The Bulletin-May 2023

AMESSAGEFROMTHE EXECUTIVEDIRECTOR

Thecountdownhasbegun

Canyoubelievethatwearecountingdownthedaysuntiltheopeningforregistr 2023?? But it's that time of year, so here we go again. Registration opens for this years event on June1,2023,andoureventthisyearisbiggerthanwehaveeverexperienced

Over240exhibitorbooths

40,000squarefeetofexhibitandcompetitionspace

$40,000inscholarshipsgivenaway

Over30sessions,seminars,andbreakoutsessions

Newandimprovedicecreamcompetitiontastingandsomuchmore

If you are thinking of getting into the ice cream business, are just a novice or are an experienced business owner, there is something in this event for everyone. You simply can’t miss it. It will be the bestinvestmentyouwillmakeinyourbusinessallyear

NottomentionthefunyouwillhaveinLasVegasbeforeandaftertheConeconevent

In this bumper issue, you will read all about the Conecon Event, the program, sessions and how to register and save hundreds of dollars In fact, for the first 30 days after registration, you will save onourearlybirdticketsand$100offregularpricing.

The convention committee certainly recognizes the time and resource commitment to many of ourmembersinattendingConeconeachyear,andallofthemembersofthatcommitteestriveto helpourattendeesgetthemostbangfortheirbuckwhenitcomestotheconventionexperience

Oh,didIalsomentionourkeynotespeakerthisyear?

Well, we have had a tradition at our Conecon events to have industry icons, mavens, and movers and shakers share their stories of struggle and success with us This year, we are very excited to haveCraigCulverofCulver'sspeaktoourgroup.

Craig Culver is a national icon to frozen custard lovers, and when it comes to the quality and growth of his Culver’s locations around the country, there are very few that can match the attentiontodetail,theMidwesthospitalityandthequalityoffoodataCulver’srestaurant

There are now over 900 Culver’s franchises across 26 states and over 30,000 team members Amazing I hope you get as much out of this edition of the Bulletin to get you excited for the biggestConeconever

SteveChristensen

ExecutiveDirector

Food Safety Corner

In June 2005, four people in Minnesota became ill from eating food that was contaminated with a rare Salmonella strain The state department of health began their outbreak investigation with the normal questions:“Wheredidyoueat?,“Whatdidyou eat?,” and “Did you eat any of these things?” Allfourpeoplehadrecentlyvisitedoneoftwo locations of a national ice cream retail shop and all four had eaten the same flavor of ice cream: cake batter As the investigation expanded, a total of 25 people in 9 states were confirmed to be infected with the same Salmonellastrainoveraperiodof6weeks.All had eaten cake batter ice cream from the same retail chain What is special about cake battericecream?

Thiscakebattericecreamwasmadeusinga prepackaged yellow cake mix that included spray-dried egg whites and flour, among other “low risk” ingredients like sugar, salt, etc The cake mix was simply blended in with a standard ice cream base, with no additional processing steps, and then frozen to create the new flavor While the resulting ice cream may be delicious, a standard cake mix is not consideredready-to-eat–itwasdesignedto be made into a complete cake batter and baked This new and unintended use of the cake mix led to consumer illnesses linked to theicecreamretailer

Whatcanweapplyfromthisoutbreak?

Innovation is an important component of your business strategy; however, any new ingredients should be evaluated for the hazardsthattheymightintroduceinto

yourproduct

If you want to introduce new ingredients toyourproductsandprocess,thinkabout how the ingredient is typically used, how your usage is different and what that couldmeanforfoodsafety

Develop a relationship with your supplier to benefit from their food safety knowledge and find an acceptable strategyto minimizerisk.

Implement a Supplier Control Plan Download a Supplier Controls Packet for guidance on keeping your supply chain safe, standard documentation, and what questions to ask. Visit Supply Chain Controls | US Dairy (usdairycom) for additional templates, risk assessment toolsandupcomingworkshops

OregonStateUniversity

CalculatingSuccess:TheFinancial ScooponCostingintheIceCream Industry

Whenmostpeopleseeanicecreamparlor they imagine a fun business founded by entrepreneurs that followed their dreams This is a majority of the time the case and one of the great things about our industry and certainly would ring true for our own personal operation in Tennessee. That being said, what comes with a fulfilled dream is followed by dull duties like calculating costs. We’re going to walk throughtheinsandoutsofwhythisstepin managing your dessert shop is so important,howtomakethisstepenjoyable, andimplementingyourfindings.

