Never-ending Nitro Ice Cream: A Globe Case Study

Being on top of the latest food trends is a way to increase customer satisfaction, but only if you have the right equipment to keep up. One ice cream parlor discovered their mixers couldn’t handle the unique ingredients of nitro ice cream and they needed to quickly pivot before their business was impacted. Here’s how Globe Mixers helped turn things around by increasing their output and reputation.

The Backstory of Nitro Ice Cream

Believed to have been created for the royalty of China between 618 and 907, ice cream is a popular dish now enjoyed worldwide. Categorized as a top five dessert in the United States, it’s estimated the average American eats 20 pounds of ice cream per year. To keep up, businesses are always developing new flavors and types of ice cream.

One current trend in making ice cream is nitro ice cream. Made with liquid nitrogen, the process flash churns the cream at -321 degrees Fahrenheit. This creates a frozen treat with a smoother texture than traditional ice cream. But the idea of nitro ice cream isn’t a new one. In fact, the process is over 120 years old and created by an English woman, Agnes Marshall. Her idea that using liquid nitrogen could speed up the process while producing smaller ice crystals was correct. A well-known cook and writer, Marshall almost faded into obscurity after her death in the early 1900s. Until a business in St. Louis was inspired by her ingenuity and decided to name their establishment after her frozen dessert cookbook – Ices Plain & Fancy.

With Popularity Comes Issues

Making nitro ice cream treats with flavors like salted dulce de leche and mint chip and exploring the realms of boozy ice cream has put Ices Plain & Fancy on the map.

“Flash churning ice cream with LN₂ has several advantages, first of all being the freshest ice cream you can get!” said one of the co-owners. “The process freezes the ice cream so fast that ice crystals do not have time to grow, resulting in a dense, smooth ice cream with an amazing texture.”

When they first opened their doors, Ices was using a residential brand of mixers to get them started. In theory, it seemed like the best thing to do. But in reality, the original mixers couldn’t handle making hundreds of gallons of nitro ice cream a week. As a result, the mixers broke quickly and often. Some didn’t even last an entire day.

Globe Mixers to the Rescue

Upon realizing that using residential mixers was a poor choice, the owners of Ices began doing research. What they found was the 5-quart Globe countertop mixer. With a 10-speed motor that can mix delicate meringues as easily as it can dense pizza dough, it’s able to run consistently without stressing the motor. This worked great for Ices since their mixers are running from 10 to 12 hours per day. And with a two-year parts and labor warranty, along with a labor on-site warranty, owners have comfort in knowing any downtime that might happen is limited and repaired quickly.

Looking for a mixer that will help your foodservice business work quicker and more efficiently? Look no further than Globe!

References:

United States Census Bureau

Ices Plain & Fancy