Doyouhavebutterfliesinyourstomach?
I've played a couple of roles in amateur theatre production, and by amateur I mean amateur!IrememberthebutterfliesIhadinmystomachbeforeIwentonstageforthe firsttime Memorizinglinesandrememberingwheremyentryandexitpointswerefilling myhead.Thedirectortoldusthateverythinghadtobeperfectfortheaudiencetohave agreatfirstimpressionofthecharacterandtheoverallenjoymentoftheexperience
Thebutterfliesweren'tnecessarilyabadthing:itmeantthatIstillhadtogothroughthe proceduresinmymindtoreaffirmthatIwasdoingthingsright.
Well, it's nearly our time to step on stage Some of our members are reporting the excitementofopeningforthe2023season,orevenopeningforthefirsttime.It'sagreat timetogooverinourmindsandinourbusinesses,thepolicies,andproceduresthatwill makeourcustomer'sfirstexperienceatourbusinessintheseasonagreatone
Remember,youdon'tgetasecondchanceatthefirstimpression
This edition of the bulletin is dedicated to the process of getting ready for the season Using the information here, and the plethora of information in our free video-based trainingshouldsetyouupforaconfident"firstentrance"ontothe2023stage
Remember, all of the crew and support people need to be just as ready. There is no performancewithoutthecurtainpullerdoinghisorherjob Makesurethatyoursupport personnel and work crew are equally trained and up to date on their tasks and responsibilitiesaswell
Shouldyoustillhavebutterflies?Well,afewlittleonesgenerallydon'thurt haveagreat month
SteveChristensen
ExecutiveDirector
WhatisaForeignMaterialHazard?
Foreign Material is any material that is not a natural component of a food, they can be a foodsafetyhazardsandmustbeincludedin a risk assessment of a HACCP Plan or Food SafetyPlan.FDAdefinesaforeignobjectthat presents itself as a food safety hazard as; Hard or sharp foreign objects in food may cause traumatic injury including laceration and perforation of tissues of the mouth, tongue,throat,stomach,andintestineaswell as damage to the teeth and gums They further define it as: product contains a hard or sharp foreign object that measures 7 mm to 25 mm, in length. Even objects that don’t meet this legal definition can harm customersandyourbusiness(ie pitsareOK in Cherries, but are not expected in Ice Cream)
Whatitmeanstoyourbusiness?
Foreign materials in your product could harm a customer and impact your business, socommittingtoenhancingyourfoodsafety programs benefits your company in many ways It is imperative that a thorough risk assessment is completed to identify and control anywhere your product could be contaminated. In a risk assessment, one would look at each step in your process to consider the introduction of any of these items as a potential risk and then identify appropriatecontrolstrategies
Because many ingredients in ice cream manufacturing are added to a ‘mix’ it is imperative to reach out to your suppliers to understandtheirriskassessmentprogramand controlsaswell
Here’swhatyoucandorightnow?
Having good control programs provides a proactive approach rather than reacting after discovering a foreign material in your product Control programs that catch foreign materials beforetheyreachyourcustomerreducethe
risk to your brand, maintain your earned reputation, and save you money from expensive recalls or litigation This can be accomplished by breaking your approach into “People” (awareness, training, culture ), “Programs” (preventive maintenance, sanitation, supplier controls ) and “Detection/Separation” (screens/strainers, metal detectors ) Examples include: conducting supply-chain reviews, inspecting ingredients when they arrive at your facility, conducting routine glass and brittle plastic self-audits of your facility, and anything else youidentifyforyourlocation
When building and designing your own program, it is important to involve team members throughout the process to get a broad understanding of potential foreign materialintroductionsites.Creationofawell-
rounded team enhances buy-in and creates a positive food safety culture
Broad participation beyond the Food Safety and Quality Team, results in many sets of dedicated eyes focused on identifying potential issues and a passionate workforce protecting of dedicated eyes focused on identifying potential issues and a passionate workforce protecting your facility and brand. Continuous monitoring and re-assessment, especially when changing suppliers is important Robust food safety systems are built one step at a time Itisnevertoolatetobegin
For more on Foreign Material controls see this CDR article (pages 6-9) and visit wwwsafeicecreamorg for additional resources, training options, and direct accesstoIceCreamFoodSafetyExperts.
