The Bulletin-May 2023

Here’s the Scoop on Logistics Costs

Understanding Your Ingredients and Where They Come From

The Financial Scoop on Costing in the Ice Cream Industry

The Official Publication Of The North American Ice Cream Association

How to Build a Content Calendar for Social Media

May 2023

THE BULLETIN

A MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR The countdown has begun.

Can you believe that we are counting down the days until the opening for registration for Conecon 2023?? But it's that time of year, so here we go again. Registration opens for this year's event on June 1, 2023, and our event this year is bigger than we have ever experienced.

Over 240 exhibitor booths 40,000 square feet of exhibit and competition space $40,000 in scholarships given away Over 30 sessions, seminars, and breakout sessions New and improved ice cream competition tasting and so much more 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 best investment you will make in your business all year.

Not to mention the fun you will have in Las Vegas before and after the Conecon event.

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 on our early bird tickets and $100 off regular pricing.

The convention committee certainly recognizes the time and resource commitment to many of our members in attending Conecon each year, and all of the members of that committee strive to help our attendees get the most bang for their buck when it comes to the convention experience.

Oh, did I also mention our keynote speaker this year?

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 have Craig Culver of Culver's speak to our group.

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 attention to detail, the Midwest hospitality and the quality of food at a Culver’s restaurant.

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 biggest Conecon ever.

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Steve Christensen Executive Director

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

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!

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Food Safety Corner Understanding Your Ingredients and Where They Come From 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: “Where did you eat?, “What did you eat?,” and “Did you eat any of these things?”.

All four people had recently visited one of two 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 Salmonella strain over a period of 6 weeks. All had eaten cake batter ice cream from the same retail chain. What is special about cake batter ice cream?

This cake batter ice cream was made using a 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 considered ready-to-eat – it was designed to be made into a complete cake batter and baked. This new and unintended use of the cake mix led to consumer illnesses linked to the ice cream retailer.

your product.

2. If you want to introduce new ingredients to your products and process, think about how the ingredient is typically used, how your usage is different and what that could mean for food safety.

3. Develop a relationship with your supplier to benefit from their food safety knowledge and find an acceptable strategy to minimize risk.

Implement a Supplier Control Plan.

4. Download a Supplier Controls Packet for guidance on keeping your supply chain safe, standard documentation, and what questions to ask. Visit Supply Chain Controls | U.S. Dairy (usdairy.com) for additional templates, risk assessment tools and upcoming workshops.

What can we apply from this outbreak?

1. Innovation is an important component of your business strategy; however, any new ingredients should be evaluated for the hazards that they might introduce into

Joy Waite-Cusic, Jovana Kovacevic, and Sheri Cole, Department of Food Science and Technology, Oregon State University

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Location

Horseshoe 3645 Las Vegas Blvd South Las Vegas, NV 89109

Dates

November 2nd, 3rd and 4th, 2023

Ticket Type

With Early Bird Discount Registration before August 1st

Single Day Trade Show Only Ticket

N/A

$100

Member 3 Day Event Ticket

$675.00

$775.00

Member 2nd Person 3 Day Event Ticket

$525.00

$625.00

Non Member 3 Day Event Ticket

$1075.00

$1175.00

Non Member 2nd Person 3 Day Event Ticket

$925.00

$1025.00

First Timer Boot Camp

N/A

$49.00

Masterclass

N/A

$79.00

Artisan Food Safety Workshop

N/A

$49.00

Registration opens June 1st, 2023

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Full Price Ticket

Calculating Success: The Financial Scoop on Costing in the Ice Cream Industry When most people see an ice cream parlor 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 through the ins and outs of why this step in managing your dessert shop is so important, how to make this step enjoyable, and implementing your findings.

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. Knowing which offerings create the most profit can change the ways you market products and even which products you offer. At our location we offer prepared 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 true for a popular niche flavor that might

be sold at your shop. The margin might not 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 decisions cannot be made.

Initially when we opened for the first year I’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 formula breaking down the cost per ounce.

This is setup so now each item we prepare can have an auto filled price per ingredient based on the usage. When an ingredient cost is modified at the top row it automatically changes the pricing on every item that utilizes that ingredient. It makes the whole process fun because it only takes 15 minutes of looking through recent invoices and receipts to have updated cost analysis.

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As you can see this is only taking into account the actual food costs. Dry goods and labor aren’t formulated into our setup, but it could certainly be done in this detail. 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 be recognized at least.

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 portions or increase costs. As a foodservice 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 due to the high volume or ability for an upsale on that particular item.

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 to pay dividends for years to come.

Cody Nash

US representative for Beldos filling machines along with owning an ice cream retail and manufacturing business called Nash Family Creamery located in Tennessee.

Frozen Dessert Mixes Flavors and Extracts Dairy Science Consulting

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For decades, we have been celebrating national ice cream month, and national ice cream day. It is a staple for celebration, marketing and promotion among Ice-Cream businesses for years.

The celebrations came about by a joint resolution, number 298 in the U.S. Senate, sponsored by Senator Huddleston from Kentucky. it proclaimed the month of July 1984, as national ice cream month with the third Sunday of the month to be recognized as national ice cream day.

