NICRA February 2021 Bulletin

February 2021

THE BULLETIN THE

OFFICIAL

PUBLICATION

OF

THE

NATIONAL

ICE

CREAM

RETAILERS

ASSOCIATION

CONECON t s e W A Unique Virtual Trade Event

Food Safety Self Audit

Begin your journey to enhancing Food Safety and Quality Programs.

Are your SOP's Current?

Refresh your procedures for the new year.

nicramembersonly

nicraofficial

nicra_org

A MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Who is in the mood for love?

February is always a big month for our industry.

Many ice cream and frozen dessert businesses are open and are planning events and menu items around this special day, whether to celebrate love or to commiserate with the lonely hearts of the world.

Interestingly, we have many members that also pair their frozen dessert operations with candy and other treats that they either make or sell. On top of this, many operators are starting to put together plans for the season with menu development, staffing levels and marketing plans. The pre season is always a busy one. One great tool to help with your social media marketing is Facebooks new Creative Studio. There is a very interesting “How To� article in this months publication. This new tool has the potential to reshape how you plan out your Facebook and Instagram marketing strategies. Definitely worth a read.

Speaking of the pre-season, NICRA is hosting its first ever Virtual Regional Trade Event targeting the West Coast region of the country. Taking place on the 24th March 2021, this online event will feature a great blend of speakers, workshops and an online trade show or expo focused on suppliers, and exhibitors with products and services available on the west coast. Speaking at this event is Adrienne and JP, Owners of Wanderlust Creamery, and Kim Malek, CEO of Salt and Straw. More information is to come, but certainly save the date. Attendance will be free to NICRA members and $25 for non members.

Have a great month, and as always, if you need anything from the NICRA office, please reach out. We love hearing from our members.

Steve Christensen

Executive Director NICRA

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If you have employees or team members on the Members Only Facebook Page please make sure they are listed as a sub account on your membership record.

As we process names and additions to the page we look for matching membership records. If there are no matching membership records we cannot grant employees or team members access.

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Going beyond what you thought you needed in a point-ofsale system.

Prolific’s easy-to-use system lets you modify every menu to perfectly fit your business type.

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Welcome to The National Ice Cream Retailers Association

David Slapin Crystal Ice Norwalk, Connecticut

Douglas Hanson Charlie’s ice cream Newton,New Hampshire

Tracy Judkins River Street Sweets Manistee,Michigan

Angela Martinez Supreme Cream La Puente, California

Joe Jones Golden Gelato Company Covington, Kentucky

SCOTT BURNETT Super Scoops Ice Cream, LLC DAYTON, Ohio

Nicole Eslinger Scoop Shack Indianapolis, Indiana

Stacey Carr Grita’s 2.0 Huntingdon valley, Pennsylvania

Mark Bingham Chicago, Illinois

Stacey Carr Grita’s 2.0 Huntingdon valley, Pennsylvania

Stephanie Leone Charlie & Munco’s North Wildwood, New Jersey

Chad Cullen Cullens Ice Cream Champlin, Minnesota

Autumn Friese Hattie Jane's Murfreesboro, Tennessee Justin Fasel Scoops 22 John Zip

FOOD SAFETY SUPPORT HOT-LINE FOR

SMALL/ARTISAN DAIRY 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

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Dairyfoodsafetycoach@cornell.edu

What is a Gap Analysis/Self-Audit and What it Really Means to Your Business What is it?

A Gap Analysis is a snapshot in time of your operation that is measured against a checklist of criteria. While an audit is an independent examination of a particular system.

There are all types of audits but our goal for this particular article is to evaluate your food safety programs and determine what pieces are missing or are needed in order to have a complete program. This process can start out very simple and more details added as you develop more programs overtime. Doing a selfassessment can be very valuable because it helps to identify your gaps. Once your gaps are identified and on paper, you can begin to develop/improve your programs.

Internal auditing is a critical tool to gauge your programs. By using internal auditing, you can add value, enhance overall food safety and quality, and improve business strategies for success.

What it means to your business?

Committing to enhancing your food safety programs can only benefit your company.

By having functional programs, your approach to food safety switches from

reactive to proactive. Many programs can catch issues or concerns before they reach the public, reducing risk to your brand, maintaining your reputation, and saving you money.

When setting out to build and design your food safety programs, it is important to involve the team members that the program affects. By involving key staff, food safety buy-in is enhanced, creating a positive food safety culture. Demonstrating the reasons for the programs allows for active participation by the entire team. This participation results in many sets of eyes dedicated to identifying an issue and not just the Food Safety and Quality Team, resulting in a passionate workforce protecting your facility and your brand.