Brian Kraus Director of Food Safety and RegulatoryCompliance.
TheAssociationisworkingwithother foodsafetyorganizationsand university'stodevelopanindustry standardandanonline/livetraining programthatcaterstoallicecream makers,largeandsmall
CLICKHEREFORMOREINFORMATION
You’ve put all your good ideas on paper
You’ve attended hours and hours of food safety training Now you ’ re finally ready to implement all of these documented practices into your scoop shop, frozen dessert or ice cream manufacturing business.
Howdoyoutaketheoraltraditionof“thisis justhowit’sdone”,getitinwriting,andthen successfully train teams of ever-rotating employeestodoittherightway?
Here are a few helpful tips or reminders as you implement your training tools & company SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures- step by step how to do different activities in your business) and GMPs (Good Manufacturing Practiceshow your people /place /processes etc successfully create a high quality, consistent,safeproduct):
Peopledon’tactuallyread.
Studies vary but it’s estimated that when we read material, we only retain 15% of the information after an initial read. It gets worse when it’s on a digital screen
Whydowewriteitalldownifnoone is going to read it? KEEP IN MIND: your health inspector actually digests information via the written word and we do it for them And if you get hit by a bus, at least the Good Manufacturing Practices, SOPs, Food Safety Plan and companypoliciesexistsomewhere
outsideyourbrilliantbrain.
So how do I get this darn information frommygoogledocorbinderthatIjust laminated into the hands of my employees and actually used if they won’treadit?
Demonstrate the work sequence visually (short videos, images, and hands-onarebest)
Have the trainee repeat back and show you or another person how to dosomething
Make a short series of videos or pictures and plop them into a shared Google Drive/OneDrive (NOTE: some scheduling platforms have a library or database for training materials and you can upload files there and assign them tostaff).
Thesedonotneedtobeperfect, professionally made or graphically designed! It’s better to have raw footage than none atall!EXAMPLE:aspartoftheon boarding process, right after the I9 meeting, have your new hire watch the first batch of videos and look at the material that’s relevanttotheirposition
Ideas for training modules: “How to Scoop Properly”, “How to wash your hands the right way ” , “Filling up the sani buckets and testing chlorine”
“When do you wash your hands/ take off your apron ” , “Gross bacteria that you can’t see and how to kill it”, “Howtotaketemperaturesand
Remember that, yes, this work is REDUNDANT You have your written Bible of Ice Cream Truth (Food Safety binder and logbooks) to show the health inspector and ALSO have your library of training materials that demonstrate the actual work sequences in a practicalusefulway
It takes time (and money) to train people well[butit’sworthit]
Job satisfaction comes from you setting clear expectations, providing opportunities to advance within an organization, having good communication and making your team feel respected. If people are satisfied with their job, they stick around longer (thus saving you from having to train someonenew!)
A good training program protects you against the inevitable “ no one ever taught me how to do this” moment when a staff member might be falling shortofexpectations
Make sure to keep accurate employeefileswhereyoucancheck off that someone has completed their training and what exactly they completed
Put reminders in your calendar for people to get re-trained. We often forget details even if we do a job overandoveragain Dore-trainings in the Winter if you ’ re a little slower. When that calendar notification pops up, stick to it and do the trainingnomatterwhat
Communication styles differ by job function, personality traits, experience and naturalcuriosity
As the leader of your organization, you willhavetositintheTrainerseatquitea bit but make sure your managers and other leaders know how to communicateeffectively,too.
