Understanding the ice cream business
It’s true what they say: find something you love to do, and you’ll never work another day in your life! I have been in the ice cream industry for nearly half of my life. My dad and my uncles were electrical engineers who got into the frozen treats business quite by accident in the early 1950s. I have worked this trade in New England for decades now, and still very much enjoy meeting entrepreneurial self-starters who are seeking a fun new way to earn a living.
Having an ice cream store is a great business—let’s face it: people rarely frown when you hand them a cone! What's more, the high profit margins involved in most menu items allow the business to be seasonal, affording the owners a lot of off-season time they can enjoy with family & friends, engaging in their favorite hobbies, and/or travelling.
Running an ice cream store can be very rewarding, but like in any business, there will be a few hiccups you have to deal with along the way. Once you have dealt with these issues a first time, you will have the confidence to know what to do the next time around. Gleaning from decades of experience, I've put together some resources for people that are new to the industry & looking for answers to their frozen treats questions. Below are some of the most frequently encountered technical difficulties ice cream store owners have with their equipment. Let us know if there are other topics you'd like to see covered.
Things to check before calling a tech—what to do when your soft serve ice cream is too soft or too hard
Calibrating a food-grade thermometer
Gravity-fed vs. pressure-fed freezers: what's the difference?
Single phase or three phase electricity?
Pump mechanisms in frozen treats equipment: gear pumps vs. piston pumps vs. peristaltic pumps
Remote feed equipment vs. drawers system
Mix-inlet-regulators or carburetors
Having an ice cream store is a great business—let’s face it: people rarely frown when you hand them a cone! What's more, the high profit margins involved in most menu items allow the business to be seasonal, affording the owners a lot of off-season time they can enjoy with family & friends, engaging in their favorite hobbies, and/or travelling.
Running an ice cream store can be very rewarding, but like in any business, there will be a few hiccups you have to deal with along the way. Once you have dealt with these issues a first time, you will have the confidence to know what to do the next time around. Gleaning from decades of experience, I've put together some resources for people that are new to the industry & looking for answers to their frozen treats questions. Below are some of the most frequently encountered technical difficulties ice cream store owners have with their equipment. Let us know if there are other topics you'd like to see covered.
Things to check before calling a tech—what to do when your soft serve ice cream is too soft or too hard
Calibrating a food-grade thermometer
Gravity-fed vs. pressure-fed freezers: what's the difference?
Single phase or three phase electricity?
Pump mechanisms in frozen treats equipment: gear pumps vs. piston pumps vs. peristaltic pumps
Remote feed equipment vs. drawers system
Mix-inlet-regulators or carburetors