Here’s what you can do right now: If you are ready to begin your journey to enhancing Food Safety and Quality Programs, take a look at this checklist and the included resources. Don’t let the long list of requirements and regulations overwhelm you. Excellent food safety systems are built one step at a time and it is never too late to begin.

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One thing to keep in mind when designing food safety programs is that there is some flexibility involved. Although there are very specific regulations, a lot of the requirements are written in a way that allows you to incorporate them into your existing system while simultaneously mitigating the risk.

Visit https://www.idfa.org/safeicecream for additional resources, training options, and direct access to Ice Cream Food Safety Experts.

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Amanda Kehres Director of Quality Assurance Graeter’s Ice Cream Company.

Kim Bukowski Dairy Foods Extension Specialist, Cornell University

The Secret to Dealing with People Jeremy Gonzales- Waffle Cone Zone

While working in an office as a customer service rep, I once picked up the phone to hear the shouting voice of a disgruntled customer. She had been working with another customer service rep and the experience was souring quickly. Upon hearing my voice and general concern for the inconvenience this customer was facing, she immediately said to me “You sound much nicer, I will be working with you from now on.”

Most business owners have hopefully come to the obvious conclusion that no matter how great your product is, a customer's experience is the most important aspect for continued business growth. The better the experience, the higher likelihood that the same customer comes back to buy from your brand or store and the higher chance that they share your business with others.

A bad customer experience is not the end of the world. The experience can and should be salvaged. I don't necessarily think that I have a very soothing voice and it's just audibly easier to listen to me.

There will be people who can and will be frustrating just to be frustrating. However, more times than not, I will find myself making one of my most frustrating customers into my best customer.

While studying at the University of Houston, I was given the assignment to read a book by Dale Carnegie titled “How to win friends & Influence people.” I am very grateful that we were never tested on this book. My professor just explained to us that this book is an essential read for your personal growth. I highly agree with him.

Two chapters stick out to me when I think about keys for customer service and salvaging a not so pleasant customer experience. “The big secret to dealing with people” and “how to make people like you instantly.” These are the only chapters that come to the same conclusion. Make the other person feel important - and do it sincerely.

Sometimes I like to think that I have the power and gift to know when someone is actually being sincere. In reality we all have that feeling of knowing. I have had my own fair share of times being called out for not being sincere and immediately I am humbled and adjust myself to again try and understand the situation from the other perspective. There is a saying that a previous manager of mine would always have our sales team live by: “if we did something wrong, then make it right. If we didn't do anything wrong, then still make it right.”

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If your customer is upset, it is because somewhere in the process they did not feel important and appreciated as someone supporting your business. Sometimes it’s easily understandable and other times it's a complete mystery.

Jeremy Gonzales Waffle Cone Zone

CONECON est W

Join Us March 24th 2021 for a Unique Virtual Event Live Virtual Exhibitor Booths Virtual Networking platform Keynote addresses Business Growth Workshops & much more FREE FOR NICRA MEMBERS $25 for Non NICRA Members REGISTER AT www.coneconwest.com

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JP Lopez & Adrienne Borlongan Wanderlust Creamery

Kim Malek Salt & Straw

Are Your SOP's Current?

Standing operating procedures, or SOP‘s, are the framework to any operation.

Industries of all shapes and sizes and all segments of business rely on these procedures to create the methodology of doing business.

Just like branding and other terms that many small businesses feel are not relevant to them, Standard operating procedures can free a business owner of the continued hassle of reminding employees how to carry out tasks and also how to deal with problems that arise in their absence.

The generations of business owners that work in their businesses every day is waning. More and more business owners are growing the number of their locations or are using these businesses as a side hustle and continue to be absentee owners. Regardless of where you fall, having a set of instructions, a list of tasks or a framework of operations should be a part of your administrative paperwork.

Some would say that everything that needs to be done in an ice cream store should have a procedure attached to it, and that procedure should be written down somewhere. Everything from how to open the store in the morning, how to clean a fudge pump, how to refund a customer and how to make a whipped

cream recipe should be listed somewhere that is easily accessible to your crew.

Now a relatively easy way to accomplish this is to simply write or type a list of things that need to be done in order.

These standard operating procedures should be placed in a folder or a book that is easily retrieved so that employees can know how to react or respond to any given the circumstance or problem that comes up in your business.