In addition to you sharing information with your trainees, you also need to listen to your team Look for visual cues or encourage people to ask questions while you ’ re training. Make training a dialogueinsteadofamonologue
A lot of outgoing, “I love people” personalities (ex FOH scoopers and managers, myself included) are often motivatedbyFUN. How do you keep things lively and lighthearted and a good time for these staff members? Try training in groups Make it a competition and have them train each other Keep the same high standards but allow for some creativity and playing and socializing in the process. It might feel distracted or time-consuming if this isn’t yourstyle,butIpromisetheinformationwill stickbetterandthey’llbemoreinvestedin
More reserved, “keep to themselves” folks (ex BOH Manufacturing team) are oftenmotivatedbyAJOBWELLDONE. Have really precise examples of what the best outcome is (ie this is exactly how we like to have the cookies distributed in this ice cream flavor, here are some tricks on how to cut through the ice cream with a hard-edged spatula to achieve that caramel swirl, here is how you stack a pallet so the tubs don’t fall, now youtry)
Rewardconsistencyandaccuracy. Rather than public declarations of love, try pulling the person aside and give them praise one-on-one as they start to get the training down.
If this isn’t your personal style, you might be thinking that these people aren’t getting it or they aren’t being very vocal but by patiently allowing themtofigureoutthenewtask,they have a deeper knowledge of the process.
Assumethebestinothersfirst Letthem fail a little and make adjustments. Learning is a process and whether you ’ re 15 or 65, you will learn more if you ’ re able to relax, try, try again and have someone give you positive and constructivefeedback
Provide feedback in real time: if someoneisdoingsomethingincorrectly and you see it, pull them aside and remindthemhowtodoitcorrectly.Ifit’s compromising food safety in any way, make the correction immediately. “Hey, hang on there I see you ’ re still wearing your jewelry, can you go take that off?
We don’t want that to end up in someone ’ s cone ” If it’s less urgent, pull themasidealittlelater,“Inoticedearlier thatyourscoopswereabituneven
Remember that customers see that andwedon’twantthemtohaveunderscooped or over-scooped cones or that’s what they think they’ll get next time”.
You (and the leaders within the organization) set the example of behavior and should walk the walk in any role No shortcuts or “ we’ll just do it this way this time”. Don’t go make ice cream on the weekends and forget to wearahairnetinfrontofothersordon’t scoop sloppy cones on a busy Saturdaynight.
If training is overwhelming you or you feel strapped for time to even begin, reach out to fellow NAICA members (myself included!) and this community of ice cream individuals will be happy to help You have to tackle training and people management just like every other part of your business: break it into smaller, manageablechunksandsticktoit.
The years move fast, but social media moves faster Staying informed on social media marketing trends is crucial for brands to boost engagement, reach, and conversion rates while simultaneously building customer loyalty and a unique brandimpression HereatTargetMarket,we know a thing or two about staying up to datewiththelatestsocialmediamarketing trends. Check out the projected trends for 2023!
Augmented reality is a subsection of artificial intelligence and is predicted to become mainstream in the coming years. Not only does it allow your brand to improve its promotion and advertising efforts,butitalsoreinventshowconsumers share, communicate, and create content on various social platforms. Some benefits ofARinsocialmediamarketinginclude
Immersiveexperiences
Brandedfilters
With the benefits of augmented reality beingsogreatandadaptationsoeasy,the number of mobile AR users is expected to reach1.4billionin2023.
Influencer marketing is not a new phenomenon. Big brands such as Dunkin’ will collaborate with influencers that boast millionsoffollowerstoincreasesales.
However, in 2023 micro-influencers are expected to lead to great success compared to celebrity endorsements. Although micro-influencers have smaller audiences, they often have higher engagement rates and a lower price point For your social media marketing in 2023, partnering with several smaller influencers with niche communities may resultinabetterreturnoninvestment.
It’s no secret that video is king Unlike static images, video offers a landscape to express creativity in such a crowded space. As 2023 approaches, audiences continue to consume more and more short-form video content Is this due to our depleting attention spans? Maybe. Regardless, video is here to stay Apps like Tik Tok have proven consumers appetite for short-form videos, which expanded to other platforms such as Instagram reels and YouTube shorts Short-form videos can be a great addition to your social media marketing strategy in 2023 If you don’t know where tostart,TargetMarkethasyoucovered.
