Madagascar Vanilla- The Spice We All Love
Online Reputation Management: A Beginner’s Guide
The Official Publication Of The North American Ice Cream Association
Using Traffic Motivating Patterns to Your Crew Prevent Crosscontamination
May 2022
THE BULLETIN
A MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Hey there everybody. By the time you’re reading issue are probably waist deep in your season. We have had such good feedback from many of our members with a great start to the season and the weather being relatively favorable. Now granted, most of our time may be taken up with serving customers, re-ordering product and keeping up with our orders, can I just place a bug in your ear about membership. Within a couple of weeks or so, our early registration will open for the North American Ice Cream Associations Annual Tradeshow and Convention. Like always we are offering a early bird discount of $100 for the primary and every other attendee, but in order to qualify for this discount, you do need to log into your membership section of the website. This is where you may find a red flag to indicate to you that your membership is past due. Hey. I get it. We all get busy and sometimes renewing our membership is in the important but not urgent basket. That being said, I would urge you to bring it up to date so that you can qualify for your membership discount to the show. Next months membership bulletin will include many new details of this year‘s show, including a dramatic increase in the scholarship funds, two new competitions for our members to enter, some information on our keynote speaker for this year, and much much more. I also have it under a good authority, that you may have received a couple of emails from our friendly system to remind you that your membership may be overdue. While you are in your membership page, can you please update your shipping address. We often get new membership packets back because there was no mail receptacle at the address listed, or the location wasn’t set up for mail delivery. In any case, if you wouldn’t mind taking 15 minutes for a little bit of housekeeping, we here at the office would greatly appreciate it. Keep on scooping, and we will talk to you very soon
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Steve Christensen Executive Director
Welcome to The North American Ice Cream Association Heritage Kulfi Princeton, New Jersey
La’Creamian LLC Fort Worth, Texas
Pints by Beth Des Moines, Iowa
The Cove Sylvan Beach, New York
MRV Dairy Solutions San Juan Capistrano, California
La’Creamian LLC Fort Worth, Texas
SCE Portland, Oregon
The Purple Cow Co Greenville, Rhode Island
Don't Miss a Beat Confirm your contact detials on your membership profile are correct to ensure you keep up to date will all things Ice Cream
CLICK HERE 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
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Food Safety Corner The Importance of Traffic Patterns to Prevent Cross-contamination of Dairy Products Food safety hazards can come from many places, whether it be from the outside environment, incoming ingredients, or from employee clothing and footwear. Farmstead dairy processors are in the unique position of dealing with their product from cow to cone, which is an exciting concept for business owners and consumers alike! That said, a farmstead dairy processing operator has to wear many hats between both operations which have different business dynamics. One of the most important things to consider is planning a facility appropriately to protect
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products from cross-contamination. Crosscontamination occurs when a product becomes contaminated with harmful bacteria, such as Listeria monocytogenes , from an environment that is harboring bacteria or through insanitary handling practices. So how do we prevent cross-contamination? One important step is being strategic about planning the flow and traffic pattern of the processing operation. Below are common issues we come across including some specific to farmstead operations, and preventive actions to address these concerns.
Many of the points listed above can be best achieved by proper facility design. There is no perfect facility, but a well-planned one can help minimize food safety risks. If you already have an existing facility and have limited flexibility, consider other ways to help your traffic flow. For example, instead of a new changing room, you could start by adding a bench for employees to change into captive footwear before proceeding to the rest of the facility. Implement systems or training that prohibits non-processing employees from entering any part of the processing facility. If your plant has a receiving area that requires pallets or carts to go through the processing area, institute a cleaning and sanitizing regimen on the floors and wheels. Simple adjustments can vastly decrease your risk of tracking pathogens into a facility and ultimately lower the risk of food safety concerns for your customers and your business.
