Soft-serve ice cream is the most popular type of frozen treat during the summer season, as it is the most popular among vacationers. The main distinguishing feature of this delicacy is its soft, delicate structure, reminiscent of slightly melted ice cream. The advantage of such a business is low costs and quick sale of goods. Well, today’s article will discuss how to organize such a profitable business.
What does that require
In order to launch your own outlet selling soft ice cream, the seller will need:
- a machine for making ice cream or, as it is also called, a freezer. You just need to place all the necessary ingredients in it and the desired product will be ready in a few minutes. But, the price of equipment for ice cream production is somewhat steep and can reach several hundred thousand rubles. Therefore, if you plan to open no more than 3 points, then it is more advisable to make purchases from the manufacturer (there is a whole line for the production of ice cream). If an entrepreneur has his own ice cream production line, the price will be around 50 thousand rubles.
- ice cream machine. It maintains the required temperature so that the ice cream maintains its buttery consistency.
- and lastly, we will need cones into which the ice cream will actually be placed through the ice cream machine.
Business profitability
Before you open your own business, you need to calculate its profitability in order not to go into the red in the first quarter and recoup the initial costs. The calculation is quite simple:
So, in this way, we can calculate that the profitability of this business is 400 rubles.
It is important to know: from the practice of already established businessmen who have launched the production of ice cream as a business, we can conclude that over 300-500 cones of such ice cream can be sold per day (the number of servings depends on many factors, for example, weather, day of the week and other).
In general, with a straightforward approach to starting a business and establishing an adequate pricing policy for the product you offer, you can open over three retail outlets in just one season, provided you have the minimum capital required for this business. Well, in order to be absolutely sure of the success of the business, you need to follow certain rules, which will be discussed below.
Rules are the key to the success of a successful business
So, what rules should you follow to open your own soft-serve ice cream shop?
Business plan for ice cream production:
First stage
Market research. Before opening your own business, it is best to study this service sector market. Look at similar points, their pricing policy and assortment. Also, you can kindly ask the sellers at these points, like a curious customer, and at the same time buy a portion of ice cream. The best way to understand this business from the inside is to work as a seller of this delicacy. The next step in the study is choosing an implementation point. It is recommended to choose crowded places where there will always be a guaranteed lot of people (for example, parks, playgrounds and shopping centers), in addition, the cost of renting a place depends on the position set you choose. Choose the place where there will be the fewest competitors in order to become a kind of “monopoly” if, so to speak, in a particular area. Well, the final stage is the popularization of the brand. The best places to help in this matter are street food festivals, exhibitions and other similar events.
Second phase
Selection of equipment (for example, equipment for an ice cream cone). If everything is in order with finances, then for further savings it is best to buy your own soft-serve ice cream machine. Choosing equipment is not an easy matter, since it is necessary to take into account work factors (how many portions will be made per day, what working and storage conditions will be for the products, etc.). It is best to choose multifunctional machines with the ability to produce cold yogurt, milkshakes, etc. to further expand the range (remember, the larger the range, the greater the flow of customers). Also, multi-power freezers will be able to serve a large number of clients at one time. Equipment for soft ice cream can cost between 200-250 thousand rubles. A simpler ice cream machine is naturally smaller (within 100 thousand rubles), but also has reduced functionality compared to its more expensive counterparts. As a rule, the cost of a freezer depends on the country of manufacture.
Of course, devices made in China and Korea are the most popular, as they have full functionality at a relatively low cost. In addition, if you find a company in your city that sells such equipment, it is recommended that you contact them for advice and purchase the device, since in this way you can learn first-hand all the principles of the freezer’s operation. You should also voice the main mistake of novice businessmen. Due to their inexperience, when they order equipment for making ice cream on the Internet, they may confuse a freezer with a granizer, since these devices are similar in many ways. But, the latter is designed for preparing cold smoothies and frozen yogurts. Besides,
Third stage
Registration of an individual entrepreneur. There are several ways to register. The first is registration through a law firm, which will do all the work for you for 5 thousand rubles. The second way is to do everything yourself. First, you need to collect all the documents (passport first, second and third pages, as well as registration and a photocopy of the taxpayer identification number). Next, you need to go to the tax office at your place of registration and go to the identification number registration office, where the required inspector will provide a form to fill out. You will need to fill it out and pay a state fee of 800 rubles. Within three working days, registration of an individual entrepreneur will be completed. Next, you need to have all the collected documents certified by a notary, after which, on a set date, you can pick up all the documents, as well as the registration certificate.
