NICRA September Bulletin 2020

September 2020

THE BULLETIN THE

OFFICIAL

PUBLICATION

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THE

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RETAILERS

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Edition

KEYNOTES

RICHARD GRAETER - CEO GREATERS ANDY KUNTZ - CEO ANDYS FROZEN CUSTARD KENNEY MOORE - CEO HWY 55 BURGERS/FRIES

TFROZEN DESSERT FLAVORS

FULL AGENDA INSIDE

WHAT SHOULD I BUY? nicramembersonly

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PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE Hello NICRA Members!

I hope your season has improved somewhat as our world has settled into this new COVID routine. I’m happy to say I won’t be talking about the pandemic this month (I can hear the applause!)

This month I’ve decided to share some personal lessons I’ve learned in the past year with the hope you’ll have a nugget or two to ponder, and maybe even benefit from.

George Xouris

Andia's Homemade Ice Cream

Let me first write my disclaimer: My wife and I have been in the ice cream business for 7 years (6 years if you start the clock when we made our first dollar of revenue), so while we have a decent amount of experience, we’re certainly far from being experts. So take my tidbits for what they are; my experiences/lessons, nothing more, nothing less.

First and foremost---especially the past 6 months---I have learned and felt how accurate the old saying “Cash is King” is. This pandemic was certainly one of those “Black Swan” events nobody saw coming. Enough said.

Being resilient and creative in business is ultra-critical! Again, COVID has taught us that.

We opened our second shop this year (4 months late due to COVID, but I said I wouldn’t continue talking about the pandemic). So the lesson here is, having two shops is WAAAAYYYYY harder than one. In fact, it’s definitely greater than the sum of its parts! If you’re considering or working on a second location, my advice is to make sure your systems are locked down first. I’m talking about our “mom & pop” situation where we don’t have lots of employees managing the details. We’re still working on getting out of the weeds of the day-to-day operations.

Lastly, despite the crazy year we’ve had, I’m grateful for the experiences and for being in the position to learn what I’ve learned (meaning, being a business owner vs working a corporate job as I did in my “previous life”). Enjoy the ride, and we’ll “see you” online for our virtual convention!

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CONVENTION COMMITTEE UPDATE

Hello NICRA Members!

We made it through summer! And now onto fall as we all try to figure out how to navigate our everchanging business climate and COVID-19 situation.

Your NICRA convention committee has been spending a lot of time putting together an amazing virtual convention to help you and your business figure this out.

NICRA’s virtual convention will be held on November 10 – 12, 2020. In addition, back by popular demand, NICRA will host the 2nd annual food (ice cream) safety day on Monday November 9, 2020. Please find some of our awesome convention highlights listed below.

Monday November 9, 2020 Pre-convention food (ice cream) safety coaching on HACCP, GMPs, allergens, and environmental monitoring. Also, ask the end of the day expert panel all of your food safety questions.

Tuesday November 10, 2020 An awesome convention kick-off with our featured speaker Andy Kuntz of Andy’s Frozen Custard.

Andy has grown his custard company to include more than 85 locations in 14 states. The rest of Tuesday will be packed with convention information to help you start your business, grow your business, add locations, and expand your product offerings.

Wednesday November 11, 2020 We will be treated with the 150-year history of Greater’s Ice Cream by 4th generation Richard Greater. After learning how Greater’s has succeeded for 150 years we will learn how to market our businesses, expand, and balance our flavor and product selections, improve the quality of our products, and do it all while making a profit.

Thursday November 12, 2020 Kenny Moore kicks off the final day of our convention. Kenny founded Hwy 55 Burgers, Shakes, & Fries in 1991 and now has over 135 locations. After Kenny tells us his story our sessions will focus on standard operating procedures, listeria, intellectual property, fudge making, cake decorating, labeling and nutritional laws, Keto ice cream, popsicle making, and how to sell your business when you are ready.

Tuesday November 10 – Thursday November 12, 2020 The NICRA tradeshow floor will be open with virtual access to over 100 NICRA suppliers.

Overall, I hope you can see that we have 4 days full of great speakers, and a wide variety of seminars for all of us to learn more about our industry and how to improve our businesses. In addition to everything mentioned above, the NICRA traditions of the Best New Flavor Contest, The Bryce Thompson Scholarship Live and Silent Auction, the Ice Cream Clinic, and the Awards Ceremony will of course be part of this year’s virtual convention. Your 2020 convention committee is super excited about what we have put together for our virtual convention. We hope you are too. We can’t wait to “see” you in November.

Cheers, Dave

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A MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

The Christensen family has experienced 2 large pivotal family experiences in the last 3 weeks or so.

Our daughter Elizabeth, who also works at the NICRA office, married her sweetheart Jeremy Gonzales in Houston Texas a couple of weeks ago. This was a joyous occasion for both ours, and Jeremy’s family. I’m sure the happy couple can breathe a sigh of relief that everything else came off unscathed as a worldwide pandemic, Hurricane Laura and many other catastrophes threatened their special day.