SocialmediaplatformssuchasFacebook are entering the market early with an audiocreationtoolthatwillallowusersto create “Soundbites.” According to Facebook, Soundbites are creative, shortformaudioclipsforcapturinganecdotes,
jokes, moments of inspiration, and more. In addition to Soundbites, Facebook is adding a podcast feature and live audio rooms in Facebook and Messenger Facebook is not the only one jumping on the social audio bandwagon Twitter also has voice tweets and Twitter spaces, while LinkedIn has AudioEvents.
UTMCodes
UTM (Urchin Tracking Module) codes are used to track and measure the effectiveness of digital marketing campaigns, including those on social media. Hootsuite outlines the three main benefitsofUTMtags,including
Track the value of social marketing programs and campaigns to measure ROI
Provide precise data about conversion ratesandtrafficsources
Allow you to test on individual posts in anA/Btestingstyle
UTM codes are pieces of code that get added to URLs and are among the most accurate way to measure and prove the value of your social media efforts, refine your social media marketing strategy, and trackinfluencermarketingresults
Location
Dates November2nd,3rda
RegistrationopensJune1st,2023
Withcostsrisingallaroundus,theprinciple of inventory management has never been so important Butter and associated dairy ingredients are pushing mix prices up, and fuel prices are escalating which means that everything that gets transported by roadorrailalsobecomesmoreexpensive
Ensuring that your inventory is ordered, counted, and used efficiently and effectively should be a top priority of your business right now, and here are some suggestions to get the most out of the process
Ensure your “Par” or “Build to” numbers are correct.
These two terms refer to the amount of product you need per item and category. Initially your supplier will provide a recommendation as to how many items or inventory you will need of each item A paper goods supplier may recommend thatyouneed10boxesofmediumplates,7 boxes of dispenser napkins and 5 packagesofpapertowels.
These two terms refer to the amount of product you need per item and category Initially your supplier will provide a recommendation as to how many items or inventory you will need of each item A paper goods supplier may recommend thatyouneed10boxesofmediumplates,7 boxesofdispensernapkinsand5
packagesofpapertowels.
These numbers may be a guestimate at first, but at you fine tune your sales of each ordering period, you may tweak these numbers, so you don’t have inventoryjustsittingontheshelves Those boxes, packages and other items that move slowly are just like having wads of cashsittingontheshelves.
Remember that these numbers will also change from season to season, so remember to edit the orders based where you are in the year. Obviously, you won’t need to keep these high levels of goodsintheslowseason.
Do you count when you employees can seeyou
Iknowitmaybemoreconvenientforyou to count all of your items late at night or before the crew gets in, however it is important that your employees see you counting cups, mix, cookies and anything else you have stored at your business. This way, if the thought crosses their minds about taking one thing or another home with them, your overt counting of all of the items may discourage this kin fogbehavior
It is very hard to create an atmosphere where all theft is prevented, but every single layer of crime prevention goes towardstheendgoal
Whenthepandemicwasatitsworst,many ice cream stores turned to their suppliers for assistance, delaying invoice payments and the like. What a lot of retailers didn’t realize is that the suppliers and vendors to the industry were also suffering very intensely Nowthatwearethroughthethick of it, it still is OK to ask a vendor for better termsordiscountedpricing.
I remember going out with my dad when I was younger, and I recall him always asking for a discount. He was a mechanical engineer who worked for the state government designing power stations. He would ask for a “government employee” discount and he often got 1015%offmostitemsheaskedabout.
Look, in the grand scheme of things, your supplierscanalwayssaynobutremember that as you grow and become more successful, so do they. Asking for volume discounts as you grow is a natural process ofbusiness.
EnsureyougetwhatyouPayfor
If you have menu items that are not rotating well, you really need to take them off the core menu and perhaps put them on a “weekly specials’ list or a “limited time offer” time slot This process is referred to as “lean manufacturing”. You really can’t afford to have ingredients spoil or just sit ontheshelvesnotbeingusedregularly
Each year you should do an audit of what sellswellandwhatdoesn’t.Don’tholdback on products on your menu that don’t perform well, even if you personally love them, or they are named after great aunt Doris, and she would roll in the grave if you took her off the menu. Great aunt Doris doesn'tpaythebills
Remembereverypercentagepointyouuse on inventory and cost of goods, goes straight to your net profitability, so taking time to fine tune this process is always timewellspent.