Fourth stage
Passing the sanitary-epidemiological station. The fourth stage is the most important in opening your own point selling soft ice cream, since in order to obtain permission to trade you must comply with all sanitary and epidemiological standards. Also, the quality and safety of the products sold depend on the cleanliness of your outlet (this should never be forgotten). At the point where street food is sold, there must be a change of clothes or a robe covering everyday clothes, gloves, which should always be worn by the employee when selling delicacies, supplied water and sewerage for washing hands and draining waste, an additional refrigerator (if necessary for storing additional ingredients ). Also, the equipment itself must always be clean, since food products pass through the freezer.
Fifth stage
Personnel selection. Well, the final, but no less important stage is support for the distributor of your products. Of course, there will be many candidates for this position, but there are several criteria by which it is necessary to select personnel for your retail outlet: having a health certificate and passing a medical examination in order to make sure that the future employee does not have diseases (tuberculosis, E. coli and etc.) and personal qualities. Everyone associates ice cream with pleasant memories, and the ice cream maker should evoke the same pleasant emotions. It is best for him to be a cheerful and sociable person. This way, customers will remember your point and will come to you, bypassing your competitors. In addition, an employment contract for the season must be concluded with the employee. This way, you and your employee will have legal guarantees for further work.
As you can see, the soft ice cream business is not a simple matter and you need to go through many checks and authorities in order to open your own small but very profitable business selling everyone’s favorite treat from childhood.
Research what types of ice cream your closest competitors offer. You can gain your customers by selling new or better products. The right choice of location for a retail outlet is of great importance in the ice cream trade. Consider all possible options.
Before drawing up a business plan, study the offers of equipment manufacturers. High performance of the device is not always advisable.
Main risks
Seasonal dependence is not the biggest problem for indoor trading. Ice cream lovers buy it in any, even the most unfavorable weather. The ability to organize trade outdoors in the summer and move indoors with the onset of cold weather reduces this risk.
Selling ice cream is a very popular business. The competition is extremely high. The purchase of a modern device, a good location and the sale of related products will help minimize this risk.
Soft serve ice cream has a very short shelf life. When choosing the performance of the device, this factor should be taken into account. Selling a product past its sell-by date is fraught with serious fines.
Location
The main criterion for choosing a location is liveliness and the absence of competitors nearby. If you successfully choose a place to sell ice cream, the initial costs will pay off within 1-2 months.
Renting a small space in a shopping center or any other premises with a large number of visitors is more expensive, but it eliminates the problem of obtaining a large number of permits, connecting to electricity and water supply, and storing equipment.
Selling soft ice cream on the street is more profitable in the summer. Look for areas with busy city traffic, near parks, educational and entertainment venues. Consider options taking into account the possibility of connecting to electricity and water supply. Also, consider where the equipment will be stored.
Equipment
Equipment for making soft ice cream is offered by both domestic and foreign manufacturers. Important criteria for choosing a particular model are:
Performance.
- Dimensions.
- Electricity consumption.
- Warranty service life.
The difference in the cost of domestic and foreign devices is also significant. Let's conduct a comparative analysis of the two most popular and recommended samples by experts.
SaniServ (USA). Productivity – up to 15 kg/h. Weight – 70 kg. Reliable, allows you to make soft ice cream. Cost – about 150,000 rubles.
RICON-30 (Russia). Productivity – up to 30 kg/h. Weight – 160 kg. The ice cream is slightly worse in consistency. Cost - about 75,000 rubles.
To sell ice cream, you need to buy a standard glass refrigerator chest and counter.
Also, it is worth considering which special mixtures the device works best with. The most popular because of their excellent taste and ease of preparation are American Frosty Freeze mixtures. The price of a package weighing 1.25 kg is 480 rubles. These mixtures are diluted with water in a ratio of 1/5. At the end you get about 6 kg of ice cream. At the same time, you can offer frozen yogurt to customers. YoSoGood dry mix (USA) is the most profitable and popular option. The price of a package weighing 1.25 kg is 600 rubles.