They had even planned a honeymoon in California to see the redwoods before the devastating fires raged through the area. The alternate location for the honeymoon was Savannah Georgia where they met up with Stratton Leopold for a tour of their 100-year-old ice cream business.

Leopold’s have been great supporters of NICRA for many years.

Not 2 days after driving back from Texas, we packed up the family truckster and made the 22-hour trip out to Tempe Arizona to drop another daughter off to college out there. Another great day in the Christensen family annals.

During all of this travel, I have had a lot of road time to sit and think about what matters most. I think a lot of us have had similar experiences this year as we have faced some pretty challenging times in our businesses and in live in general. In some strange ways, the combined challenges that have struck the human family this year have brought us together somewhat.

Reading the well wishes sent out to our member stores on the west coast suffering through thick smoke and potential fire damage, and to our members down south who are being battered by storms, gives me a great sense of the strength of our community. Yes, will still have our own individual family struggles, and business challenges, but old saying of “there is strength in numbers” has never rang more true.

I hope that we can continue to be a support and strength for you all in the coming months and years.

Take care out there.

Steve Christensen

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Executive Director NICRA

The National Ice Cream Retailers Association Welcomes our New Members Janet Impastato Let It Be Ice Cream Gulfport ,Florida

Raghnall Rafi Brendy's of Delray Delray Beach, Florida

Ellen Godfrey Sebastien Hector Lake Martin Creamery Ice cream company Dadeville, Alabama Montegobay, Montegobay Richard Dolan LIX Uptown Ice Cream Michael Woolfolk Phoenix, Arizona MikeWoolf Desserts Saint Louis, Missouri Linda Locke St.Louis, Missouri Lauren Minty Lacroix Ice Cream Daniel Reed Stamford, Connecticut Temptation Vegan Frozen Dessert Kelly Nolin Addison, Illinois The Scoop Ice Cream Cafe LLC Riyadh Majeed Ellington, Connecticut Agawam, Massachusetts

Wesley Keegan Sweet & Three Nashville, Tennessee Robin Rinearson Jake's Ice CreamFalls Church, Virginia Michael ThomasWatson Milk & Sugar Creamery LLC Tracy, California Patrisha Chism Davella-Glo, Ltd Cleveland, Ohio DanSullivan Dolly's Best Little Boer House Ice cream Kiowa, Colorado

Melanie Reinhart Hopkins Farm Creamery Lewes, Delaware

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 Dairyfoodsafetycoach@cornell.edu

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NICRA VIRTUAL CONVENTION AND TRADE SHOW All times listed are Central Standard Time Agenda topics and times are subject to change.

Monday November 9, 2020 9:00am - 10:00am 10:30am - 11:30am 1:00pm - 2:00pm 2:30pm - 3:30pm

Virtual Coaching Session HACCP/GMP Virtual Coaching Session on Allergens & Inclusions Virtual Coaching Session on Environmental Monitoring Ask the Food Safety Experts

Tuesday November 10, 2020 9:00am - 5:00pm Virtual Exhibits Open 10:00am - 10:30am Main Stage- Convention Overview and Kickoff

10:30pm - 11:30am Keynote Speaker – Growing the Family Business Andy Kuntz – Founder and CEO - Andy’s Frozen Custard 12:00pm - 12:45pm Lunchroom Roundtable Covid Operational Discussion Looking to get into the business First Timers Session Farmstead Creameries.

1:00pm - 2:00pm DAY 1 SESSION 1

Employee Manuals and Management Working With your Chamber of Commerce How to Sell your Pints in Retail Stores 2:30pm - 3:30pm DAY 1 SESSION 2

Opening an Ice Cream Business Community Collaborations Packing and Shipping Ice Cream 4:00pm - 5:00pm DAY 1 SESSION 3 My first 2 years - Growing your New Business How the SBA / Score can help you Your Own Home Delivery Service Starting my first Franchise

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6:00pm - 6:30pm 7:00pm - 9:00pm

Collaboration Video - My Biggest Mistake Best New Flavor Contest Celebrity Judging Store Tour Videos

Wednesday November 11, 2020 9:00am - 5:00pm 9:00am - 9:30am 9:30am - 10:30am

Virtual Exhibits Open A message from our Executive Director Keynote Speaker – 150 years of Graetness Rich Graeter – President and CEO, Graeters Ice Cream

11:00am to 12:00pm DAY 2 SESSION 1 Using Video to market your Business - Tik Tok Vickie Jeavons Website Design and Review Concept A Designs Social Media Donita Jo Talbot ROI on Email Marketing Sam Whitlock 12:15pm - 1:00pm Lunchroom Roundtable West Coast Businesses North East Businesses Midwest Businesses South Businesses

1:15pm - 2:15pm DAY 2 SESSION 2 Balancing your flavor profiles Vegan and NSA Frozen Dessert Production Developing International Flavors Improve the Technical Quality of your product 2:30pm - 3:30pm DAY 2 SESSION 3 Pricing Your Products – Making / Buying Ice Cream Reduce your Food and Labor Costs Getting most out of your Tax management Dan Miller CPA 4:00pm - 5:00pm

