Posted: May 8, 2008 at 7:31 pm
By News Editor
The folks at Häagen-Dazs ice cream have created a campaign and a new flavor that brings attention to the plight of America’s honey bees. Do you know that honey bees are responsible for one of every three bites the average American eats? The campaign called Häagen-Dazs loves Honey Bees™ will raise money for sustainable pollination and CCD research at Pennsylvania State University and the University of California Davis.
Honey bees are responsible for pollinating more than 100 different crops, $15 billion worth annually in the U.S., and are a key factor in the agricultural industry’s ability to provide food products to the rest of the world. But honey bees are dying at an alarming rate. Over the last several winters, more than 25 percent of the honey bee population in the United States has vanished, many under mysterious circumstances. Early reports from beekeepers show this phenomenon is continuing in 2008.
For Häagen-Dazs ice cream, the reality of this threat has spurred the superpremium ice cream maker to launch a national campaign to protect these tiny unsung heroes. Everything from poor nutrition to invasive mites to Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) – a phenomenon where bees from a colony abruptly desert the hive and die – is affecting the bees. This disappearance has scientists stumped and has the potential to affect many of our favorite nuts, fruits and berries – key ingredients in some of the most popular Häagen-Dazs flavors. In fact, more than 40 percent of Häagen-Dazs all-natural ice cream flavors include ingredients dependent on honey bees for pollination.
The Häagen-Dazs brand is launching a new honey bee-dedicated flavor in February 2008 – Vanilla Honey Bee. The brand is also tagging all of its honey bee-dependent flavors – from Häagen-Dazs Wild Berry frozen yogurt to Caramelized Pear and Toasted Pecan ice cream - with a HD loves HB™ icon. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the new flavor and all HD loves HB tagged flavors will be used to fund the $250,000 donation to UC Davis and Penn State.
“Häagen-Dazs ice cream is made from the finest all-natural ingredients, and the plight of the honey bee could mean many of the ingredients used in our top flavors, like Vanilla Swiss Almond and Strawberry, would be difficult to source,” said Häagen-Dazs brand manager Josh Gellert.
Posted: May 7, 2008 at 6:33 pm
By News Editor
Irvine Robbins, co-founder of Baskin-Robbins, has died at age 90. Have a big scoop of Baskin-Robbins ice cream to honor the life of this great man!
Jamoca Almond Fudge was said to be the favorite flavor of Irvine Robbins, the man who grew up in Seattle and was trained at his father’s Tacoma dairy. Though as co-founder of the world’s best-known ice cream empire, it was hard for Robbins to pick just one.
That’s because Robbins also created Pralines ‘n Cream, Daiquiri Ice and Pink Bubblegum among dozens of other flavors.
Robbins, who rode streetcars to Garfield High School and graduated from the University of Washington, moved from his native Winnipeg, Manitoba, to Seattle with his family after his uncle bought the Velvet Ice Cream Co. on Capitol Hill. The uncle persuaded Robbins’ father to buy a dairy.
Irvine Robbins’ career started in the late 1920s, working at his dad’s store in the alley behind what was Rhodes Brothers Department Store in Tacoma.
“Sticking a scoop into the ice cream was the greatest thrill of my life,” he once told USA Today, recalling how he stood on a dairy chair to dig into a 10-gallon bucket of ice cream.
After his discharge from the Army in 1945, Robbins used $2,000 he saved and cashed a $4,000 insurance policy his father had given him at his bar mitzvah at Seattle’s Temple DeHirsch Sinai. His family said that while driving in California looking for used ice cream equipment, Robbins found a store to rent in Glendale.
His first ice cream store — called Snowbird because he couldn’t think of anything else — was opened there the day after his birthday, Dec. 7, 1945. Family said Robbins had 21 flavors then, and his cousin bought $39 of the first day’s $53 total ice cream sales.
A year later, his brother-in-law, Burton Baskin, opened an ice cream store and the pair later merged. Robbins’ daughter, Marsha Veit, said that in 1948, the men flipped a coin to see whose name would appear first. They had 31 flavors — one for each day of the month.
Robbins, who was inducted into the International Franchise Association Hall of Fame, told his family that Ray Kroc sold many of his early milkshake machines.