It can’t be overstated the crucial nature of knowing costs on the products your serving As enjoyable as the ice cream/custard/gelato business can be it isn’t sustainable if you aren’t turning a profit. This can be an uncomfortable truth, but one that should be addressed The data created off cost analysis can be leveraged in a number of ways to your advantage Knowingwhichofferingscreate the most profit can change the ways you market products and even which products youoffer.Atourlocationweofferprepared food in the form of gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches to accompany our ice cream offerings. We know that our ice cream has a healthy margin so to a sensible degree are willing to operate below the food service standard of 300% markup on prepared food knowing we will get the larger return when a double scoop is ordered after a meal This could also be trueforapopularnicheflavorthatmight

besoldatyourshop.Themarginmightnot be great, but there’s the chance to make it up on additions like waffle cones or added toppings Without knowing your margins are low or high the smart business decisionscannotbemade.

InitiallywhenweopenedforthefirstyearI’ll admit my costing analysis was slim to none. My focus was on making the new business run As many of you know sometimes that’s all you can do, but it isn’t sustainable. With new business traffic that year we certainly missed out on profit margin because I was making pricing decisions based off other area businesses and not my own inputs. A poor choice certainly I was convicted to create a repeatable system to easily adjust our pricing throughout the year. Now our system is simple - an excel spreadsheet with ingredients along the top row and the item being sold along the left column Along the top row we have a brief description of each input, date of the last price, ounces per piece ordered, and a formulabreakingdownthecostperounce. This is setup so now each item we prepare canhaveanautofilledpriceperingredient based on the usage When an ingredient cost is modified at the top row it automaticallychangesthepricingonevery item that utilizes that ingredient It makes the whole process fun because it only takes 15 minutes of looking through recent invoicesandreceiptstohaveupdatedcost analysis

As you can see this is only taking into account the actual food costs Dry goods and labor aren’t formulated into our setup, butitcouldcertainlybedoneinthisdetail I have separate metrics I watch for those inputs for what has historically worked. Neither of these two are inputs that should be ignored. Different processes are more labor intensive than others and that should berecognizedatleast.

Now, once you have your new pricing it is decision time and essentially there are two if you ’ re married to your ingredients based on recipes or customer preference: reduce portionsorincreasecosts Asafoodservice establishment neither are fun decisions to arrive at, but necessary to keep the lights on Many business have turned to simply letting customers know costs have increased due to the inflationary climate and are most the time understanding. Others reduce portions by serving less product, but also can be smart in this path by changing cup/plate/bowl size to make it seem the serving medium still appears full. As stated earlier there might be some tems you ’ re willing to take a margin hit on duetothehighvolumeorabilityforanupsaleonthatparticularitem

The decision might also come to eliminating the item altogether because it is too deep in the hole margin wise. Whatever your decision comes down to rest assured that you ’ ve taken the step to comb over the numbers This is important forward progress in the journey of successfully running your ice cream shop and a system invested in that will continue topaydividendsforyearstocome.

USrepresentativeforBeldosfillingmachinesalongwith owninganicecreamretailandmanufacturingbusiness calledNashFamilyCreamerylocatedinTennessee

CodyNash

Fordecades,wehavebeencelebratingnationalicecreammonth, andnationalicecreamday Itisastapleforcelebration,marketing andpromotionamongIce-Creambusinessesforyears.

Thecelebrationscameaboutbyajointresolution,number298inthe US Senate,sponsoredbySenatorHuddlestonfromKentucky it proclaimedthemonthofJuly1984,asnationalicecreammonthwith thethirdSundayofthemonthtoberecognizedasnationalicecream day

TheresolutionwassignedintolawbyPresidentRonaldReaganonJuly9,1984 aspresidentialproclamation,5219.Eventhoughthespecificresolutionwas meantonlyforJuly1984,theIce-Creamindustryhascontinuedtocelebrate thismonthanddayasournationalcelebrationsincethen.