Main Stage Supporting employees with Disabilities

6:00pm - 6:20pm

Collaboration Video - My Best Idea Ever

6:30pm - 7:30pm

Bryce Thompson silent and live auction

8:00pm - 9:00pm

Online Trivia Game w prizes

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Thursday November 12, 2020 9:00am - 5:00pm 9:00am - 10:00am

Virtual Exhibits Open Main Stage Kenny Moore CEO Hwy 55 Burgers and Fries Adding frozen desserts to your menu

10:15am - 11:15am DAY 3 SESSION 1 SOP Development and Execution Website and Free Course Demo What is Listeria and how to prevent it

11:30am - 12:30pm DAY 3 SESSION 2 Intellectual Property 10 Legal Documents You Should Have Live Demonstration - Cake Decorating Live Demonstration - Fudge Making 1:00pm - 1:30pm

Main Stage Ice Cream Clinic Report and Results

1:45pm - 2:30pm

Main Stage Labeling and Nutritional Laws

2:45pm - 3:45pm DAY 3 SESSION 3 Getting the most out to the NICRA Website Preparing your business to Sell Keto Ice Cream Popsicle Making Demo 4:00pm - 5:00pm Main Stage Experts Panel Q and A with Industry Experts from all fields.

5:30pm - 6:00pm

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First Timers Wrap Up Session

6:30pm - 9:00pm Main Stage NICRA ORIGINAL VIDEO PRODUCTION – From the Cow to the Cone NICRA Awards Ceremony Presentation of Scholarships Presentation of Awards Close and handover

PRE-CONVENTION FOOD SAFETY TRAINING This year we are continuing our tradition of the pre-convention workshops covering all aspects of your food safety plans. Last year these sessions over sold and were at capacity.

Learn from our food safety experts in four sessions that cover everything you will need to start or fine tune your food safety plan, and ensure you are complaint with the Food Safety Modernization Act and other federal and state legislation.

These four sessions will cost registrants $45 and tickets will be sold separately to the general event registration.

Session 1 - Virtual Food Safety Coaching Session HACCP/GMP This is the first session in a four-session food safety module. Join a 60-minute session on two core areas of producing safe food. During the session, Kim Bukowski, Extension Support Specialist at Cornell University, will share information on HAACP and GMPs and what ice cream makers need to know to get started safely. Access to resources, templates, upcoming workshops, and one-on-one coaching support will be offered in addition to Q&A. A brief pre-session primer will be sent out ahead of this session to help you become familiar with the terminology being discussed and ensure time for your questions.

Session 2 – Virtual Food Safety Coaching Session on Allergens & Inclusions This is the second session in a four-session food safety module. Join a 60-minute session on allergens and inclusions and their importance to producing safe ice cream. During the session, Dr. Tonya Schoenfuss, Associate Professor at the University of Minnesota, will share best practices for dealing with allergens and inclusions in ice cream. Access to resources, templates, upcoming workshops, and one-on-one coaching support will be offered in addition to Q&A. A brief pre-session primer will be sent out ahead of this session to help familiarize yourself with the terminology being discussed and ensure time for your questions.

Session 3 – Virtual Food Safety Coaching Session on Environmental Monitoring This is the third session in a four-session food safety module. Join a 60-minute session on environmental monitoring, what it is, how to get started, and answers to commonly asked questions. During the session, Dr. Sam Alcaine, Assistant Professor at Cornell University, will help participants increase their knowledge of environmental monitoring, how to identify how much is ‘too little’ or ‘too much’ for ice cream makers when managing risks and ensuring the safety of their products. Access to resources, templates, upcoming workshops, and one-on-one coaching support will be offered in addition to Q&A. A brief pre-session primer will be sent out ahead of this session to help familiarize yourself with the terminology being discussed and ensure time for your questions.

Session 4 – Ask the Food Safety Experts This food safety session is the fourth in a series of coaching modules during which food safety experts from across the country will discuss best practices and answer your questions. In this 60-minute virtual Q & A wrap-up session, Dr. Sam Alcaine, Assistant Professor at Cornell University, will moderate the panel as they discuss the most common struggles that ice cream makers may encounter when developing and implementing a food safety plan. Come prepared with your questions for this panel. They will be happy to share their knowledge and experience with you.

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KEYNOTE ADDRESSES Rich Graeter, President and CEO, Graeters Ice Cream.

Since 1870, four generations of the Graeter family have remained committed to handcrafting only the most indulgent ice cream available. From humble beginnings serving ice cream from a cart in Cincinnati to the nationwide presence of Graeter’s Ice Cream today, the family has stubbornly held to ideals and processes of the founding generation. Members of the 3rd, 4th and 5th generation continue to work in the business, every day, ensuring that their customers get truly the best ice cream they have ever tastedAs a member of the fourth generation of the Graeter family to own and operate the business, Richard Graeter is dedicated to the family tradition of making ice cream, while embracing new opportunities and technology to grow the business.Learn from Richard the process of growing a multi-generational business into a name and brand that is widely recognized and loved the country over.