Many tech companies are now seizing on the importance of these SOP‘s and creating software that allows business owners to use images and video to explain the process. Companies like Jolt and Connecteam have platforms that you can subscribe to for a relatively low monthly cost, that allows business owners to take images or video of procedures and record them to be viewed later by the employee. These videos and images can be referred to in real time as they are closing the store or learning how to reassemble the soft serve machine.

This is why this technology can really free up an owner to concentrate on growing their business, rather than getting stuck in the weeds by explaining for the 17th time how to refund a customer’s order.

In the grand scheme of things, the Software

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can be a relatively low price to pay for the return of your sanity. Now as I have said time and time again, there must be some accountability with your operations and procedures. There is no point having a list and asking someone to complete it if there is no penalty or consequence for not doing so.

With a written SOP, you are relying on the employee to either make a note in a notebook or a checkmark on a piece of paper.

These new electronic SOP systems have the employees actually initial or finalize the task which is recorded real time on the system.

Managers and owners can be sitting in their hot tub at home and get a notification that the floor has been mopped and, in some cases, even see a picture of it to make sure that it is done correctly. To me it is amazing that even the common to do list has now become a much more dynamic process and the accountability level has increased dramatically.

It is up to you as to how many SOP‘s he would like to undertake. I would suggest that anything that needs to be explained in an initial training session for a new employee, should have an SOP. Again, I think it will come a time where the list stuck on the fridge door will be an item that we reminisce about. Now I’m not saying that we will go to the point where SOP chips will be placed in our employees wrists so they can simply waive it over a register and it will record a perfect closing procedure, but we are not far away.

I think that whether you have a written, typed or an electronic procedure process, it will free you up and allow you to concentrate on many other aspects of growing your business. And believe it or not your employees will thank you for it.

No employee wants to be in a position where they are unaware of what to do, or how to do it. This kind of pressure in the workplace is not appealing to many young people, and if

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you cannot continue to engage them in the workplace they will all go somewhere else.

Having a system in place from the time an employee starts to shift to the time that they leave can help them feel like they are achieving what you want them to, and they can feel a sense of accomplishment at the end of the shift.

You will also find that your people will be easier to manage, more task oriented and maybe even a little happier at work, if that is possible.

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How to Use Creator Studio for Facebook and Instagram Target Market

There’s been a longstanding rumor that Facebook punishes posts that are scheduling using a third-party scheduler, like Buffer or Hootsuite, by stifling their reach. The Social Media Lab by Agorapulse debunked this rumor but that was before Facebook built-out a robust scheduling tool within their own platform—Creator Studio.

What is Creator Studio?

Creator Studio brings together all the tools needed to effectively post, manage, monetize and measure content across all your Facebook Pages and Instagram accounts. The tool was originally introduced in late 2017 for Facebook only. It was riddled with bugs, lacked functionality and was not user-friendly.

Creator Studio was reintroduced last year with the addition of Instagram scheduling and has since become more widely accepted, in large part because Facebook began phasing out its Publishing Tools feature on Pages.

As Creator Studio becomes the only way to schedule posts within Facebook and Instagram, it stands to reason that posts scheduled via third-party will start taking a backseat. Much in the same way the platform prioritizes videos that are uploaded directly versus linked. Plus, why pay for a third-party scheduler when Creator Studio is free?!

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Before You Get Started To start using Creator Studio for Facebook, all you need to do is go to business.facebook.com/creatorstudio.

You’ll automatically see any pages that you have admin access to.

But before you can manage posts, get insights, or publish Instagram content, you’ll first need to link your Instagram account to Creator Studio. You’ll need: An Instagram account and Facebook Page To make sure that your Instagram account is connected to the Facebook Page that you manage To switch your Instagram account to a business profile or Creator Account if it isn’t already Get started by opening Creator Studio from your desktop and clicking the Instagram icon at the top of the page.

What you need to do next depends on the relationship between your Facebook pages and Instagram accounts: Option #1: If you manage a Facebook Page that’s already connected to the Instagram account you want to use in Creator Studio, click to connect to that Page.

Option #2: If you don’t already manage a Facebook Page that’s connected to an Instagram account, click “Connect to Instagram.” Then follow the instructions to log into the Instagram account you want to connect.

Option #3: If you manage a Facebook Page that’s connected to an Instagram account, but want to use a different Instagram account you don’t see listed, click “Connect another Instagram Account” and follow the instructions.

Option #4: If you have multiple Instagram accounts already connected to your Facebook Page or Pages and want to manage them in Creator Studio, click “Continue with Connected Accounts.”.

We wrote about TikTok here and analyzed whether it was the right move for your brand.