“He saw I was starting to franchise and said, ‘Hey, that’s a good idea,” Robbins said in the 1996 family history project. Kroc, who took Robbins to see his early burger restaurants, used franchising to build McDonald’s into the world’s most successful fast-food operation.
Family members said Baskin-Robbins is the nation’s oldest food franchise. Part of Dunkin’ Brands Inc., it has more than 5,800 stores worldwide, according to The Associated Press. Robbins sold the company to United Fruit Co. in 1967 — the same year Baskin died of heart disease — but remained as president until 1978.
Robbins, whose survivors include his wife, Irma, son, John, and daughter, Erin Robbins, told family he and Baskin rarely took days off and never logged how many total hours they worked.
Posted: April 30, 2008 at 5:51 pm
By News Editor
If you happen to be in the New York City area this Saturday (May 3rd), stop by a local Stop & Shop grocery store from 1:00 - 5:00 for an ice cream that will help support families dealing with childhood cancer. During “Scoop Day” Edy’s Ice Cream will donate all proceeds from the promotion to the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
During the one-day event, shoppers can donate $1 for a scoop of Edy’s Slow Churned ice cream or $3 for a scoop of Slow Churned Light Ice Cream and a compilation CD of eight former American Idol performers.
“With Edy’s support, we are making a difference in the lives of thousands of children,” said Ron Onorato, senior vice president of Stop & Shop. “Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center relies on the generosity of local communities and citizens to help provide lifesaving support to children and their families struggling with the difficulties of childhood cancer. We are proud to take part in this event.”
Additionally, Stop & Shop stores kicked off the Triple Winner game April 11. Through July 10, those who donate $1 get a Triple Winner game ticket. Every ticket could be a winner, with prizes valued from $2 to $10,000 in cash. During the promotion period, Edy’s will make a donation to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center from sales of its Slow Churned Take The Cake Light Ice Cream at all Stop & Shop stores.
Posted: April 29, 2008 at 6:14 pm
By News Editor
Minor baseball parks across the country will be hosting Nestle Drumstick Cones Family Days this summer. Family and fun come together with the famous Nestle Drumstick.
The Drumstick events will provide fans with ticket discounts and family activities. Families can have their pictures taken during nationwide Nestle Drumstick Family Days Tour this season, and birthday parties will be part of that tour at select minor league ballparks.
Nestle also is offering fans a chance to receive a personalized set of Topps baseball cards with the purchase of two Nestle Drumstick Cones. Fans can visit their website to create their own trading cards featuring their favorite young ballplayers.
“We are excited to dish up a sweet part of Americana that families can slow down and enjoy together—Nestle Drumstick ice cream cones and baseball,” said John Harrison, official taster for Nestle Drumstick cones, in a statement.
A complete schedule of NestleDrumstick Family Days is also available on the Web site.
Posted: April 20, 2008 at 12:27 pm
By News Editor
The Wisconsin Dairy Products Association (WDPA) is looking for a few good judges for their annual World Dairy Expo Championship Dairy Product Contest. The contest, held in conjunction with the World Dairy Expo, is in its sixth year. Do you have what it takes to be a judge? Then be sure to get your resume to the WDPA by May 23, 2008!
This year’s contest will have 55 different categories, encompassing a wide range of dairy products that include, cheese, butter, milk, ice cream, yogurt, whey, cottage cheese, sour cream, whipping cream and more.
WDPA is issuing a “call for judges” for the championship dairy product contest. WDPA is seeking judges for these products:
Cheese and Butter – 10 judges needed
Yogurt – 2 judges
Ice Cream and Sherbet – 2 judges
Whey Products – 2 judges
Cottage Cheese, Sour Cream and Sour Cream Dips – 2 judges
Fluid Milk and Cultured Buttermilk – 2 judges
Interested parties should send their resumes to Wisconsin Dairy Products Assn, 8383 Greenway Blvd, Middleton, WI 53562.
Posted: April 20, 2008 at 12:18 pm
By News Editor
The Fairmont Products dairy plant in Belleville, Pa. will be closing it’s doors in October, causing 80 people to lose their jobs. The plant is owned by Dean Foods Co. and produces mostly cottage cheese and ice cream.