Anika (Zuber) Gianforte Dairy Processing Specialist Cornell University
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Madagascar VanillaThe Spice We All Love Vanilla is an integral ingredient in products that many people consume daily, which is comprised of over 250 flavor notes. However, there are very few consumers who know and understand what goes in to getting that amazing flavor into their ice cream, or other wonderfully tasting indulgent. We’re going to address some of the most common questions we get, like what makes Madagascar Vanilla different, what does double-fold mean, and a market update for what to expect, but first provide a little history! The vanilla orchid that is widely used around the world originated in Mexico; it’s called the Vanilla Planifolia. In the 1700’s the plant made its way through Europe and ended up at an island near Madagascar. At this time, they discovered the plant did very well however, it needed to be hand pollinated because the bees found in Mexico were not present in the Bourbon Islands of Madagascar, Reunion, or Mauritius. To this day, Malagasy farmers around the SAVA region of Madagascar continue to hand pollinate each orchid, which blooms for only one day before dying. This is what makes vanilla one of the most labor-intensive spices, as each orchid produces one vanilla bean and demands to be watched daily. This year alone, Madagascar will export nearly 2000 tons of cured vanilla beans, that makes up almost 80% of the vanilla in the world! So, what makes Madagascar Vanilla different from others even though it’s the same plant?
It’s all about the people, traditions, and processes! Madagascar vanilla beans have a higher vanillin content than almost any other vanilla in the world. Why you ask? Because the curing process is so well perfected by the Malagasy. As we walked around the town of Sambava and visit with our friends and partners, there are tables and tables of vanilla curing in the sun day in and day out. This process is done for weeks, until the moisture content and aroma are perfected. The demand for quick dried vanilla is getting higher, but to get the quality of vanilla we all know and love, there’s no cutting corners, and the Malagasy will be the first to tell you this. The Malagasy people take pride in producing the worlds best vanilla, as they should! Without the hard work, care, and dedication of the Malagasy, we would not get to experience vanilla as are accustomed to. At the last ConeConn in Orlando, one of the top questions people had for us was, “what is single, double, and triple-fold vanilla? Let’s start with single fold vanilla. The FDA regulates that in every gallon of Pure Vanilla Extract the manufacturer must use 13.35 ounces of vanilla beans. This formula creates what most of us have come to know and love when we buy vanilla from the grocery store or from wholesale partners like us to use in your recipes. However, sometimes our recipes demand a more concentrated flavor but if adding that much single-fold vanilla extract means we’re adding too much liquid, that’s where double-fold vanilla can help!
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Double-Fold is just taking that 13.35 ounces of vanilla beans and doubling it to 26.70 ounces of vanilla per gallon! The most common user of our double-fold vanilla is ice cream manufacturers! It gives the flavor you’re looking for and when making larger batches, you’re not adding too much liquid to make that perfect batch of Madagascar Vanilla Ice Cream! Now a little extra bit of insider education, if there is an imitation vanilla claiming to be double, triple, or even 10x vanilla concentrate, it really is only imitating the one flavor of the pure extract. The only way to really get the true flavor of these concentrations is to use the pure extracts and experience the difference. Finally, let’s talk about the upcoming vanilla market and what you expect to see as a result! The Malagasy government has attempted to put a “floor price” for the minimum export price for a KG of vanilla. This has been in practice since 2021 as an attempt to not allow the market to crash as vanilla prices have been steadily declining. The 2021 vanilla campaign is coming to a close at the end of May and will reopen in September 2022. It’s expected that the government will attempt to maintain the floor price for a KG of vanilla, but we don’t know what that price will be. Many of you experienced over the last several years record high numbers for vanilla extract and beans, driving your cost through the roof if you’re using pure vanilla or beans. This obviously drove many manufacturers to switch to using “natural” vanilla flavoring or even imitation, just so they could keep the doors open and not drive their prices up for their customers. Now for the good news, over the last 12 months we have seen the decline in bean prices start to be passed on to the consumers.
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If you haven’t looked at prices because the last time you did the price for a gallon of Single-Fold Extract was $400, I implore you to reach out and check on prices. Of the many people I’ve spoke with, not many like using imitation products, but have been forced to because of circumstances. Now, as the pendulum swings back and the market begins to correct, lets see what we can do to bring our customers the experience they deserve by using pure products that are sustainably and ethically sourced. Our goal is transparency from the farms to your customers and the only way to create that is through education and awareness. Kurtis Jones Sava Trading Co
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Motivating Your Crew As you have probably already experienced, and perhaps have been aware of in general terms, the food service and many other industries are struggling right now with finding and retaining great employees. I have heard some ice cream shop owners tell me that at this point, they would be willing to employ anyone with a pulse or a heartbeat. This certainly is a desperate statement, as we always want the best personnel to stand at the register, serve our customers and represent our business and our passion. So, once you go through the process of finding an employee, whether it be a front line worker, ice cream maker or shift manager, the idea would be to retain that person so that they can continue to free you up to do other things. Motivating your employees is just as important as the hiring and training process. Let’s cover five quick points that will help the process of your employees being excited to come to work and keep them motivated. Being paid Now there is a lot of things we can talk about that will motivate your crew but being paid competitively with the ability to make more money for better or for worse can sometimes be the best motivator.