Thisyear,spearheadedbytheassociationmembershipcommittee,allmembers willbeprovidedwithmanyresourcestohelppromotethespecialdayandmonth intheirrespectivemarkets

Thereisalsogoingtobeadedicatedwebsite,oneformembersoftheAssociationto signupfortheprogram,andonethatismorecustomerfacingthatwillhavethem checkingtoicecreamshopsvirtuallyduringthemonthofJuly

Asthemembershipcontinuestogrow,andresourcesarefunneledtowardshelping ourmembersgrowtheirownbusinesses,welookforwardtothisandmanyother opportunitiestohelpyoubecomesuccessfulinthefrozendesertbusiness Please keepaneyeonyouremailoverthecomingweekswithmoreinformationandhowto signupfortheprogram TheprogramisfreeforallAssociationmembers

oBuildaContent darforSocialMedia

Whether you ’ re working as a social media manager or looking to grow your online presence, having a content calendar can be the key to your success Scrambling for content can lead to infrequent publishing and posting of content that lacks value or interest to your target audience Learning how to build a content calendar will keep you organized and align your content with yoursocialmediagoals.

StepstoBuildaContentCalendar

Consistency is a significant factor in an effective content strategy. The content will vary depending on your business’s industry or target audience, but the structure behind the calendar remains Our social media managers at TargetMarket follow these steps when first building a content calendar

1 Choose the right social media platforms foryou.

When determining which social media platforms to use, you should consider the type of content you plan to create and which channels your target consumers are on. While having an online presence is important, don’t feel the need to be active on every social media channel if it doesn’t matchyourbrandidentity Ifyourcontentis more visual, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook are your most optimal channels. However, LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook are your best options if your content is more textorlink-driven

2.Useacalendartemplate. This step may seem obvious for building a content calendar, but utilizing a calendar template is an essential part of the process A visual representation of your monthly schedule is a great way to lay out all the content in one place Many third-party platforms offer content calendartemplatesyoucanutilize,oryou can create your own calendar template withGoogleSheetsorMicrosoftExcel

3.Determinethefrequencyofposting. Depending on the social media platform for which you ’ re building a calendar, their associated algorithm may recommend a specific frequency for publishing content. However, regardless of the social media channel, quality over quantity is a commonruleofthumb.

When first starting out, coming up with a month’s worth of content can be intimidating. Aim for 2-3 posts weekly, and note which days and times result in the best engagement From there, you canbaseyourscheduleonprioranalytics to increase the chances of your content beingseen.

4. Outline important calendar dates for yourbusiness

These days, there seems to be a national holiday or celebratory month in honor of everything If you ’ re dealing with content burnout, searching for relevant holidays for your business is a great way to spark creativity.

Recognizing important calendar dates for your business is also an excellent method of showing your followers that your content is current and timely. With some companies, it’s evident that their social media channels pump out content with little to no relevance to what’s going on in the world Keeping your content seasonal or up to trend can help you connect with morefollowersandexpandyourreach

5 Takeadvantageofevergreencontent

In addition to current content, your content calendar should still include evergreen content. Evergreen content is information that can be shared at any time of year yet still spark interest. Especially during the slower months, this type of content will be beneficial when it comes time to build a content calendar. Some examples of evergreen content are “how-to” blogs, product reviews, testimonials, tips & tricks, or general photos of your team, products, etc.

Keep a folder of evergreen content readily available to help fill gaps between seasonal content, new product announcements,currentevents,andmore.

6.Schedulecontentinadvance.

Now that your content is planned out, scheduling it is the final step to mastering yoursocialmediastrategy Therearemany apps or websites that allow you to schedule out content in advance, making life as a social media manager much easier Herearesomeofourfavoritedigital marketingappsthatweusedaily

Here’stheScoopon LogisticsCosts

Theweatheriswarmingup,andpeopleare craving ice cream They expect every scooptotastefresh,creamy,anddelicious. There is one big problem – you must distribute your ice cream to all your customers, which is incredibly challenging and costly With the proper knowledge and expertise, shipments can be less expensive andhasslethanmanythink

