Starting an Ice Cream Business?
Homemade ice cream or gelato is increasingly popular and in demand from the great British public. With the increase in parlours and gelaterias across the UK, consumers have come to expect a range of artisan flavours in a large cabinet, but how do you decide which flavours to offer? When starting an ice cream business there are many factors to take into account. Antonelli provide training courses specifically for those entrepreneurs who are considering starting an ice cream business. Before we examine which flavours are ‘a must’ in your cabinet let’s take a look at what you need to do before you even get to making ice cream…
Ice cream training courses for starting an ice cream business
Antonelli are proud to be able to offer a selection of ice cream training courses to assist and guide those people who are starting an ice cream business. In particular we offer GelBiz (so you want to start a gelato business) and So You Want to Make Gelato (SYWTMG), which guide you through all the aspects you need to consider when starting an ice cream business, from site, finance, staffing, equipment and branding, to market position, business type and recipes. To find out more about the GelBiz and SYWTMG ice cream training courses take a look at our training pages http://antonelli.co.uk/trainin... or email us on training@antonelli.co.uk.
Must have flavours for your ice cream cabinet
There are certain ice cream flavours that most experienced gelateria or parlour owners will agree are ‘must haves’ at all times. The top of this list is the ever reliable and popular - Vanilla. Some customers no matter with what array of exotic flavours they are faced will just always choose vanilla. Now vanilla can vary dramatically in taste, texture and colour but we usually suggest you start with one you like and then you can adapt it to suit your local customers’ tastes.
The second level of must have flavours are strawberry and chocolate which basically covers the traditional ‘Neopolitan’ selection that used to be the total range available in supermarkets in the 70s and 80s. To this we have also more recently added the ever popular salted caramel which has etched its place in the Antonelli flavour pyramid over the last decade. These traditional flavours can be presented in different styles depending upon the brand of the product.
The next level of flavours becomes more of a debate and depends on how many flavours you have space to offer and your consumer demographics plus the type of establishment you want to create. This includes classics such as raspberry ripple, mint choc chip, rum & raisin, as well as flavours such as toffee, coconut, pistachio, honeycomb and a blue ice cream such as bubblegum.
Beyond these you can also look at coffee, walnut, mango, cookies, nutella, hazelnut, wild berries, yoghurt options, pineapple, white chocolate, pavlova, tiramisu, liquorice, whiskey cream, almond and blackcurrant. Obviously the list of flavours available today is virtually endless as gelato makers add their own twists, seasonal and flavour combinations. Dessert flavours like the pavlova, tiramisu, apple pie and various cakes (carrot cake, lemon drizzle, brownie etc) have been particularly successful in recent years.
All these recipes need balancing and careful consideration of texture as well as which inclusions and variegati to use. However don’t let that put you off, as it is great fun creating new flavours. The team at Antonelli are always on hand either to visit, or at the end of the phone to assist you in working out what will work best for your market in your cabinet. As sole UK distributors for Italian company MEC3 ingredients (the worlds leading flavour house) we have the benefit of a vast range of ingredients, flavours and kits for you to try. To discuss your plans for starting an ice cream business give us a call on 0843 515 1912. We look forward to supporting you as you set up and beyond.