The wholesale cost of a waffle cone is 1.5 rubles; plastic cups and spoons – 1 ruble.
Profitability
On average, one package of dry mixture produces 55-60 servings (100 g) of soft ice cream. Under favorable weather conditions, 350-400 portions can be sold throughout the day. The average cost of ice cream in a vanilla cone is 20 rubles, with a plastic cup – 17-18 rubles. The daily revenue of one point is about 7,500 rubles, the monthly revenue is about 200,000 rubles. Not every day the weather will be favorable for selling ice cream, but on weekends and hot days sales increase sharply.
Current expenses:
Raw materials and consumables - about 80,000 rubles.
Salary – 50,000 rubles.
Rent, taxes, electricity payments and unforeseen expenses - 10,000-12,000 rubles.
Thus, the net monthly profit is about 58,000 rubles.
Personnel
To operate one point, two salespeople should be hired in shifts. Offer employees a salary and bonus equal to a certain percentage of sales. Sellers must have health certificates with permission to work in the food trade.
If there are 2-3 points selling ice cream, the owner can deal with work with suppliers of raw materials and other organizational issues. When expanding your network, you should hire an administrator to manage it.
You can hire a part-time accountant to handle financial and tax reporting.
Documents and licenses
You can register an individual entrepreneur at the tax office. The optimal type of taxation is UTII. For trading on the premises, a lease agreement is concluded with the owner. For street trading - with city authorities.
To obtain permission from the sanitary and epidemiological station, you must provide an agreement for waste removal, water and electricity supply, and certificates from the manufacturer of equipment and raw materials. Also, this organization very strictly controls the availability of medical records with employees undergoing a medical examination within the time prescribed by law.
Marketing
The profitability of soft ice cream trading is extremely high. To reduce risks from poor location or weather conditions, expand the range and network of retail outlets at the slightest opportunity.
Offer refreshing mineral water, drinks made from natural ingredients, cotton candy, other types of ice cream, frozen yogurt, and sweets.
Place several tables under umbrellas near the machine. Create comfort. Flowering plants, pleasant music - all this will make customers stay near your point longer and buy an additional portion.
Summary
Despite high competition and seasonality, selling soft ice cream can become a successful and highly profitable business. The correct choice of location, expansion of the assortment and network of sales points will allow you to quickly achieve payback and generate net profit.
The business of creating and selling soft serve ice cream is spread all over the world.
For many years, sweets have been an integral part of people's entertainment, and almost the only saving grace for children and adults from the summer heat and heat.
Now everyone knows ice cream, and therefore the interest in it from budding entrepreneurs is understandable.
The sweet product has a high level of profitability, income, and is also characterized by minor hassle along with minimal initial investment.
Mixtures
To produce soft serve ice cream, you should use a fat mixture. In some cases, six to eight percent fat is more than sufficient. It is worth noting that if the supplier of the formula offers to dilute them with milk, this indicates a low-quality and bland product, which is undesirable to use.
Making soft serve ice cream from a mixture
Dry mixtures should be diluted one kilogram per 2.9 liters of water. In this case, the ice cream is not only denser, but also much tastier. If this level is exceeded, the ice cream may become more “watery” and not as rich. Ice crystals may appear, causing an unpleasant crunch on the teeth.
A good ice cream mixture is diluted exclusively with water.
Required equipment for ice cream production
After a detailed business plan has been drawn up and approved, it is necessary to select the most suitable equipment for the production of soft ice cream. Below are three of the most common and well-proven freezers.
Softybar 121
The freezer is characterized by a high level of technology and an excellent modern design solution. Made in Italy.
Technical indicators:
- Dimensions: 870 x 580 x 290 mm.
- Productivity is twelve liters per hour.
- Weight: 88 kilograms.
- Cost: 265 thousand rubles.
The equipment has a full range of electronic control of operations, a built-in electromechanical pump, and indication of the remaining mixture for soft ice cream. It also allows you to adjust the whipping level of the finished product.