Thissoundslikecommonsense,butalways make sure what was delivered and what was invoiced were the same things Sometimes a supplier may be out of a certain specific item that you order from them, and in the short term, they may provide you with a cheaper and different butcomparableproduct
Make sure that your invoice reflects the proper item and number of items. I am certainlynotsuggestingthatyoursuppliers are dishonest, but mistakes can be made, and a quick cursory check of items and numbers may pick up some discrepancies thatcouldbecostingyoumoney.
NationalPeanutLoversDay:1
Dr SeussDay:2
PrincessDay:3
NationalFrozenFoodDay:4
Daughters'andSons'Day:5
NationalDentist'sDay:6
NationalCerealDay:7
NationalPeanutClusterDay:8
BarbieDay:9
MarioDay:10
GenealogyDay:11
DaylightSavingTimeBegins:12
DonaldDuckDay:13
PotatoChipDay:14
PiDay:14
NationalPandaDay:16
St.Patrick'sDay:17
NationalCornDogDay:18
NationalChocolateCaramelDay:19
WorldFlourDay:20
TwitterDay:21
AsYoungAsYouFeelDay:22
Ramadan:22-4/20
NationalChiaDay:23
NationalChocolateCoveredRaisins Day:24
PecanDay:25
SpinachDay:26
NationalScribbleDay:27
Barnum&BaileyDay:28
PianoDay:29
PencilDay:30
NationalCrayonDay:31
Heythere,SupplierMember.Hopefullyby nowyouhaveseenquiteafewchangesin thewaytheassociationisimproving memberbenefitsandcommunicatingwith ourmembers
Ourmainmethodofcommunicationisstill ourmonthlyBulletinpublishedonthe10thof eachmonth Upuntilrecently,TheBulletin hasstruggledtoattractadvertisersandwe havebeenofferingfreeadstothosesupplier memberswhocontributedanarticle
Frequencyratesarebasedonthetotal numberofinsertionsusedwithinatwelvemonthperiod.
SpaceReservations:10thofmonth precedingpublication
MaterialDeadline:15thofmonthpreceding publication
PleasedirectanyquestionstoSteveChristensen, ExecutiveDirectoratthebelowcontactdetails
6367781822*TollFree:866-303-6960
E-Mail:info@icecreamassociationorg* Web:wwwicecreamassociationorg
Wehaverecentlyputextraeffortinto increasingtheeffectivenessoftheBulletin withthefollowingfunctions:
FullColorFrontCover PresidentandExecutiveDirectorMessages
MonthlyFoodSafetyArticles
MarketingandEventCalendars MoreLinkstoarticlesandonlinecontent.
Thishasledtohighengagementthrough openratesandlinkclicks.
Withthishigherengagement,wearehaving moreinquiriesbySupplierMembersabout advertisingtoourmembersagaininthe Bulletin Forthispurpose,wearepublishing TheBulletinAdvertisingratesfor2022
AssociationOfficers2023
President
KellyLarson,SweetTemptations,Grand Haven,MI
VicePresident
RickPizzi,PizziFarms,Waltham,MA
Treasurer
MegCappanari,Cappanari's,MtProspect,IL
ImmediatePastPresident
DaveDeadman,ChocolateShoppeIce Cream,Madison,WI
SupplierPresident
EvanWaldt,IceCreamEquipment Specialists,Gainesville,FL
ExecutiveDirector
SteveChristensen,Wildwood,MO
COMMITTEESANDCOMMITTEECHAIRMAN
ExecutiveCommittee
KellyLarson,SweetTemptations,Grand Haven,MI
NominatingCommittee
DaveDeadman,ChocolateShoppeIce Cream,Madison,WI
ConventionCommittee
KellyLarson,SweetTemptations,GrandHaven, MI
MembershipCommittee
RickPizzi,PizziFarms,Waltham,MA
IceCreamClinicCommittee
ChristineD’Amico,OvertheTop,PleasantHillIA
ScholarshipCommittee
SueKloter,KloterIceCreamBarn,Ellington,CT
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.