The plants closure will also affect local dairy farmers who supply milk to the plant. The company is owned by Dallas-based Dean Foods Co.
Dean Foods is a leading food and beverage company and the largest processor and distributor of milk and other dairy products in the country. The company sells products such as International Delight coffee creamers, Land O’Lakes creamers and other liquid dairy products.
Posted: March 31, 2008 at 4:32 pm
By News Editor
Nestle has opened a new ice cream factory in the Chinese city of Guangdong. The plant is part of the company’s plan to increase its market share in China.
The 22,000-sq-m plant will see the Swiss-based food giant treble its annual ice-cream output to 64 million litres. The facility cost 250 million Yuan (US$35.6 million) and will be utilized to push Nestle’s high-end ice-cream products in China to meet the growing demand in the country, Peter Brabeck-Letmathe was reported as saying at the opening ceremony. Nestle is the world’s largest food company. Since it entered the Chinese market in the 1980s, it has opened 20 factories, employing some 13,000 workers in 17 regions.
Posted: March 27, 2008 at 8:28 pm
By News Editor
Can anyone believe that 30 years ago America’s freezers were empty of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream? The now ubiquitous pint is celebrating the big 3-0 this year with a special anniversary flavor, Cake Batter. Want to know if your favorite flavor will celebrate another birthday? Check out Ben & Jerry’s online “Flavor Graveyard.”
Ice cream giant Ben & Jerry’s is celebrating its 30th birthday this year. To mark the event, the company known for its numerous and creatively named flavors has launched a special anniversary ice cream — Cake Batter.
Trouble is, the company has released so many (and some might say so many unusual) flavors over the years, the folks who work there can’t come up with a tally. They think Cake Batter is No. 280. Or maybe No. 300.
Whatever its number, Cake Batter is a creamy mix of vanilla ice cream swirled with yellow cake batter and chocolate frosting.
Posted: March 13, 2008 at 9:01 pm
By News Editor
The folks at Turkey Hill Dairy have announced the first annual Ultimate Flavor Tournament, just in time for March Madness! Think of it as your very own ice cream bracket, with lots of flavor slam dunks and three-pointers.
Here’s how it works: Each week will feature a different series of match-ups, all voted on by you. We’ll start with 16 flavors (the “Sweet 16″) and narrow the field down each week until one flavor, as determined by your weekly votes, is crowned the Ultimate Flavor Tournament Champion.
The first round of match-ups is already underway on the Ice Cream Journal. (Check out the polls in the right hand side of the page.) Each Monday, we’ll announce the winners and introduce the next round, so feel free to check back often to vote again!
We also want to hear your predictions and feedback about the match-ups, so stop by and leave some comments on the Ice Cream Journal, too. At the end of the tournament, we’ll give away a ONE MONTH supply of Turkey Hill ice cream to 10 different readers whose comments are chosen at random and a ONE YEAR supply of ice cream to one lucky commenter.
Posted: March 12, 2008 at 4:54 pm
By News Editor
Edy’s Grand Ice Cream is kicking off their fourth annual “Neighborhood Salute” - a chance for customers to win an ice cream party for up to 100 neighbors. Enteries must include an essay of 350 words or less on why your neighborhood deserves the special treat.
Edy’s Slow Churned Neighborhood Salute begins online, where consumers can nominate their neighborhoods to win a doorstep delivery of 12 cartons of Edy’s Slow Churned light ice cream in a variety of flavors (including the Edy’s American Idol Limited Edition flavors), in addition to four boxes of Slow Churned Light Ice Cream Bars.
All entries must be received by May 30. Edy’s will notify the winners in June, and will salute each of the 1,500 winning neighborhoods with a Edy’s Slow Churned light ice cream prize package during July, August and September.
Posted: February 11, 2008 at 9:34 pm
By News Editor
4-H is a great organization that gives so many of our young people valuable experiences. Blue Bell Creameries wanted to honor the 100th anniversary of 4-H in Texas in a very special way - with a new ice cream flavor! Called Centennial Cupcake ice cream, a portion of the sales of the treat will be used to promote 4-H educational programs. The Creamery even thought of four-leaf clover sprinkles!