But no matter if the app is a good fit for your brand’s presence or not, there’s no denying the skyrocketing success organic content has seen on the platform.

With your Instagram account connected, you’re ready to start using Creator Studio.

How to Navigate Creator Studio For Facebook To schedule a Facebook post, simply click the Create Post button in the top left corner. A menu will appear with options to choose whether you’d like to create a regular post, add a story, upload a video, or go live.

If you manage multiple pages, you’ll first need to select which page you’d like to post from.

From there, the process will look similar to how you normally post on the Facebook app or from a desktop.

You can also bulk upload multiple videos at once, crosspost content to multiple Pages, and schedule, backdate or save posts as a draft.

For Instagram To create Instagram content, click the Instagram icon at the top of the page. This will take you to your Content Library which gives an overview of all your Instagram video, photo, carousel, stories, and IGTV posts.

Click Create Post in the top-left of the page and choose whether you’d like to create an Instagram feed post or IGTV. The publishing flow is slightly different for Instagram posts and IGTV videos. Below we’ll cover how to schedule posts to your Instagram feed.

After you select “Instagram Feed,” a window will open on the right of the screen where you can upload your image (or images in the case of carousel posts), write your caption, and add a location.

Use the icons beneath the photo to tag other accounts or crop the photo to different dimensions.

On the right, you’ll see an option for advanced settings. Here, you can turn off commenting and add alt text to your image to make your content accessible for those with visual impairments.

When you’re done, click the down arrow beside the publish button and select schedule. This will open a calendar and time settings box. Choose the day and time you’d like your post to publish and hit the schedule button. Creator Studio will publish your post to your feed when the time comes.

To schedule IGTV video with Creator Studio, you can check out this step-by-step guide.

Other Features On the left beneath the Create Post button,

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you’ll see several sections to help you manage your Facebook page and Instagram account.

Content Library: The Content Library offers a bird’s eye view of all your published and scheduled content. You can use the search bar to quickly find content, or use the filters to organize content by Post Status (All, Published, Archived) or date. It also gives you an overview of your insights for each post.

Insights: For a deeper dive into how your pages and accounts are performing, as well as each individual post, check out the Insights tab. From here you can get metrics on your estimated earnings and discover advanced insights about your audience across all your Pages. This includes insights into how many people have seen the post, where they’ve seen the post, how they’ve interacted with the post, and what actions people have taken when engaging with the post.

Inbox: You can efficiently manage interactions across all your Pages from the Inbox tab. This includes Facebook Messenger and post comments, as well as Instagram post comments.

Monetization: Content creators and publishers can use a variety of different monetization tools to earn money on Facebook such as hosting paid online events. You need to meet eligibility criteria to use monetization tools, and some tools might have additional requirements.

Creative Tools: Under the Creative Tools tab, you can enhance your videos without worrying about copyright infringement.

Quickly and easily choose from a variety of music and sound effects to download and include in your videos. All music and effects from the Sound Collection are free and legal to use.

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Settings: Without leaving Creator Studio, you can see an overview of all your pages, change existing page roles or assign new ones. You can also create a new Page.

TargetMarket

G N I L E E F ?

D R A BO

NICRA is looking for members interested in contributing time and ideas on our Board of Directors.

If this interests you please contact the office at info@nicra.org

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Conecon 2021 Save the Date Date: November 7th, 8th and 9th Location: The Rosen Plaza in Orlando, Florida Conecon 2021 is scheduled for the 7th, 8th and 9th of November this year!

We will be providing updates and timelines on Convention and Trade show activities over the next few weeks.

If you are a interested in having a booth at NICRA Conecon 2021 Trade Show please reach out to the NICRA Office at info@nicra.org

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MARKETING CALENDAR FEBRUARY

Valentines Day: 14 National Gum Drop Day: 15 2021 Daily Holidays Presidents Day: 15 Candy-Making Day: 1 IHOP National Pancake Day: 16 Decorating With Candy Day: 1 National Almond Day: 16 Crepe Day: 2 International Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast Groundhog Day: 2 Day: 18 Feed The Birds Day: 3 Chocolate Mint Day: 19 Facebook's Birthday: 4 National Grain Free Day: 21 Bubble Gum Day: 5 George Washington's Birthday: 22 Wear Red Day: 5 National Dog Biscuit Day: 23 Weatherman's [Weatherperson's] Day: 5 Girl Scout Cookie Weekend: 26-28 World Nutella Day: 5 World Pistachio Day: 26 Canadian Maple Syrup Day: 6 International Tongue Twister Day: 27 International Frozen Yogurt Day: 6 National Tooth Fairy Day: 28 National Ice Cream For Breakfast Day: 6 (First Saturday): Link (Different than International observance on Feb. 18.