Andy Kuntz, CEO Andy's Frozen Custard Andy’s has always been fanatical about custard and has served it with pride since March 19, 1986. For more than three decades, only the freshest ingredients have been used for a frozen custard experience you can’t get anywhere else.The Andy’s Frozen Custard tradition started in Osage Beach, Missouri when John and Carol Kuntz embarked on a new frozen custard endeavor. Their treat quickly became a legend at the lake, and soon took nearby Springfield, Missouri by storm.It was at the original Springfield location where John and Carol’s son Andy (and his wife Dana) worked long hours learning the business from the ground up.

Their fanaticism for a supreme product and unmatched customer service never wavered. Always striving to expand and improve Andy’s Frozen Custard, they have taken the brand to new heights, with locations throughout Missouri, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas.In his session, Andy will share some of his thoughts and experiences about working and growing the family business.

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KEYNOTE ADDRESSES Kenney Moore – CEO Highway 55 Burgers and Fries.

Kenney Moore opened the very first Hwy 55 in a mall in smalltown North Carolina in 1991. It was called Andy's Cheesesteaks & Cheeseburgers at the time, and its beginnings were humble: Kenney cooked every burger by himself from morning 'til night.

And this was in full view of his customers. He couldn't afford a traditional restaurant kitchen. But Kenney soon realized something. When you’re manning an open grill, you can greet everyone who walks in. You can chat with guests sitting at the counter. You can cook a family their meals fresh right in front of them, and they can watch the care you put into doing so. Kenney and his team rolled out a systemwide frozen dessert menu to increase their offering to their customers and help increase sales. Kenney shares his business philosophy, experiences, and his love of helping others become successful.

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UNDERSTANDING FDA’S FOOD FACILITY REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS

By John Allan, International Dairy Foods Association, and Rich Draper, The Ice Cream Club, Inc.

Who is Required to Register?

Following the terrorist attacks against the U.S. on September 11, 2001, the U.S. Congress passed the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002 (the Bioterrorism Act), which directs the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to take steps to protect the public from a threatened or actual terrorist attack on the U.S. food supply and other food-related emergencies. This law established a new requirement that all “food facilities” that produce food for consumption in the U.S., whether domestic or foreign, must register with FDA. A “food facility” is a facility that is “engaged in manufacturing/processing, packing, or holding of food for human or animal consumption in the United States.” This requirement applies regardless of whether the food remains within the state in which it was produced or enters interstate commerce. Like many regulations, there are, of course, exemptions, including restaurants, certain retail food establishments, private residences, farms, food banks and other business locations where food may be produced, packaged, held or sold.

Ice cream shops that make their own ice cream in-house for sale directly to consumers would typically be classified as a “retail food establishment” exempt from having to register with FDA. However, due

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to the criteria for meeting FDA’s exemption from registration for retail food establishments, the shop could be required to register if it also is selling food to other commercial customers (not consumers). Specifically, FDA facility registration IS required if the annual total dollar amount of food sales made to commercial customers exceeds the total dollar amount of food sales made directly to consumers.

On the other hand, if you do not sell directly to consumers, but are a manufacturer of ice cream, custard, sorbet, ice cream mix and/or other frozen desserts, and you sell your food to retail food establishments, food service establishments (scoop shops, grocery stores, convenience stores, restaurants, etc.) or other commercial customers, you would be considered a “food facility” and be required to register.

Preventive Controls and CGMPs It is important to keep in mind that whether or not you are required to register with FDA affects whether you are subject to FDA’s Hazard Analysis and Risk-Based Preventive Controls for Human Foods (PCHF or “Preventive Controls”) regulations (21 CFR 117 subparts C, F & G). FDA registered facilities must comply with these rules. They also must comply with FDA’s Current Good Manufacturing Practices (CGMPs) (21 CFR 117 subpart B).

Food safety practices in retail food establishments are generally regulated under the Food Code, which is adopted and applied on the state level. The Food Code addresses a range of food safety practices, including employee health and hygiene, protecting food from contamination, equipment and utensils, water and plumbing, physical facilities, and poisonous or toxic materials.

Additionally, retail food establishments bear responsibility under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA), including the adulteration provisions of the statute. For example, they cannot introduce into interstate commerce food that is adulterated, such as if it bears or contains a poisonous or deleterious substance which may render the food injurious to health (e.g., Listeria monocytogenes) or if it was prepared, packed, or held under insanitary conditions.

Using its authority under the FFDCA, FDA has taken regulatory and criminal action against restaurants (particularly multi-state chains) that have been linked to foodborne illness outbreaks (e.g., Chipotle and norovirus).

Registration and Renewal Any company that is required to register must do so before it begins to manufacture/process, pack or hold food. One you have registered initially, FDA requires all registered food facilities to renew their registration between October 1 and December 31 of each even-numbered year (meaning this year—2020—is a renewal year, if you are already registered). If you fail to renew your registration, FDA considers the registration expired. Food facilities that sell food without a valid, current registration can be subject to Federal civil or criminal penalties. Facilities that fail to keep required information updated or don’t cancel their registration following FDA procedures may also face FDA action.