Centennial Cupcake Ice Cream is a delicious cake batter ice cream with pieces of yellow cake, a chocolate icing swirl and four-leaf clover sprinkles. Centennial Cupcake Ice Cream will be sold in Texas and across the company’s 17-state distribution area.
“We just finished celebrating our 100th birthday so we understand just how special this is,” said Paul Kruse, Blue Bell CEO and president. “Centennial Cupcake is the perfect ice cream to help commemorate this momentous occasion. It has all the ingredients for a celebration, cake and ice cream. The four-leaf clover sprinkles give it that special touch.”
4-H is a national organization which prides itself on teaching young people across America leadership, citizenship and life skills. There are more than 7 million members from eight to 18 years of age involved in 4-H.
Blue Bell has also created a unique carton for this new flavor. It features four children in 4-H T-shirts and the organizations widely recognized four-leaf emblem.
“We worked with 4-H to create something that symbolizes what they are all about,” Kruse said. “The organization is for the kids. I think the smiling faces capture the spirit of this organization just perfectly.”
Posted: February 11, 2008 at 7:09 pm
By News Editor
The Good Humor/Breyers Wisconsin office will close during the fourth quarter of 2008. The company, owned by Unilever, will transfer or terminate the 245 employees at the location.
The company said it is integrating its ice cream business into its North American organization, with a goal of having one operating company per country. Its North American operations are based in Englewood Cliffs, N.J.
Netherlands-based Unilever Group has operations around the world.
Gold Bond Ice Cream, founded by Thomas H. Lutsey Sr. of Green Bay in 1938, was one of the forerunners of the current company. Unilever acquired the Green Bay ice cream operations in 1993.
Posted: February 5, 2008 at 5:11 pm
By News Editor
It should come as no surprise that the dairy foods labeling issue is not going to go away any time soon. This latest story comes out of Vermont, the home of one of the country’s most recognized ice cream.
Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Inc., one of the first companies to label its ice cream as free of a synthetic hormone, is protesting a move by some states to restrict such labeling. The South Burlington ice-cream maker has joined a national campaign to block what critics say is an effort driven by Monsanto Co., which markets recombinant bovine somatotropin, or rBST, also known as recombinant bovine growth hormone, or rBGH.
Ben & Jerry’s, which first stamped its ice cream as rBGH-free more than a decade ago, has mounted a campaign aimed at marshaling its consumers to get involved. On its Web site, the company, which was bought by the Dutch conglomerate Unilever in 2000, uses illustrations of dairy cows with signs hung around their necks saying `rBGH Free, that’s me!’
It urges consumers to contact dairy companies and ask them for rGBH labeling.
”From the outset, when rBGH was approved, we wanted to make sure that we were able to tell that message on our packing that the family farmers that provide our dairy have pledged to not use rBGH,” Michalak said. ”We thought it was a very important message.”
”We’re very concerned about, from a primary standpoint, the freedom of speech to be able to put what we believe is truthful and appropriate messaging on our packaging,” said Rob Michalak, a spokesman for Ben & Jerry’s, which has mounted a campaign to get consumers on its side.
But a newly formed farmers’ group, backed by Monsanto, is pushing for labeling changes, saying the hormone-free labels imply that the milk is safer than other milk, when they say it’s not.
”There’s no question that rBST is safe. … That’s what’s so frustrating to us, that there are organizations out there that would indicate that it’s something other than safe,” said Carrol Campbell, a Kansas dairy farmer who co-chairs American Farmers for the Advancement and Conservation of Technology, the new group.
He says they aren’t out to take choices away from consumers. They just want them to know that whatever choice they make, it’s the same, nutritious, wholesome product, he said.
Monsanto, a corporate sponsor of the group, says it’s a question of accuracy in labeling.
So far, efforts to ban hormone-free labeling have stalled. Pennsylvania, the nation’s fifth-largest dairy state, banned the hormone-free labeling in October, but later rescinded the ban.
Last week, an Indiana lawmaker pulled legislation that would have made it illegal to label dairy products as free of artificial growth hormone, since there’s no test to determine if the hormone was used. He said there was too much controversy about the labeling issue and that legislators needed more time to study it.