Play Monopoly Day: 6 Link National Periodic Table Day: 7 Popcorn Day: 7 Super Bowl LV (55): 7 Extraterrestrial Visitor Day: 9 National Pizza Day: 9 Toothache Day: 9 Chinese New Year 2021: 12 No One Eats Alone Day: 12 Galentine's Day: 13 National Cheddar Day: 13 World Radio Day: 13

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MARKETING CALENDAR MARCH 2021 Daily Holidays National Peanut Lovers Day: 1 Dr. Seuss Day: 2 Princess Day: 3 National Grammar Day: 4 Dress in Blue Day: 5 Employee Appreciation Day: 5 National Frozen Food Day: 6 Oreo Cookie Day: 6 National Cereal Day: 7 National Flapjacks Day: 7 National Peanut Cluster Day: 8 National Retro Video Game Day: 8 Barbie Day: 9 Mario Day: 10 Donald Duck Day: 13 Potato Chip Day: 14 Panda Day: 16 Campfire Day: 17 National Sloppy Joe Day: 18 National Chocolate Caramel Day: 19 Spring (Vernal Equinox): 20

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World Poetry Day: 21 World Water Day: 22 National Chia Day: 23 National Chocolate Covered Raisins Day: 24 Pecan Day: 25 Purple Day: 26 Spinach Day: 26 National Mom & Pop Business Owner's Day: 29 Doctors Day: 30 National Crayon Day: 31

A NOTE FOR OUR SUPPLIER MEMBERS Hey there, Supplier Member. Hopefully by now you have seen quite a few changes in the way NICRA 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 NICRA 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 NICRA Bulletin Advertising rates for 2020.

Please find them as follows: 1 issues 3 issues

6 issues

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issues 1/4 page

$70

$65

$60

$50

1/2 page

$90

$85

$80

$70

Full Page

$160

$150

$140

$120

DISPLAY ADVERTISING 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.

743 Spirit 40 Park Dr, Suite 121, Chesterfield MO 63005 636 778 1822 * Toll Free: 866-303-6960 E-Mail: info@nicra.org * Web: www.nicra.org

NICRA OFFICERS 2020 President Dave Deadman, Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream, Madison, W Vice President Patti Otte, Sweet Firefly Gourmet Ice Cream, Richardson.

TX Treasurer Charlie Wilcox, Marianne’s Ice Cream, Santa Cruz, CA

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Secretary Kelly Larson, Sweet Temptations, Grand Haven, MI Immediate Past President George Xouris, Andia's Ice Cream, Cary, NC Executive Director Steve Christensen, Chesterfield, MO Terms Ending Annual Meeting 2021 Bob Hearn, Hearn’s Ice Cream, St Mary’s ON Canada Zach Burton, Nielsen Massey, Waukegan IL Christine D’Amico, Over the Top, Pleasant Hill IA 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, Sue Kloter, Donnie Montgomery, Andy Jones, 2020 SUPPLIER OFFICERS President Ben Keser, Novelty Cone, Pennsauken Township, NJ Vice President Evan Waldt, Ice Cream Equipment Spec. Reno, NV Secretary/Treasurer Nichole Theriault, I.Rice & Company, Inc.. Philadelphia, PA Chairman Kyle Cameron, Joy Cone Co., Hermitage, PA COMMITTEES AND COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN Executive Committee David Deadman, Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream, Madison, WI Nominating Committee George Xouris, Andia’s Homemade Ice Cream, Morrisville, NC

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Convention Committee Dave Deadman, Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream, Madison, WI Membership Committee Patti Otte, Sweet Firefly Gourmet Ice Cream, Richardson. TX 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 NICRA is committed to a policy of nondiscrimination in all of its endeavors. To that end, NICRA shall not tolerate any words or acts of discrimination, harassment or any inappropriate behavior in general against any person affiliated with NICRA, 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: National Ice Cream Retailers Association 743 Spirit 40 Park Dr., Suite 121 Chesterfield, MO 63005 George Xouris, Chairman Publications Committee Steve Christensen, Executive Director, National Ice Cream Retailers Association.

This issue of the NICRA Bulletin is now available online at http://www.nicra.org. Click on the Members Only button and enter your Username and Password. If you cannot find your Username and Password, call the NICRA office at 866-303-6960 or send an e-mail to info@nicra.org requesting the information.

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