If you are simply an ice cream retailer and don’t make ice cream yourself, but utilize the services of a co-packer, co-manufacturer, private label distributor or a supplier, then

you may want to confirm they are in the process of renewing their registration with the renewal period; otherwise, you may face delays or have to find other suppliers. Imported products or ingredients generally cannot enter the U.S. without a valid facility registration number because this information needs to be provided as part of the entry process.

Suspension of Registration Under certain circumstances, FDA also has the power to suspend a food facility’s registration when there is a real or likely serious food safety problem that could cause serious adverse health consequences or death. This is an extreme remedy, so FDA has only used this authority in limited situations when it is unable to drive voluntary compliance.

Once a facility’s registration is suspended, it would no longer be able to enter food into inter- or intra-state commerce or import/export product into or out of the U.S., as applicable.

Disclosure of Registration Number One question that comes up every now and then is whether registration numbers must be shared with business customers. Although on occasion, a commercial customer may ask or demand that a supplier’s registration number be shared, there is no requirement to list the registration number (or numbers) on the food label or share it with business customers.

In fact, FDA discourages food facilities from publicly disclosing their registration numbers to prevent others from using the registration number for improper purposes, so be very cautious about sharing such information, if asked. However, bear in mind that imported food needs to provide the registration number at entry as part of the Prior Notice process, so you may need to share your registration number in this context in order to facilitate imports.

To wrap up, even though we are still in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, FDA has not announced any plans to postpone this year’s renewal period, which is just around the corner.

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So, be sure you review FDA’s guidance and make sure you are registered properly, if required, and all information is up-to-date and completed before the end of the year.

For additional reading, see FDA’s guidance on Food Facility Registration: Guidance for Industry: Questions and Answers Regarding Food Facility Registration (Seventh Edition) Guidance for Industry: What You Need to Know About Registration of Food Facilities; Small Entity Compliance Guide Guidance for Industry: Necessity of the Use of Food Product Categories in Food Facility Registrations and Updates to Food Product Categories

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More information from FDA is available here.

John Allan is Vice President for Regulatory Affairs and International Standards at the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), based in Washington, D.C. www.idfa.org Rich Draper is the CEO and Co-Founder of The Ice Cream Club, Inc., in Boynton Beach, Florida. www.icecreamclub.com

IT’S ALL ABOUT KIDS Malcolm Stogo -Ice Cream Univeristy

Some day, stores will be open and families with kids will come for your ice cream treat. In the New Normal, we all know that, ice cream retailing to a very large extent, is all about kids. How to get them into our stores, make their ice cream experience pleasant and fun, finding a way to get them to want to come back.

While many of you might think this is no big deal, and not very difficult, it does require a maximum effort on your part to capture the imagination of kids in general, that your place is something special. So, how is done? With six integral parts: Your attitude Kid’s menu Kid’s flavors Birthday party room Kid’s toys given out as a promotion Kid’s birthday club So let’s begin, because if you think kids, you can’t lose!

Your Attitude Too many ice cream store operators have relied too much on ways business was done in the past. Simply having great tasting flavors in a dipping cabinet to appeal to the “high school and up generation,” “yuppies,” and an “older sophisticated crowd,” won’t work today.

The driving force behind ice cream retail decision-making is the “kid,” ages 5-12. They bring in the whole family, and to a large

extent, tell their parents where they want to go.

To really learn how important this age group is, simply stand next to a cashier at a large supermarket, and see what is purchased: ice cream and ice novelties galore, and tons of snacks. And when it’s time to go for that after dinner dessert, parents go where their kids will be most happy.

So, start thinking, how can I attract kids to my place?

Kid’s Menu The idea around designing a kid’s menu is to play to the market of what parents want for their young kids in size, at a very good price, and is so enticing that the kids themselves ask their parents- “Can I have that.”

Kid’s Cup or Cone So what’s so wrong with having a designated size strictly for kids? Many ice cream store owners are very resistant to having this size because they say that parents in many instances want this size, and by giving it to them, it reduces the price of the overall sale.

My retort to this is “So.” What’s wrong with satisfying the customer? That is what we are in business for. The reality is that some parents might ask for a kid’s cone or cup for themselves, but the percentage is so small, that it isn’t worth getting worked up about.

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So what is the proper size and cost of a kid’s cone or cup? Price at .99 centsSize at 2-2½ ounces hard or soft serve ice cream with ¼ ounce rainbow sprinkles- free of charge. In this instance the toy is the free sprinkles.Why .99 cents? It’s below $1.00 and is an easy sale.Kid’s SundaeKids like simple things with lots of color that they can easily see with their eyes at first glance. That’s why a kid’s sundae must be bright, and easily identified with what they like in general. Price these at $1.59.

Below are a few examples:

Put a big burst of whipped cream on each scoop.

Sprinkle with chopped nuts and chocolate bark shavings.

Top off the entire concoction with three stemmed maraschino cherries.

Put two Nabisco wafers on each end.

Serve with a long-handled spoon.

Ingredients: 2 ounces Soft ice cream ½ ounce Bittersweet chocolate fudge ½ ounce Whipped Cream ¼ ounce Rainbow sprinkles 1 Cherry Preparation: Dispense two ounces of soft or hard ice cream into the cup. Spoon chocolate fudge and rainbow sprinkles over the ice cream.