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With modern point-of-sale and register systems, any employees are making very good money on tips, as a general rule we start out all of our new employees on the minimum hourly wage, but to give them 10 to 15 competencies that they need to achieve in the first 30 days in order to get a pay raise. Depending on their previous work history and ability it may be anywhere between $.50 to a dollar an hour on top of the minimum wage. This motivates a new employee to get through the competency list and to start the process of making a little more money. As your business grows and as you develop extra revenue streams such as catering, parties, wholesale and the lake, your employees can be a valuable part of that process, and in doing so increase their ability to make more money as your business grows. Being heard In my opinion, regular team meetings are one of the best things you can do to maintain team morale and motivate your crew. These meetings would often go with a set agenda that included introducing new employees, going over some aspect of the policy or procedure handbook, tasting a new flavor or sundae, discussing changes to operations and a time for feedback.
This feedback is essential for the motivation of the employee and the flow of communication within the business. When employees feel that they have a say in the running of the business, they feel much more connected to the process and in turn are happier. Holding these meetings on Saturday morning and feeding them some pancakes for breakfast usually sets the mood off in the right way. And this is a paid meeting, so make the process short, sharp and interactive. Let me tell you, it will be worth the investment of your time and money. Being valued So, what do you do with the feedback and suggestions from the crew in these meetings?? Well, you instigate them. You may not feel that every idea that the crew comes up with is a million-dollar idea, but to tell you the truth, they all don’t have to be. An employee that suggests a feature flavor or menu item, and even a certain type of promotion, will feel a certain sense of pride when that idea is put into action. Remember that it is one thing to listen to the crew's suggestions, but for them to feel truly valued, the execution of ideas shows that you have faith in their ideas. This helps the crew truly feel valued. Being Promoted Neither you, I or any of your employees are really interested in stagnation. Every employee whether it be in a corporate structure or even your local ice cream shop would like to think that they can grow in their position and subsequently their pay. Does the structure of your business include an organizational chart that shows different levels of job description and
growth? It should. Let’s say at the bottom you have your front of line workers and then your managers straight above that. You may be missing the opportunity to have another line between your managers and your Frontline workers that may include job descriptions such as trainer, social media manager, Waffle Cone Zone expert etc. etc. Even making up positions that can help you manage your business and train your employees can be a great benefit to you. As mentioned previously, when I establish a training process for new employees, I have a set of competencies that each new employee needs to meet. Now I am not the person who passes them off on these competencies. I have other employees do that. That way they feel as though they are a valuable cog in the engine that generates good employees. Have a look at your org chart and see if there are any opportunities for new employees to make their way up the ladder. You may think a single ice cream store with only 10 to 15 employees does not fit this description, but I would suggest otherwise. Being appreciated I have often said that I feel we don’t show enough gratitude in our lives. It is one thing to be thankful for people, situations, or circumstances, and it is another to convey that gratitude. In a time where verbal gratitude is waning, and it is quite nice to receive a phone call, card or note or even a verbal thank you. Never discount the value of a verbal expression of gratitude. After the end of a very busy shift, I have often asked the crew to drop what they are
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Let’s say at the doing and gather around while I simply say to them, “Hey I know we were really stretched tonight, and Johnathon didn’t show up for work, and I just want to say how great a job you guys did and I very much appreciate the effort. Thank you.” Now I’m not going to put a monetary value on a verbal thanks, but it certainly does put a deposit in your employees emotional bank account. Financial thanks also seems to work to keep employees motivated. I will often keep an eye out for discounted 10 pin bowling or movie passes and buy them in bulk, so I have a book of them handy for these types of situations. Saying thank you, and then handing everybody a movie ticket is an inexpensive way of taking your gratitude to the next level. These unexpected little gifts don’t cost you all that much, but they do make a difference in how your employee perceives you as a manager or owner
Save the Date Conecon 2022 will be held on the November 7th, 8th, and 9th in Fort Worth, TX Details to Follow
