Ice cream insights opportunity for café operators.

Ice cream

INSIGHT

With the hospitality sector having suffered considerably due to the response to the pandemic, at the start of a new year it’s important that operators do not now neglect potential revenuegenerators such as ice cream.

PRICE PRESSURES

Towards the end of last year, organisers of the Ice Cream and Artisan Food Show 2022 (8-10 February 2022, Harrogate) surveyed UK ice cream parlours to ascertain the prices of quality ice creams around the country.

East Anglia came out most expensive at £4.50 for two scoops of vanilla ice cream, whereas the Midlands was revealed to be the cheapest at £2.00. In Scotland it was £3.30, Wales £3.20, the South £3.15, the North East £2.98 and in the North west it was found to be £2.50.

In the survey, 61% of respondents reported that they had raised their prices in the last 12 months due to increased ingredients costs (95%), increased staffi ng costs (89%), and increased rents (10%). Some parlours had also raised their prices to try and recoup losses sustained during the pandemic (10%), and even many of those who had not yet raised prices were expecting to do so soon, the researchers found. 450 members of the Ice Cream Alliance (ICA), the UK trade association for the ice cream sector, were surveyed in December 2021, and asked for the price of two scoops of vanilla served in a tub, with respondents able to select multiple reasons for their price increases and were surveyed in December 2021.

“The last two years have been tough for the hospitality sector, and ice cream businesses are no exception,” confi rms Ice Cream and Artisan Food Show and Ice Cream Alliance CEO, Zelica Carr.

“They are now being hit by a variety of increased costs some of which are having to be passed on to consumers, but our Ice Cream and Artisan Food Show this month offers a good place for the industry to regroup and start its recovery.”

After the pandemic caused the show to be cancelled last year, the show is coming back bigger and better for 2022, held at the Yorkshire Event Centre, Harrogate from 8-10 February 2022. The ICA organises the only UK trade show

dedicated to the ice cream sector, and it now features associated artisan food products too.

ESSENTIAL

“An interesting and enticing ice cream range is an essential for every outlet, so operators need to ensure they are supplying not only tasty, quality products, but inclusive ones too,” advises Niki Jenman, director at sector supplier, New Forest Ice Cream.

“For café operators who have a wide range of customers walking in and out of the door every day, it is paramount to provide quick, hassle free and tasty foods to attract more customers.

“At New Forest Ice Cream, we offer a large variety of punchy exciting fl avours, some using classically smooth, indulgent dairy ingredients, and others which are certifi ed vegan friendly. We also produce our ice cream and sorbets in a nut free production facility, reassuring customers with allergies as well as saving time and concern for operators.

WIDE SELECTION

“One crucial factor is to ensure you have a wide selection available for all customers. A scoop station is fantastic for grabbing attention and can attract customers due to the variety of fl avours and colours on show,” Niki Jenman continues.

“Likewise, an impulse area is also important to cater for younger customers and those looking for a grab and go option. From Supreme Sticks and Luxury Dairy Cones for adults, to Party Push Up & Double Bubble for the younger fans, for example, our range has been put together to offer something for everyone.

“Many of our recipes have also been carefully developed to replicate the fl avour of popular desserts in order to provide as much satisfaction as possible. So customers can treat themselves with a Millionaire Shortcake which takes indulging to a whole new level, or a smooth strawberry ice cream, which offers a taste of summer all year round.

“We have also developed a dedicated vegan range to ensure that customers with a variety of dietary requirements, as well as those making lifestyle choices.”

GROWTH AND PROFIT

“In recent years, there has been huge growth in desserts, shakes and ice cream offerings in the UK,” reports Jason Sanderson, Icetro brand champion at Jestic Foodservice Solutions.

“All of the major fast food franchises, coffee shops and café menus have varied ice cream and dessert items on their menus. There has also been a growth in specifi c dessert-based franchises on the high street.

“The main factors driving this growth are around the profi tability of desserts. Very high profi t margins can be made on ice cream-based dessert menu items. They are easy to make and offer a point of difference to a business in a very competitive marketplace. This is particularly apparent within family friendly cafés and touristy, seaside cafés friendly cafés and touristy, seaside cafés where consumers will likely be after an ice-cream or sweet treat to enjoy on the ice-cream or sweet treat to enjoy on the move.