SUNDAES Winter is the best time of getting customers into your shop and keeping them there.

Here’s why! The schtick that makes an ice cream shop stand apart from its competition is not only the quality and uniqueness of its ice cream, but the different kinds of sundaes it offers. The crazier the better. Trust me on this!

BANANA SPLIT JUST FOR KIDS ONLY 9 Steps to a Perfect Banana Split Peel a fresh banana and split it in two the long way.

Line up the halves at the bottom of a special glass dish.

Add one scoop each of vanilla, chocolate and strawberry ice cream.

Cover with crushed pineapple, chocolate syrup and fresh strawberries.

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Malcolm Stogo

www.icecreamuniversity.com

How to Make Instagram Interactive Story Features Work for Your Business Instagram Stories were launched four years ago this month, in August 2016. Today, more than 500 million users post to Instagram Stories daily. With content expiring after 24 hours, unless it is saved to your Highlights, Instagram Stories are a great place for your brand to post the latest announcements, share behind-the-scenes looks, give sneak peeks and gear up for big reveals.

Since Instagram Stories first launched, new features have been added to help personalize your Story content. Just this week, new fonts were added to give users additional text styles to overlay on video and photo content.

Instagram’s interactive Story features are some of our favorites to use for brands. We are taking a look at how Instagram’s interactive Story features can be used for your business and how you can implement these features in a professional way.

Poll stickers allow you to ask a question and provide two choices for viewers to choose from. We like using both of these interactive Story concepts to connect with your customers, receive feedback and hear ideas.

For example, a candle company looking to create holiday scents can have customers vote on their favorite combinations. A restaurant can poll followers to help select a new cocktail special. A doctor’s office can use these features as a learning tool to share something that their patients might not have known. Always be sure to follow up after the poll/quiz is complete to share responses or results. This helps to take the process full-circle for your followers and encourages future interaction and engagement.

To access all of the interactive features we discuss, be sure your Instagram app has the latest update. Once you’re in the app, swipe to access your Instagram Story, either choose the Create feature, record a video, take a picture or upload one directly from your camera roll. Swipe up to see all of the interactive features that can then be used for your business.

Quiz and Poll Stickers Quiz stickers can be added to your Stories to give followers a multiple choice formatted response after you pose a question.

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Question Sticker Question stickers can be edited to ask a question, hear feedback, ask for suggestions and start a conversation. Use Question stickers to spark up a Q & A session, receive ideas from your individual followers or answer frequently asked questions. This feature can be used to help center your brand on its customers. A clothing retail brand can ask it’s followers to respond with what styles they are wanting to shop for the upcoming season. A coffee shop can do a fun Q & A on tips and tricks for their customers’ favorite drinks. A dentist’s office can offer to answer questions about dental health. These ideas can also be taken from the Instagram questions and used on your brand’s website for blog topics or future content inspiration!

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Countdown Sticker A customizable Countdown sticker can be added to any of your Instagram Stories to give your followers a timeline before a new product launches, an announcement is made or an event takes place. Use it to create hype and excitement for your followers. Be sure to customize your Countdown to detail what you are counting down to.

It can be placed on a Story days before the launch/event/announcement, but it can also be helpful to include it on a Story within 24 hours so that followers can follow the excitement. A retail brand can use the Countdown sticker to countdown to the release of a new product. A venue can use the Countdown sticker to encourage last minute sales before a big event. A lawyer can use the sticker feature to countdown before revealing a new office location announcement.

Instagram is known for staying on top of trends with new rollouts, updates and feature launches. Their interactive Story features are some of our favorite ways to encourage follower engagement, hear from customers and receive feedback directly from your audience. Try including these

stickers in your upcoming content and let us know what you think! Look for updates on Instagram’s newest feature, Reels, and how you can use it for your business!

Camille Vlahos www.themodernconnection.com

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Frozen Dessert Flavors:What Should I Buy? Jim Stutz-Lilar Corporation This is a very broad definition and may not answer any specific question as to what a customer needs to prepare their ice cream, so let’s consider what flavors do in frozen desserts. What do flavors do?

Provide Flavor--Obviously, flavors give our frozen desserts unique and identifiable taste characteristics Provide Aroma-- Many of our flavors also prDivision of Lilar Corporation At Dippin’ Flavors we offer a wide variety of frozen dessert flavors and ingredients and our most frequently asked questions is, “What should I buy?”. Customers examine our product catalog and contact us trying to determine the right ingredients and flavor components that they need to produce a desired frozen dessert. Unfortunately, the best answer is not typically a simple one.To answer this question appropriately, we need to consider several attributes of the customers’ business, but firstly, let’s discuss what we consider a flavor to be in our business. A definition for a flavor may be: “A combination of a variety of functional food ingredients” Provide Texture--Depending on the frozen dessert the flavor ingredients may need to give the product unique textures, crunches, and mouthfeel