Ohio has held hearings on the issue, and the state’s agriculture director is expected to issue a decision early this year on dairy labeling.
Under FDA guidelines, companies are allowed to claim that their milk comes from cows that were not treated with rBGH, as long as the labels do not ”mislead consumers” to believe the milk is safer or better.
Ben & Jerry’s packaging says ”the FDA has said no significant difference has been shown and no test can now distinguish between milk from rBGH treated and untreated cows.”
Posted: December 13, 2007 at 5:09 pm
By News Editor
Back in July, we shared with you Turkey Hill’s celebration of Ice Cream Month which included many great prizes. Now the folks at Turkey Hill want to help you celebrate the holidays with free ice cream! Visit their ice cream blog to learn more - and good luck!
Starting Friday, December 14 and ending on December 25, we’ll post a new entry every day on The Ice Cream Journal. Each entry will also feature an ice cream-related product, which we’ll give away the very next day to one lucky reader chosen at random (selected from the blog comments left during the previous day). On December 26, we’ll give away the grand prize: a one year’s supply of Turkey Hill ice cream. For some of you, that stockpile might only last a few months, but either way, that’s a lot of ice cream.
Posted: October 16, 2007 at 5:16 pm
By News Editor
Haven’t all of us dreamed of a job where we could eat ice cream all day? And if it was Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, all the better! John Shaffer is one of the lucky - he is a “flavor guru” at the famous Vermont ice cream maker, and he recently shared some inside secrets to his fantastic job!
After numerous phone calls, and lots of persistence, two years after John Shaffer initially applied for a product development position in “Bizarre & D” (research and development) Shaffer finally landed a job as “flavor guru.” Today, he’s the proud inventor of Cinnamon Bun, Vermonty Python, Black and Tan, and Uncanny Cashew. Shaffer chilled out from a busy day at his South Burlington office to give us a scoop of life as an ice cream taster:
Are you like a wine taster, spitting instead of swallowing?
Spitting out ice cream is too sacrilegious for us. We only need a spoonful, maybe two, to evaluate a flavor. Mind you, that’s a big spoonful, because Ben & Jerry flavors are so full of “stuff” that you need to be sure you get all of chunks and swirls.
Isn’t that sort of fattening, eating ice cream all day for a living?
We try to self-police: If anyone in our group seems to be so enamored with a flavor that they can’t put it down, we tell them to “stop grazing.” You have to pace yourself. Ice cream is a wonderful treat, but in moderation.
Do you get to bring home free ice cream?
It’s one of the perks - every employee can take home three pints of ice cream a day. I have an entire freezer of ice cream at home.
Some of your flavors like Concession Obsessionare are in the flavor graveyard. What do you look for when developing a new flavor?
We ask: Is there an aftertaste? Is it too sweet or not sweet enough? Is it a cold-eating experience or is it icy?
How long does it take to develop an ice cream?
We start out 14 months ahead when launching a flavor. We bring in ideas from different resources, including from our marketing and sales department, and the 12,000 ideas a month submitted on the Internet. We do consumer testing, get further input, mock up packaging, go to the plant with new ingredients, and figure out what chains and stores will be carrying what products.
What’s your favorite flavor?
Coconut Almond Fudge Chip, and also, Willie Nelson’s Peach Cobbler.
Posted: September 13, 2007 at 5:55 pm
By News Editor
A western New York ice cream company, Perry’s Ice Cream, is planning a $5 million expansion that will allow the company to handle more of its operations on site, reduce its costs and create about five new jobs.
Perry’s employs 285 people and expects to raise its total to 290. The company plans to build a 17,500- square-foot cold-storage facility at its Akron site. It would also turn a portion of an existing dry-storage area into a 40-degree storage cooler, and acquire machinery and equipment for manufacturing.
Perry’s hopes to start the project in October and finish it next March. The project will sharply reduce Perry’s need for off-site frozen and 40-degree storage space that it leases, cutting its costs related to labor, storage rental, product handling and transportation.
Denning said the company is striving to run its operations more efficiently in order to remain competitive. Perry’s was founded in 1918 and operated as a home-delivery dairy business until 1932, when it began to make ice cream. It annually produces more than 10 million gallons of ice cream and other frozen desserts, and has grown from an employment base of 88 people in 1981.
