To see the best engagement, you should post new pins daily. The best times to post are between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. or between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays seem to get the most traffic as people tend to use weekend free time to plan projects which Pinterest is often used for. LinkedIn: It is recommended to post on LinkedIn daily on weekdays. Weekends are not recommended as it is a platform

for professionals. The best times to post are between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, or on Wednesdays from 9 a.m. thru 2. p.m. Scheduling Tools Considering there are numerous social media platforms with different posting schedules, it can become difficult to keep track of posting at the preferred times and days. To alleviate the stress of juggling posting schedules for numerous platforms, you can use automated post scheduling tools. Here at Target Market, we use Sendible. With Sendible you can manage multiple profiles to keep a consistent schedule to grow your audience and reach your frequency goals!

Target Market

Conenect With Our New Mentorship Program We are looking for mentors for the Association mentor program. Please CLICK HERE to get eligibility details and sign up today!

e at

e h T D e v Conecon 2022 will be held on the November 7th, 8th, and 9th in Fort Worth, TX Details to Follow

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Join The Conversation Have you joined the private forum for association members? The forum is a great way for association members to share ideas, questions and best practices. Click HERE to join now!

MARKETING CALENDAR MARCH 2022 Daily Holidays

National Peanut Lovers Day: 1 International Pancake Day: 1 Dr. Seuss Day: 2 National Anthem Day: 3 World Book Day: 3 Employee Appreciation Day: 4 National Frozen Food Day: 5 National Dentist's Day: 6 Oreo Cookie Day: 6 National Cereal Day: 7 National Peanut Cluster Day: 8 Barbie Day: 9 Nametag Day: 10 National Promposal Day: 11 Middle Name Pride Day: 11 Genealogy Day: 12 Daylight Saving Time Begins: 13 Potato Chip Day: 14 Save a Spider Day: 14 True Confessions Day: 15 Panda Day: 16 Campfire Day: 17 St. Patrick's Day: 17 Kiss Your Fiancée Day: 18

National Chocolate Caramel Day: 19 Proposal Day: 20 Snowman Burning Day: 20 Won't You Be My Neighbor Day: 20 World Storytelling Day: 20 World Poetry Day: 21 As Young As You Feel Day: 22 National Chocolate Covered Raisins Day: 24 Purple Day: 26 National Scribble Day: 27 National Mom & Pop Business Owner's Day: 29 Pencil Day: 30 National Crayon Day: 31

APRIL 2022 Daily Holidays

April Fools or All Fools Day: 1 National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day: 2 Don't Go To Work Unless It's Fun Day: 3 Tater Day ( It's Sweet Potatoes) :4 National Deep Dish Pizza Day: 5 National Library Day: 5 Hostess Twinkie Day: 6 National Beer Day: 7 National Handmade Day: 7 Draw A Bird Day: 8 National Unicorn Day: 9 World Circus Day: 9 National Siblings Day: 10 Submarine Day: 11 National Licorice Day: 12 Scrabble Day: 13 National Pecan Day: 14 National Gardening Day: 14 World Art Day: 15 World Marbles Day: 15 Emancipation Day: 16 Easter: 17 Nabisco Animal Cracker Day: 18 Pinata Day: 18

National Garlic Day: 19 Bicycle Day: 19 National Cheddar Fries Day: 20 National Chocolate-Covered Cashews Day: 21 Earth Day: 22 National Jelly Bean Day: 22 Movie Theatre Day: 23 International Marconi Day: 23 World Penguin Day: 25 National Pretzel Day: 26 Babe Ruth Day: 27 National Superhero Day: 28 Arbor Day: 29 National Bubble Tea Day: 30 National Raisin Day: 30

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DISPLAY ADVERTISING Hey there, Supplier Member. Hopefully by now you have seen quite a few changes in the way the association is improving member benefits and communicating with our members. Our main method of communication is still our monthly Bulletin published on the 10th of each month. Up until recently, The Bulletin has struggled to attract advertisers and we have been offering free ads to those supplier members who contributed an article.

THE GOOD NEWS IS..... We have recently put extra effort into increasing the effectiveness of the Bulletin with the following functions: Full Color Front Cover President and Executive Director Messages Monthly Food Safety Articles Marketing and Event Calendars More Links to articles and online content. This has led to high engagement through open rates and link clicks. With this higher engagement, we are having more inquiries by Supplier Members about advertising to our members again in the Bulletin. For this purpose, we are publishing The Bulletin Advertising rates for 2022.

Frequency rates are based on the total number of insertions used within a twelvemonth period. Space Reservations: 10th of month preceding publication Material Deadline: 15th of month preceding publication.

Please direct any questions to Steve Christensen, Executive Director at the below contact details. 636 778 1822 * Toll Free: 866-303-6960 E-Mail: info@icecreamassociation.org * Web: www.icecreamassociation.org

Association Officers 2022 President Dave Deadman, Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream, Madison, WI Vice President Charlie Wilcox, Marianne’s Ice Cream, Santa Cruz, CA Treasurer Kelly Larson, Sweet Temptations, Grand Haven, MI Secretary Rick Pizzi, Pizzi Farms, Waltham, MA

Immediate Past President George Xouris, Andia's Ice Cream, Cary, NC Executive Director Steve Christensen, Wildwood, MO Terms Ending Annual Meeting 2022 Charlie Bomboy, Bomboy's Homemade Ice Cream, Havre De Grace, MD Dirk White, The Alaskan Creamery, Sitka, AK Kyle Cameron, Joy Cone Company, Wirtz, PA Rick Pizzi, Pizzi Farm Ice Cream, Waltham, MA Jill Curran, Kimball Farm, Inc., Westford, MA Terms Ending Annual Meeting 2023 Valerie Henrici, Yummies, Warsaw, NY Sue Kloter, Kloter Ice Cream Barn, Ellington, CT Donnie Montgomery, Homestead Creamery, Wirtz, VA Andy Jones, Lloyds of PA, Prince Frederick, MD 2020 SUPPLIER OFFICERS President Evan Waldt, Ice Cream Equipment Spec. Reno, NV Vice President Nichole Theriault, I.Rice & Company, Inc.. Philadelphia, PA Secretary/Treasurer Hank Sweeney, Classic Mix, LLC.. Neenah, WI Chairman Ben Keser, Joy Cone Co., Hermitage, PA COMMITTEES AND COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN Executive Committee David Deadman, Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream, Madison, WI

Nominating Committee George Xouris, Andia’s Homemade Ice Cream, Morrisville, NC Convention Committee Dave Deadman, Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream, Madison, WI Membership Committee Charlie Wilcox, Marianne’s Ice Cream, Santa Cruz, CA Ice Cream Clinic Committee Christine D’Amico, Over the Top, Pleasant Hill IA Scholarship Committee Sue Kloter, Kloter Ice Cream Barn, Ellington, CT NONDISCRIMINATION POLICY The Association is committed to a policy of nondiscrimination in all of its endeavors. To that end, we shall not tolerate any words or acts of discrimination, harassment or any inappropriate behavior in general against any person affiliated with the association, 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: The North American Ice Cream Association PO Box 601 Wildwood, MO 63040 This issue of The Bulletin is now available online at www.icecreamassociation.org. Click on the Members Only button and enter your Username and Password. If you cannot find your Username and Password, call the office at 866-3036960 or send an e-mail to info@theicecreamassociation.org requesting the information.

The Official Publication Of The North American Ice Cream Association

March 2022