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Provide Texture--Depending on the frozen dessert the flavor ingredients may need to give the product unique textures, crunches, and mouthfeel Provide stabilization--Some flavor ingredients are also required to stabilize the frozen dessert depending on the desired finished product Provide Appearance-Color- Many flavors include the coloring component for the frozen dessert Particulates- Ingredients like fruit puree, stabilized fruit and inclusions are designed to add fruit-show or attractive, appetizing contrast to the frozen dessert With the functions of the flavor ingredients in mind, we have classified our product offerings into the following categories to help customers understand and select items: Flavor Bases, Purees, Fruit Preparations-Typically a shelf stable, pourable ingredient which can be added to the mix prior to freezing or post freezer Flavor Concentrates, Extracts--Liquid ingredient, Natural or Artificial, added to mix prior to freezing Inclusions, Mix-Ins--Broad variety of ingredients including candies, bakery

items, chocolate products and nuts Toppings-- Includes, fudges, caramels, fruits, candies and whip cream Variegates, Swirls--Stabilized ingredient added to dessert post freezing. Wide range of flavors including chocolate, fruit, marshmallow and caramel Coatings--Includes unique products for soft serve, hard pack ice cream, cones and fruit Powders,Mixes-Includes cocoa powders, neutral mix bases and waffle cone mixes Colors-- Usually liquid color for ease of application, includes natural and synthetic colorants With a brief understanding of the types of ingredients available, we can now consider the specific product positioning that our customer is targeting. The ingredient that we recommend is highly determined by how the retail store plans to market their product offerings. Therefore, before we answer “What should I buy?”, we need to know “What will you be selling and to whom”.

Here are some aspects to consider: Type of product offering: Premium Ice Cream Frozen Custard Soft Service All Natural Sugar Free Before determining which flavor ingredients to recommend, we need to understand what product you plan to offer on your menu. This may also be affected by how you display your items.

Market Price Point Determining the selling price point for your products will impact the type of flavor ingredients that can be used.

Customer/Market Preferences Understanding and defining preferences of your customers is important to satisfy their expectations and setting your

business apart from competition.

Equipment capabilities Your equipment capabilities will determine which type of product you can produce and also play a role in the type of ingredients you can incorporate into your mix or frozen dessert Ingredient Availability Seasonal items Market conditions Current market prices Several market conditions can affect your choice of ingredients, including seasonality of fruits and nuts, availability, market prices and growing conditions Ingredient Cost Of course, much consideration needs to be given to the flavor ingredient price.

Remember to include the freight charges to determine a “delivered cost”.

Many items will have high distribution cost depending on order quantity and mode of transportation.

This is especially true for refrigerated or frozen items.

Personal Preference Ultimately, your personal preference, in conjunction with your customers preferences, will impact your flavor ingredient choices

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Once we have established your retail business model, capabilities, cost parameters and preferences, we can begin to determine the flavor ingredients you should purchase. Unfortunately, many of the ingredients that we offer have rather limited descriptions and typically it is difficult to choose an item based on catalog description or even price. Further factors like usage rate, storage conditions, packaging and shelf life play important considerations in ingredient choices. We usually spend significant discussion with customers to describe potential ingredients including method of use, handling, storage requirements and functionality.

As an example let’s illustrate our discussion for a customer wishing to make Strawberry Ice Cream. At this point we might know the type of product they plan to produce and how it will be marketed, however, there are many recipes and methods to create Strawberry ice cream.

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Let’s say they plan to create a premium hard pack ice cream and want high quality ingredients. We have numerous recipes to recommended all of which have specific pros and cons. Here a few examples using alternate ingredient options: Ingredient Type: 1. Fresh Fruit Fresh strawberries make delicious ice cream and indeed most retailers want to capture that fresh fruit taste in their frozen dessert. However, working with fresh fruit has complexities to consider: Availability-fresh strawberries may only be available during certain seasons of the year or in limited quantities depending on your location Variety-different varieties of strawberries offer unique flavor profiles and you may have issues maintaining the same product quality throughout the year Food Safety-working with fresh fruit requires careful handling to maintain adequate food safety in your store and production areas. Also preparing the fresh fruit for ice cream may be cumbersome for untrained employees Ingredient Storage and Shelf Life-fresh fruit requires specific cold storage and has limited shelf life in which to incorporate in the ice cream 2. Frozen Fruit Frozen strawberries may be a good alternative to frozen fruit because it reduces the issues of availability, variety and cost variance throughout a typical season. However, you may still face the following issues: Storage-fruit needs to remain frozen during transportation and storage Handling-careful thawing and handling is needed to maintain good quality and food safety practices Appearance-depending on variety, age and quality, frozen fruit typically lacks in color and texture compared to fresh

fruit Flavor/Color-processing of the frozen strawberries typically reduces the fresh fruit flavor and natural color 3. Flavor Bases or Purees Using prepared flavor bases and purees to make strawberry ice cream provides a number of advantages in storage, handling and safety issues, however, flavor considerations must be acknowledged: Shelf Life-Shelf stable flavor bases and purees offer long shelf life Low cost storage-prepared bases typically do not require refrigerated shipping or storage until opened Food Safety and Handling-greatly reduced safety and handling issues with processed prepared bases and purees Flavor/Color-prepared bases and purees typically have added color and flavor to provide consistency from batch to batch Preserve/Jammy Flavor?-Due to heat processing of prepared bases some items obtain a less desirable preserve/jammy strawberry flavor compared to fresh fruit

As you can see, selecting which flavor ingredient to use can be much more involved than initially thought. However, when you consider the relevance these ingredients play in your customers’ perception of quality, variety, wholesomeness and uniqueness in your products, then spending significant time and money on your flavor choices should appear a great investment for your business.