Posted: August 8, 2007 at 6:26 pm
By News Editor
The Wisconsin Dairy Products Association (WDPA) is proud to announce that Dairy Field magazine and Cheese Market News have finalized an agreement with WDPA to become the exclusive sponsors of the Grand Champion Awards for the World Dairy Expo Championship Dairy Product Contest.
Cheese Market News will be the annual sponsor of the Grand Champion Award for Cheese and Butter, while Dairy Field magazine will be the annual sponsor of the Grand Champion Award for Grade A Products and Ice Cream.
“We’re extremely happy to have two of the leading dairy industry publications joining our contest,” says Brad Legreid, WDPA executive director. “Dairy Field and Cheese Market News are well-known and highly respected media sources within our industry and their participation will help our contest continue its phenomenal growth and success,” according to Legreid.
Posted: July 20, 2007 at 6:13 pm
By News Editor
D’oh! Ben & Jerry’s is bringing a special ice cream to the citzens of Springfield, Vermont for one day only to celebrate the premiere of “The Simpsons.” If any of our readers get a chance to try it, please let us know how it tastes!
The town won a recent contest among communities sharing a name with the fictitious home base of “The Simpsons,” and will host a daylong celebration and several premiere showings of the new film on Saturday.
Ben & Jerry’s Homer homage is called “Duff & D’oh-Nuts,” and according to a news release from the ice-cream maker is an “extremely limited, one-time and one-day-only flavor” that’s “a combination of chocolate and cream stout ice creams with glazed chocolate donuts.” Duff is the brand of beer featured in “The Simpsons” television series, and doughnuts are Homer’s culinary raison d’etre.
In another nod to Homer, Ben & Jerry’s will for one day rename its Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough flavor “Chocolate Chip Cookie D’oh!” in reference to Homer’s famous exclamation.
Posted: July 17, 2007 at 7:34 pm
By News Editor
This is one of the more interesting stories I’ve run across in awhile. Researchers are digitally mapping the faces of women as they eat foods such as ice cream, and using the computer models to gauge their level of happiness. The company Unilever, is planning to use the technology to help them develop products such as reduced-fat ice cream that bring consumers the same pleasure as the real deal.
Dutch researchers Theo Gevers and Nicu Sebe, known mostly for their work deciphering the Mona Lisa’s smile, have created a face recognition system which can gauge a person’s level of happiness. The scientists, working with the multinational goods-manufacturer Unilever, created a face-tracking algorithm which maps video of a subject’s face into 3D regions, and then uses those regions to determine their level of pleasure. The tests followed European women’s reactions to eating five different foods: vanilla ice cream, chocolate, cereal bars, yogurt and apples. Unsurprisingly, the scientists discovered that women enjoyed eating ice cream and chocolate far more than an apple or yogurt — the latter even evoking “sad” expressions from 28% of test subjects. Unilever hopes to put the technology to work in creating products such as reduced-fat ice creams which elicit the same response as their full-fat counterparts, while the researchers will be launching a consumer version of the software sometime in August, as well as a website to analyze up to 1,000 user-provided photos daily.
Posted: July 5, 2007 at 5:04 pm
By News Editor
In case you’ve forgotten, July is National Ice Cream month, and Turkey Hill Dairy is celebrating by devoting the entire month to its principal product - ice cream! Each day, a new entry will be added to the Ice Cream Journal, and visitors who leave a comment on the blog postings will have the chance to win a free one year supply of Turkey Hill ice cream - what a sweet treat!
In honor of National Ice Cream month, Turkey Hill Dairy is kicking its ice cream blog, the Ice Cream Journal, into high gear by posting a new entry EVERY DAY throughout July (including weekends).
So feel free to stop by on a regular basis to check out what’s new in the world of ice cream. While you’re there, don’t forget to sound off in our ice cream poll and feel free to leave a comment or two (or three). We love hearing from people who enjoy ice cream as much as we do. In fact, we love it so much, at the end of July we’re going to choose one comment at random and give that person a free ONE YEAR SUPPLY of Turkey Hill Ice Cream. Four other blog commenters will receive a one month supply of ice cream.
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