The resolution was signed into law by President Ronald Reagan on July 9, 1984 as presidential proclamation, 5219. Even though the specific resolution was meant only for July 1984, the Ice-Cream industry has continued to celebrate this month and day as our national celebration since then.

This year, spearheaded by the association membership committee, all members will be provided with many resources to help promote the special day and month in their respective markets.

There is also going to be a dedicated website, one for members of the Association to sign up for the program, and one that is more customer facing that will have them checking to ice cream shops virtually during the month of July.

As the membership continues to grow, and resources are funneled towards helping our members grow their own businesses, we look forward to this and many other opportunities to help you become successful in the frozen desert business. Please keep an eye on your email over the coming weeks with more information and how to sign up for the program. The program is free for all Association members.

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How to Build a Content Calendar for Social Media Target Market 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 your social media goals.

Steps to Build a Content Calendar 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.

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1. Choose the right social media platforms for you.

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 match your brand identity. If your content is 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 text or link-driven.

2. Use a calendar template.

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 calendar templates you can utilize, or you can create your own calendar template with Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel 3. Determine the frequency of posting.

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 common rule of thumb.

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 can base your schedule on prior analytics to increase the chances of your content being seen.

4. Outline important calendar dates for your business.

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 more followers and expand your reach.

5. Take advantage of evergreen content.

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, current events, and more.

6. Schedule content in advance.

Now that your content is planned out, scheduling it is the final step to mastering your social media strategy. There are many apps or websites that allow you to schedule out content in advance, making life as a social media manager much easier. Here are some of our favorite digital marketing apps that we use daily.

Target Market

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Here’s the Scoop on Logistics Costs The weather is warming up, and people are craving ice cream. They expect every scoop to taste fresh, creamy, and delicious.

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 and hassle than many think.

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: Modify Minimum Order Requirements 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.

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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 from one pallet to two can dramatically

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.

Optimizing Pallets Packaging can be an overlooked opportunity when trying to reduce costs.

The height the product can stack affects truck capacity and warehouse space, ultimately influencing shipping costs.

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 half gallons.

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 cases that are thicker may cost more but can be stacked higher, creating another opportunity for savings.

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 space and lowers costs.

Strategic Logistics Partner

savings.

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 understand the complexities of ice cream.

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 preserve your bottom line.

Increase Route Efficiency

Soft Costs The cost of transporting ice cream is greater than freight rates and fuel surcharges. Soft costs are intangible administrative items that are often hard to quantify. Ultimately, they are draining of your time and resources. Planning routes, tracking shipments, arranging appointments, and handling disputes all take time and energy. Working with a consistent partner can alleviate these soft costs and let you get back to managing your business.

Utilizing a logistics partner with ice cream 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, and reduces costs.

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, you can cut your shipping costs without cutting corners.

Data Analysis

Save the Date

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 time from pickup to delivery? Do you have 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 improvement and uncovering significant

Scott Martin Trademark Transportation

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Interested In Helping At Convention?

We are looking for volunteers to help our committees at this upcoming convention.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION

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MAYCALENDAR MARKETING 2023 Daily Holidays

School Principals' Day: 1 World Asthma Day: 2 National Two Different Colored Shoes Day: 3 World Give Day: 4 Cinco de Mayo: 5 Herb Day: 6 Lemonade Day: 7 No Socks Day: 8 National Teacher Day: 9 Hostess Cupcake Day: 10 Eat What You Want Day: 11 National Nutty Fudge Day: 12 National Babysitters Day: 13 Mother's Day: 14 National Chocolate Chip Day: 15 National BBQ Day: 16 National Juice Slush Day: 17 I Love Reeses Day: 18 World Bee Day: 20 National Taffy Day: 23

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International Tiara Day: 24 Cookie Monster's Birthday: 25 Heat Awareness Day: 26 National Hamburger Day: 28 Memorial Day: 29 Mint Julep Day: 30 National Smile Day: 31

JUNE 2023 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

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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A NOTE FOR OUR SUPPLIER MEMBERS

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11 issues $50

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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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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 2023 President Kelly Larson, Sweet Temptations, Grand Haven, MI Vice President Rick Pizzi, Pizzi Farms, Waltham, MA Treasurer Meg Capannari, Capannari Ice Cream and Catering, Mt Prospect, IL Immediate Past President Dave Deadman, Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream, Madison, WI Supplier President Evan Waldt, Ice Cream Equipment Specialists, Gainesville, FL

Executive Director Steve Christensen, Wildwood, MO

COMMITTEES AND COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN Executive Committee Kelly Larson, Sweet Temptations, Grand Haven, MI Nominating Committee

Dave Deadman, Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream, Madison, WI Convention Committee

Kelly Larson, Sweet Temptations, Grand Haven, MI Membership Committee

Rick Pizzi, Pizzi Farms, Waltham, MA Ice Cream Clinic Committee

Christine D’Amico, Over the Top, Pleasant Hill IA Scholarship Committee

Sue Kloter, Kloter Ice Cream Barn, Ellington, CT

This Bulletin is published by: The North American Ice Cream Association PO Box 601 Wildwood, MO 63040

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 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.

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