For these reasons we highly suggest working closely with your ingredient supplier or distributor to get the best recommendations that truly work well for your business.

Jim Stutz

dippinflavors.com

After all of these options are discussed and illustrated we may provide a suggested recipe for the customer. Below is one of our most popular recipes for a premium Strawberry Ice Cream:

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MARKETING CALENDAR SEPTEMEBER 2020 Daily Holidays Random Acts of Kindness Day or Be Kind Day: 1 Coconut Day: 2 Skyscraper Day: 3 National Food Bank Day: 4 National College Colors Day: 4 Bacon Day: 5 National Cowgirl Day: 5 Labor Day: 7 Pet Rock Day: 8 National Dog Walker Appreciation Day: 11 Banana Day: 12 National Day of Encouragement: 12 Grandparent's Day: 13 International Chocolate Day: 13 National Celiac Awareness Day: 13 National Peanut Day: 13 National Boss/Employee Exchange Day: 14 National Kreme Filled Donut Day: 14 National Cheese Toast Day: 15 National Guacamole Day: 16 Constitution Day: 17 National Cheeseburger Day: 18 National Doodle Day: 20 National Fried (Also Nov. 11)International Lace Day: 30

National String Cheese Day: 20 Autumn (Autumnnal Equinox): 22 Elephant Appreciation Day: 22 Ice Cream Cone Day: 22 White Chocolate Day: 22 Vegan Baking Day: 25 National Dumpling Day: 26 Family Day: 28 National Good Neighbor Day: 28 International Coffee Day: 29 World Heart Day: 29

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MARKETING CALENDAR OCTOBER 2020 Daily Holidays International Coffee Day: 1 Willy Wonka Day: 1 World Smile Day: 2 National Taco Day: 4 Pickle Day: 4 (See also Nov. 15)Vodka Day: 4 World Teachers Day: 5 National Noodle Day: 6 Chocolate Covered Pretzel Day: 7 National Salmon Day: 8 National Family Bowling Day : 9 National Cake Decorating Day: 1 Father-Daughter Day: 11 National Farmer's Day: 12 National Chess Day: 13 Emergency Nurses Day: 14 National Fossil Day: 14 Take Your Parents To Lunch Day: 14 National Cake Decorating Day: 15 National Cheese Curd Day: 15 National Grouch Day: 15 Get to Know Your Customers Day: 16 Global Cat Day: 16 Boss's Day : 16 National Pasta Day: 17 National Chocolate Cupcake Day: 18 Evaluate Your Life Day: 19 Pay Back A Friend Day: 2)

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National Nut Day: 22 IPod Day: 23 Food Day: 24 Mother-in-Law Day: 25 Champagne Day: 28 National Chocolate Day: 28 International Bandanna Day: 30 National Candy Corn Day: 30 Books For Treats Day: 31 Halloween or All Hallows Eve: 31 Magic Day: 31 National Caramel Apple Day: 31

Please find them as follows:

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.

1 issues 3 issues 1/4 page $70 $65

6 issues $60

11 issues $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 twelve-month 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 George Xouris, Andia’s Homemade Ice Cream, Morrisville, NC President Elect Dave Deadman, Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream, Madison, WI Vice President Patti Otte, Sweet Firefly Gourmet Ice Cream, Richardson.

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

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Secretary/Treasurer Elect Kelly Larson, Sweet Temptations, Grand Haven, MI Immediate Past President David Deadman, Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream, Madison, WI Executive Director Steve Christensen, Chesterfield, MO Terms Ending Annual Meeting 2020 Valerie Henrici, Yummies, Warsaw, NY Andy Jones, Lloyd’s of PA, Prince Frederick, MD Sue Kloter, Kloter Ice Cream Barn, Ellington, CT Donnie Montgomery, Homestead Creamery, Wirtz, VA Jason Mandler, Carmen's Italian Ice, Rockville, MD 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

2020 SUPPLIER OFFICERS

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.

President Kyle Cameron, Joy Cone Co., Hermitage, PA Vice President Ben Keser, Novelty Cone, Pennsauken Township, NJ Secretary/Treasurer Evan Waldt, Ice Cream Equipment Spec. Reno, NV Chairman Cherish Mathews, Forbes Chocolate, Broadview Hts., OH

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.

COMMITTEES AND COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN Executive Committee George Xouris, Andia’s Homemade Ice Cream, Morrisville, NC Nominating Committee David Deadman, Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream, Madison, WI

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.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Please “LIKE” us on Facebook using your personal Facebook page (not your business Facebook page) in order to receive our comments in your News Feed.

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