B-Cream-3
The equipment can produce both soft ice cream and frozen juice. Can be used as a place to store food. The B-Cream-3 freezer has three removable transparent baths with three dispensing angles (each six liters).
B-Cream-3 – freezer for soft ice cream
Technical indicators:
- Weight no more than 61 kilograms.
- Dimensions: 600 x 495 x 595 mm.
- Maximum productivity is up to eighteen liters per hour.
- Cost: 146,120 rubles.
The freezer has a spacious tray for accidentally spilled liquid.
BQL-F58
A floor-mounted freezer that can create up to five different types of soft ice cream.
Characteristics:
- Maximum performance level: twenty-five liters per hour.
- Dimensions: 1480 x 740 x 518 mm.
- Weight: 175 kilograms.
- Cost: 148,000 rubles.
The equipment has an overnight storage mode for already prepared products.
comparison table
Having made a small comparison, you can see that the best choice for starting the production of soft ice cream would be the BQL-F58 freezer, because for a fairly reasonable price it is capable of creating the maximum number of flavors and has high productivity.
Preparing a business plan for selling soft ice cream
Any entrepreneurial activity requires careful preparation and responsibility.
First, you need to draw up a detailed plan for the creation and subsequent development of a business.
It is important to determine the level of initial investment that can be used. Calculate how many kilograms of ice cream will be produced per day and what is the real indicator of its sales.
Based on the obtained values, you should derive the appropriate volume of products required to create soft ice cream.
It is important to provide for as many force majeure circumstances as possible, such as the breakdown of the freezer (the cost of repairing it) and bad weather, during which it is unlikely that there will be good trade.Before starting work, you should also look at the reviews of those who have already been able to open an ice cream outlet and are familiar with all the difficulties of the initial stage. Especially often, novice entrepreneurs are interested in SES inspections, as well as the possible consequences if violations are detected.
Seasonal business can be very profitable and, as a rule, it does not require large investments. , equipment and manufacturing technology.
Read about breeding nutria at home. Business plan and sales plan.
Among agricultural activities, broiler farming is the simplest and most inexpensive business. Here you will learn everything about the features of raising poultry, as well as the sale of finished products.
SES requirements
One of the main problems that should be solved before selling ice cream is the requirements of the SES. If the retail outlet is located in an open area with high foot traffic, the following will be required:
- documentation allowing the use of sewerage;
- uniform covering everyday clothes;
- health book;
- availability of a full range of certificates for the equipment used;
- an agreement for the use of nearby garbage containers, as well as your own trash bin near the place where the products are sold;
- in case of using imported water - an appropriate certificate;
- autonomous washbasin;
- a rag or sponge for wiping the counter, as well as gloves and napkins.
In addition to all of the above, certificates will be required for additional means of storing mixtures if they are used.
SES inspections are carried out by specialists from Rospotrebnadzor three years after opening a business. True, there may be exceptions in the event of an incident or a personal complaint from one of the clients.
Responsibility for violations of the rules of the SES is established in Article 6, 6 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of Russia.
Payback and profitability of a business idea
The initial investment will include the purchase of a BQL-F58 freezer (one hundred and forty-eight thousand rubles), delivery of the freezer (five thousand rubles), and the purchase of cups and mixtures for creating ice cream (ten thousand rubles).
You will also need about twenty thousand rubles for registration with the INFS, along with a monthly rental of a retail space and five thousand rubles for various additional costs (toppings, napkins).
The total amount of initial investment is 188 thousand rubles.
Cost price:
| Name | Consumption | Price | Price |
| ICEDREAM mixture, bag 1.666 kilograms plus water = output - 6.666 kilograms of liquid milk mixture for freezer | One kilogram | 222 rubles | 369 rubles (one package) |
| Cups (waffle) | 13 pieces/kg = 83 pieces per 6.666 kilograms | 1.2 rubles | 99.6 rubles |
| Water | Five liters per 6.666 kilograms | – | – |
| Electricity consumption | 1,1 | 3.5 rubles | 15 kopecks |
| Napkins (one piece each) | 83 pieces | 11 rubles / 50 pieces | 18.26 rubles |
| Total (83 servings): | – | – | 487 rubles |
| Cost of one serving of soft ice cream (80 grams) | – | – | 5.87 rubles |
| Cost of one kilogram | – | – | 73.06 rubles |
| Cost of ice cream for one month (three hundred kilograms) | – | – | 21,917.64 rubles |
Additional administrative expenses (rent of space, salary to the seller) = 60,000 rubles. Therefore, fixed monthly expenses are 81,917.64 rubles.
