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Direct marketing with ice cream - super cool, super easy!
Katharina Rösner
Not only in the summer months ice cream is very popular but can be eaten at any time of the year. Since you don't need a master craftsman's certificate for an ice cream parlour, in theory, anyone can open an ice cream shop. This may be interesting for entrepreneurs in direct marketing or with a dairy farm if they already produce most of the ingredients themselves.
In terms of diversifying establishing your own ice cream production makes sense, as you are free regarding the composition of ingredients and price calculation. Because of today's milk prices, it is important for farms, especially dairy farms, to build up several pillars. If you already market other products directly, ice cream is not far away. In 2023, 7.9 liters of ice cream per capita were consumed. Overall, the volume fell compared to the previous year. The consumption of ice cream from the supermarket was higher than in ice cream parlors. Consumers also attach more importance to quality, which includes not only high-quality ingredients, but also Fair Trade Labels. So homemade ice cream of high quality is definitely still popular and the own production is therefore worthwhile. So how do you go about it?
There are many marketing channels for ice cream. Producing and selling ice cream can be lucrative, especially during the summer months. However, packaged ice cream can sell well beyond the summer months. Investments are between 50,000 and 150,000 euros. Depending on whether you already have hygienically equipped rooms. Absolutely necessary are a pasteur, ice cream maker and coffer. Sales showcases are necessary if you sell the ice cream in the farm café, out of an ice cream truck or at an ice cream stand. Many also rely on Self-service sales huts. You can sell the ice cream via your online shop and deliver it directly to customers, although of course you have to fill and package it. Many also sell it in local supermarkets. You either produce and process the milk on your own farm or buy the ingredients. Of course, you can also go straight to the big picture and open an ice cream parlour. Even though it is an apprenticeship, there is no master craftsman's certificate required for opening an ice cream parlour.
The rooms must be checked by veterinarians before you can start using them. For food processing companies or direct marketing companies need an approval in addition to the registry - through the veterinary office. This requires a picture of the enterprise and an operational plan. However, the requirements can be very different. Registration must be made 28 days before the start. Food businesses of original or primary production require neither an approval nor registration if they only grow and process plants. They need both when they produce and process meat or milk, or market more than small quantities of it. At an amount of more than 33 percent or a distance of more than 100 kilometers, you exceed “small quantities” and “regional marketing.”
Dairy farms can operate in their own dairy process milk for being independent of low prices paid by the dairies. If you have your own dairy in addition to your dairy farm, this is usually considered as artisanal subsidiary. The condition is that you sell your products directly from the farm or at the market stand. For this, you need a registration, but no approval. As soon as you sell more than 33 percent of your production to other businesses, such as commercial kitchens or retailers, or in a distance of more than 100 kilometers, or if you do delivery tours to private customers, you must also obtain an approval. Because that is when primary agricultural production is exceeded. It is therefore not quantities or sales that matter, but the type of marketing. For an ice cream truck, you usually need a permit from the city, a so-called road license, because it is a location-independent stand.
Food businesses must comply with the food hygiene regulations and meet some hygienic requirements. They provide, for example, that for the distribution of and the handling of food health advice is needed. Food processing companies have the responsibility, to produce safe food, as otherwise there is a risk of fines or company closures. They can comply with the control by meeting the requirements of the HACCP-Concept. Food safety certificates also upgrade your ice cream. The concept for risk analysis and critical control points is mandatory in accordance with the food hygiene regulations (LMHV). However, you can develop your own concept that complies with the regulations. To do this, you identify all areas where your ice cream could be contaminated and make sure that this does not happen. You also document how you do this.
The room in which you make ice cream, must be tiled and the windows must be fitted with mosquito screens so that no insects can enter the room. The containers must be made of stainless steel, of course the rooms and containers must be clean.
The Primary production as well as the original production are excluded from this, but if you also process products yourself, you must also comply with the regulations. In the case of dairy products, for example, it is essential to heat the ice cream once before chilling and freezing it to kill potential germs. The temperature for this is 82 degrees. Modern ice cream makers can both pasteurize and cool. The minimum temperature is 65 degrees, then the holding time must be increased from 2 to 39 minutes. Machines that come into contact with highly perishable substances must be disinfected daily, which is also included in cleaning plans.
It makes sense to place the various work steps in different parts of the kitchen or production room and to separate them neatly so that they are cleaned individually in order to avoid contamination during processing as far as possible. If you use eggs, it makes sense to add them to only within one area when they are raw and separate the containers for cleaning from other containers.
For the recipes, the right ingredients and their properties are to be taken into account. For example, eggs are needed as a thickening agent. However, since they coagulate at temperatures that are too cold or too warm and influence the consistency of the ice cream, it may be useful to use other binding agents such as locust bean gum or guar gum. These are not animal-derived and therefore more hygienic. There are also pasteurized eggs, which are more hygienic than fresh ones. But if you use eggs from your own production, it also makes sense, of course.
You can also use different types sugar which have a different effect on the ice cream consistency because of their different properties. Dextrose is not as sweet as sucrose, invert sugar syrup is significantly sweeter and creamy. Dextrose inhibits crystallization, but too much causes the ice cream to become too soft in the end. Invert sugar is often used in preparation due to its beneficial properties, but as a glucose-fructose mixture it is actually worse than other types of sugar.
Lactose can also act as fillers, as the high protein content provides more serve volume. Plant-based dietary fiber for example, is inulin, which — contrary to what the name might suggest — is harmless to health. Grease also makes the ice cream creamy, for which cream is often used. For vegan or lactose-free varieties, natural vegetable fat is then used.
Home-made ice cream has the advantage that the profit margins are taller than with industrially produced ice cream because you rely on natural ingredients to set yourself apart from the competition. You can think of any imaginable Unique Selling Point for your ice cream production. With it, you can set higher prices than for ice cream from industry. Your customers appreciate the quality and are happy to accept higher prices. For example, you can use regional ingredients or even offer vegan or lactose-free varieties . In addition, handcrafted ice cream does not contain any extra whipped air, but only that “naturally” comes in during the process. For fruit ice cream, you can use more real fruits - industrial ice cream is often fruit puree. It can therefore be worthwhile to develop your own recipes. For starters, however, it might be a good idea to start with the classic varieties and then add more exotic ones to your range.
Good quality homemade ice cream is becoming increasingly popular, which is why you rely on the factor of regional production and natural ingredients. You determine the prize and build a second mainstay in your regional direct marketing. Before you start, you must overcome a few bureaucratic hurdles because of food hygiene, but it turns out that it is definitely worth it. If you are still looking for a suitable ERP software to market your homemade ice cream, FrachtPilot may be a perfect choice ;) Visit us online, book a free webinar to get to know us or test FrachtPilot for free. We're looking forward to seeing you!