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Online Reputation Management: A Beginner’s Guide Target Market Whether we like it or not, reputation matters. Anyone that has ever had to deal with untrue or damaging things said about them, or someone they care about undoubtedly knows this. The same is true in business. That’s why online reputation management (ORM) is such a huge part of running a successful business in the digital age. Why Online Matters
Reputation
Management
In the past decade, what people are saying online has impacted a business’s performance. Several negative comments online and your reputation can change quickly. A rude or unprofessional employee can have people gossiping about your business in no time. Chatter about poor quality work or services that don’t meet expectations can cause your company or practice to lose existing clients as the word spreads. Online Reputation Management is something every business needs to include in their marketing plan. Yes, Marketing Plan. Several different items fall under the broader category of Online Reputation Management. Let’s take a look. ORM and SEO Where does your website rank when you search for similar businesses? Are you in the top five? Are you on the first page of search results? You ideally want to be in
the top five because those people searching online will likely research a little bit more. If you are not ranked in the top five and not on the first page, you need to invest some time in growing your SEO. Things that grow your SEO are a website for speed, regular content posting, and being a trusted and reliable source in your business category. ORM and Social Media Platforms Do you have a presence on social media? If you don’t, you should probably get one. You should at least have a Facebook or Instagram account and make a point to post regularly on them and interact with your customers. You will have to decide which types of social media accounts fit your needs based on the type of business you have. Starting with Facebook is always a safe bet. If you have existing accounts on different platforms, make sure all the information matches. Location, hours of business, even your handles should be the same or very similar across the platforms. Google My Business falls under this umbrella too and is a perfect transition into… Online Reviews I think we all know how critical online reviews are, and most people rely heavily
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on Google for these. People also commonly leave reviews on Facebook and Yelp. Positive feedback and reviews can add sales to your business, just like negative ones can take business away. If you are managing your own reviews, two things are essential. The first thing is that you want to make sure you are responding to the reviews regularly. You acknowledge and say thank you for the positive, and you address any negative comments in a nonconfrontation manner. If the complaint needs further conversation, request that people reach out to you directly via phone or email to find a resolution.
Sometimes you can’t make customers happy no matter what you do, so the best course of action is to apologize and say you will improve moving forward. The second thing you want to do is solicit reviews. The more you ask, the more you will get positive reviews. Yelp will not allow you to request reviews, but all other platforms will let you ask your customers to leave a review for your business. You can do this at checkout through follow-up texts and emails or even by putting QR codes at the table or on the door.
Target Market
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MARKETING CALENDAR MAY 2022 Daily Holidays
Batman Day: 1 U.S. Capitol Police Day: 2 National Teacher Day: 3 Intergalactic Star Wars Day: 4 World Give Day: 4 Dandelion Day: 6-7 Link No Diet Day: 6 Herb Day: 7 National Train Day: 7 Mother's Day: 8 Alphabet Magnet Day: 9 Hostess Cupcake Day: 10 National Nutty Fudge Day: 12 Frog Jumping Day: 13 Hummus Day: 13 National Chocolate Chip Day: 15 Straw Hat Day: 15 Link Mimosa Day: 16 I Love Reeses Day: 18 NASCAR Day: 20 World Bee Day: 20
National Taffy Day: 23 World Turtle Day: 23 Cookie Monster's Birthday: 25 Eat More Fruits & Vegetables Day: 26 National Alligator Day: 29 Hamburger Day: 30 Memorial Day: 30 Mint Julep Day: 30 National Smile Day: 31
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JUNE 2022 Daily Holidays
National Go Barefoot Day: 1 World Milk Day: 1 National Rotisserie Chicken Day: 2 Doughnut Day or Donut Day: 3 National Play Outside Day: 4 Hot Air Balloon Day: 5 World Food Safety Day: 7 Donald Duck Day: 9 Iced Tea Day: 10 National Cotton Candy Day: 11 World Gin Day: 11 National Peanut Butter Cookie Day: 12 Outdoor Marketing Day: 1 Flag Day: 14 Prune Day: 15 National Cracker Jack Day: 16 Fudge Day: 16 Stewarts Root Beer Day: 17 Mermaid Day: 18 World Juggling Day: 18 Father's Day: 19
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World Refugee Day: 20 Go Skateboarding Day: 21 Midsummer: 21 National Selfie Day: 21 World Music Day: 21 World Rainforest Day: 22 National Detroit-style Pizza Day: 23 World UFO Day: 24 Global Beatles Day: 25 National Coconut Day: 26 National Onion Day: 27 World Camera Day: 29 California Avocado Day: 30 Social Media 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.
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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
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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
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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.