As peak ice cream season is upon us, it is an excellent time to take a closer look at what you are spending on logistics. Here are a few ideas that can help lower your costs:

ModifyMinimumOrderRequirements

Let’s start with one assumption – not all freight rates are created equal. Some carriers tack on additional accessorial charges for ice cream, handling, afterhours deliveries, or overweight pallets The best place to start is to consider your total cost

For any given shipment, divide the total cost by the shipment weight giving you a cost per pound. Increasing the minimum order quantity is one effective way to reduce shipping costs. Increasing minimum order sizes from one to two pallets can decrease shipping costs from 36¢ to 24¢ per pound, resulting in a 33% reduction Adopting a new order minimum will require communication and collaboration Simply increasing an order fromonepallettotwocandramatically

affect overall shipping costs. Of course, it is not always possible to increase order size. But as a rule, combining frequent smaller shipments into fewer larger shipments will reduce your cost per pound.

OptimizingPallets

Packaging can be an overlooked opportunity when trying to reduce costs The height the product can stack affects truck capacity and warehouse space, ultimatelyinfluencingshippingcosts

For example, when shipping three-gallon tubs, pallets will reach maximum weight before maximum height However, the same is not necessarily true for pints and halfgallons.

Are you aware of your pallet and position utilization? A difference in pallet utilization can add up to substantial savings over time The integrity of the packaging makes a difference, too Corrugated casesthatarethickermaycostmorebut can be stacked higher, creating another opportunityforsavings.

The key is finding the sweet spot. Carriers will begin to charge extra for pallets weighing over 2,000 pounds as it limits the maximum cube for the delivering carrier Taking the time to analyze stackability, overall weight, and packaging leads to more efficient use of spaceandlowerscosts.

Have you considered turning over your logistics to a managed service provider that will act as an extension of your team? An experienced partner will understandthecomplexitiesoficecream They can reduce your workload by overseeing operations – tracking orders, coordinating deliveries, and managing a service network A specialist has the processes in place to manage your product at critical control points Furthermore, they give you access to a vetted local, regional, and national network, creating opportunities to preserveyourbottomline.

SoftCosts

The cost of transporting ice cream is greater than freight rates and fuel surcharges Soft costs are intangible administrative items that are often hard toquantify Ultimately,theyaredrainingof your time and resources. Planning routes, tracking shipments, arranging appointments, and handling disputes all take time and energy. Working with a consistentpartnercanalleviatethesesoft costs and let you get back to managing yourbusiness

DataAnalysis

SavetheDate

Working with a logistics partner that prioritizes analytics will provide valuable insights. Raw data is meaningless without analysis Reporting and analytics drive improvement. Do you know the transit timefrompickuptodelivery?Doyouhave access to exception reporting? Have you analyzed shipment efficiency? An experienced logistics provider has technology at their fingertips and can analyze data, identifying areas for improvementanduncoveringsignificant

IncreaseRouteEfficiency

Utilizingalogisticspartnerwithicecream expertise to optimize route planning delivers flexibility and efficiency Optimization operates within a set of parameters and rules to generate a dynamic plan that adapts to real-world scenarios Combining freight moving to the same region for distribution utilizes truck capacity, speeds up delivery times, andreducescosts

By partnering with an experienced logistics provider and understanding the impact of factors such as order minimums, packaging, routing, and optimization of truck space, ice cream manufacturers and retailers can find ways to lower costs while ensuring their product arrives on time, intact, and with no surprises. So, keep your cool this season With the right strategies and partners,youcancutyourshippingcosts withoutcuttingcorners

ScottMartin TrademarkTransportation

2023 Daily Holidays

ANOTEFOR OURSUPPLIER MEMBERS

Heythere,SupplierMember.Hopefullyby nowyouhaveseenquiteafewchangesin thewaytheassociationisimproving memberbenefitsandcommunicatingwith ourmembers

Ourmainmethodofcommunicationisstill ourmonthlyBulletinpublishedonthe10thof eachmonth Upuntilrecently,TheBulletin hasstruggledtoattractadvertisersandwe havebeenofferingfreeadstothosesupplier memberswhocontributedanarticle

DISPLAYADVERTISING

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

MegCapannari,CapannariIceCreamand Catering,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

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.