Based on past, current and future requests, I wrote this short instruction.
First stage
- Once you have decided to start producing and selling soft ice cream, the first thing you need to do is study similar points (talk to sellers), as simply as a curious client, study the range and prices. Or the best way to work at a similar point, as a salesperson.
Stage two
Find a suitable location.
- Places; the best places are where they visit every day, walk, etc. idle people. This is a shopping center (preferably near cinemas or at the entrance/exit), only the most visited recreation parks, central streets, pedestrian zones and central places where people hang out every day.
- We choose a freezer, if everything is in order with finances (there is no shortage), then you can buy a powerful freezer with additional options, such as the production of yogurt or cocktails. A powerful freezer can serve more customers at a time (for example, a regular inexpensive three-arm freezer priced from 120 -140 rubles can produce from 5 to 7 servings at a time, one after another). Look at the performance, the productivity of the freezer is from 14 - 16 l/h, these are weak, low-power freezers. A more powerful and larger one increases this limit due to the larger volume of the freezing cylinder and the power of the device (for freezing).
- By and large, inexpensive three-horn freezers for soft ice cream are not very different from each other. Except that the most popular manufacturers are China and Korea, there are Italy and the USA, but they are more expensive.
- If you have found a company selling freezers in your city or in a nearby region, then of course it is better to contact them, come there and see for yourself, touch, and check everything.
Many are in a hurry to surprise their future customers with their assortment, selling not only ice cream but also the above options, such as cocktails and yogurt. This is all good, but if you have financial difficulties, you should not overpay for additional options.
Let's go back to the first stage, talk to the sellers or owners of the outlets about the ratio between selling cocktails and ice cream, and only then decide whether it’s worth spending money on it right now. In addition, if everything goes well for you, only then is it better to think about it, and with good sales you will definitely need a second freezer, and it is not advisable to increase the profit that has not yet appeared.
But that's my personal opinion.
Fourth stage
Individual entrepreneur registration
The first method, the easiest, is to find a legal entity. company and for 3 - 4 tr. they do everything themselves.
Second way
Collecting documents: (there are not many of them)
Passport (2-3 pages and registration) and Taxpayer Identification Number (don’t forget to make photocopies).
And we go to the tax office at our place of residence.
There we ask where individual entrepreneurs are registered. We find the right inspector, he lets us fill out a form and tells us where to pay the state fee, about 800 rubles.
OKVED code - 52.24.3 Retail trade of ice cream and frozen desserts
Then we go to the notary and have all the documents certified.
We pay according to the receipt, bring everything to the inspector, and that’s it (almost everything).
You are assigned a date, when everything is ready, come and pick up your certificate.
That's all, you are an individual entrepreneur, with all the rights and responsibilities.
- SES, it is clear that you need health records, a robe or a uniform that would cover your everyday clothes. Regarding water and sewerage, in theory, of course they are needed, but everyone has their own conditions. Yes, and inspections are not frequent, but despite everything, I hope for your decency and respect itself, which will not allow you to persecute your clients for the sake of saving money. Wash your freezer every day, conscientiously (as if for yourself), everything will definitely return to you.
- Additional equipment, a refrigerator for storing the finished mixture, containers for the mixture (the finished mixture will be stored in them in the refrigerator), paddles for stirring the mixture and driving the residue into the cylinder, it is better to buy water in 19-liter bottles, and not from suppliers, but from wholesale stores, since they are at least two times cheaper (but this is, of course, if there is transport). Measuring cups, scales for dry mixture, the mixture is usually in bags of 1.6 - 1.8 kg, I packed it in one kilogram, it’s more convenient.
This is what I remembered at this moment in time and what came to my mind. But I hope you, dear visitors, will help me fill in the gaps and shortcomings with your questions and advice. If anyone wants to share their experiences and interesting findings with others, I will be happy to give you a place on my website.