“The great thing for the smaller independent cafés or chains is that there independent cafés or chains is that there does not need to be a large investment in equipment to produce quality ice cream and dessert menu items. In fact, the huge margins generated from desserts can show returns in a matter of desserts can show returns in a matter of weeks.”

The Icetro ISI-161 soft ice cream machine, for example, is just 300mm wide, making it one of the most compact wide, making it one of the most compact on the market, claim Jestic, and meaning that it can fi t almost anywhere thanks to vertical rear ventilation.

Despite its compact size, the Icetro ISI-161 is capable of fi lling cones, fast (in just 60 seconds, this speedy model can produce three soft ice cream cones). However, soft ice cream is not just for cones, Jestic point out, the ISI-161 able to produce a rich and creamy ice cream that can be used to make sundaes, milk shakes, or simply added to existing dessert menu items all of which can help to boost profi ts.

Expanded range

Lotus Biscoff has expanded its foodservice range with the launch of Lotus Biscoff Mini Ice Cream Tubs.

Available in a case of 30, the mini tubs provide a single serving of fresh dairy ice cream packed with original Lotus Biscoff crunchy biscuit pieces and swirls of original Lotus Biscoff spread. Perfectly portioned in a smaller 80ml format, these mini tubs are ideal for a range of outlets from theme parks to cinemas and theatres to takeaway outlets thanks to their handy spoon-in-lid design, suggest the brand.

“Our mini ice cream tubs are made from the fi nest real dairy ice cream, whilst still featuring the same unique fl avour synonymous with the iconic coffee biscuit that our customers know and love. We are sure that they will be a welcomed addition to spring and summer menus as the perfect sweet end to any meal or as a grab and go option,” says Frances Booth, UK category marketing manager at Lotus Bakeries.

Cookie Dough New Gelato Lusso

New sweet ingredients supplier, Bling, is creating a stir with easy to use, bake from frozen cookie dough chunks. Dessert bars and parlours are big right now, and the demand for hot ‘cookie dough’ desserts is booming, say the brand.

Consisting of warm, partly baked cookie dough and sometimes known as a “pizookies” or “skillet cookies”, these tempting creations have been a feature on restaurant menus for a while now, but the rapid growth in dessert delivery has made these creations more accessible and desirable than ever.

Satisfying our nation’s love for warm puddings combined with the fashion for eating raw cookie dough (and even cake batter), report the company, these desserts really do hit the spot and consumers can’t seem to get enough of them – especially when served with a scoop of our favourite gelato, a drizzle of sweet sauce and a generous topping of our favourite candy pieces, they suggest.

With venues opened up, and eating out becoming a thing again, consumers are looking for originality and novelty - dishes they can share with friends both in person and on social media – feel Bling

For the café owner, Bling say that their cookie dough is the perfect ingredient to ‘play’ with and invent endless new dessert ideas (the little chunks of dough can be added to bakes such as brownies and muffi ns, and because they are perfectly safe and delicious to eat raw they are just right for adding excitement to milkshakes, waffl es, cheesecakes and sundaes). The new luxurious Gelato Lusso range from Suncream ice cream is more than a great tasting, fabulous looking range of premium Italian Gelateria style scooping Italian Gelateria style scooping ice creams, it’s a whole sales and support system that will set your and support system that will set your sales soaring, according to Rebecca sales soaring, according to Rebecca Manfredi, managing director of Suncream Ice Cream.

“With restrictions set to relax from February, consumers will be out and about in droves this spring and summer looking to enjoy themselves and an ice cream treat will be high on the agenda. There is no better time to switch to the Gelato Lusso range, which will give you a real point of difference and add a touch of Italian class to your ice cream offering,” she says.

“The range offers 14 enticing fl avours including Cookie Dough Biscotti, Raspberry Cheesecake and Pink Candyfl oss and Blue Bubblegum, but it’s the sales packaging that really sets this range apart. The branding is beautiful with a strong artisanal feel and fl ows across the branded freezer range, ice cream tubs, pavement signs and menus. This, combined with the highly visually attractive presentation, means we have everything you need to deliver luxurious, blissful ice cream to your customers who will come back time and again this summer.”

Made with fresh whole milk and cream, the robot-fi lled six litres tubs are hand dressed and fi nished with sauces, ripples, fruits, beautiful inclusions and toppings. The range includes popular classics such as Bourbon Vanilla and Mint Cioccolato, and contemporary fl avours such as Vegan Coconut and Passion Fruit and Amarena Cherry Ripple Fat Free Yoghurt.