10 reasons why ice cream start-ups should visit the Tetra Pak Ice Cream Product Development Centre
Summer equals ice cream. And if you can come up with the right taste and texture at the right time, you may strike gold. But growing from one outlet to ten or 20, or taking your idea from your kitchen table to your customers’, presents some challenges. Here are ten ways that Tetra Pak’s Product Development Centre (PDC) in Aarhus, Denmark, can help you.
1. Secure quality as you scale up production
Ice cream start-ups are typically creating something unique. You need to secure the uniqueness of your product as you ramp up production. At our PDC, we can emulate small-size output, which will help you get the right process and ingredients to keep the right quality.
2. Test before you go big
You can then test your ideas for new products at the PDC. It’s an opportunity to get it 100 percent right from the start and see if it’s feasible. We can help produce a limited number of samples which you can use for a focus group evaluation. This can save a lot of time, money and resources.
3. Optimize the recipes for consistent quality
When you step up production, raw materials get more expensive. You generally need to change the sourcing method to keep the costs down. At the same time, you want to maintain what is unique about your recipe and secure the consistent quality. Our experts can help optimize the methods.
4. Superior ingredient services
We have information and an overview of all materials that you need for ice cream production. This ensures that we can give you advice on how to buy and where to buy what would be best for your production and to get the best end result.
5. Get the right production process
Once you have a product, you need to produce it the best way. If you’re not sure how to do it, coming to the PDC is an opportunity to test what the best production equipment would be. Test the best production process before you invest in a production line.
6. Find the right equipment upgrades
Maybe you already have equipment installed but need to upgrade parts of your production line to fit new ingredients or a new process. Will that bigger freezer or big ingredient doser work with the equipment that you’ve got? At the PDC you can do some real-life testing to find out.
7. Access all the expertise that you need
When you go to the PDC, you’ll tap into all the ice cream expertise available at the Aarhus site. There are experts in freezing, dosing, recipes and other areas. You can always call in an expert to discuss the field of ice cream production that is relevant to your requirements.
8. Creative sessions get you to the next step
The PDC can arrange creative sessions and training. It can be about inspiration and idea generation, but also to find a solution to a defined issue, such as a new product for a specified target group. Training sessions help fill any knowledge gaps that you have in ice cream production.
9. Build a solid business case
Once you have defined the best process to produce your ice cream product, we have the tools and competence to help you calculate the best total cost of ownership (TCO). We will help you build a business case based on the relevant aspects.
10. It’s a good investment
In the long-term, it’s better to spend money upfront to get things right from the start. Our ice cream PDC isn’t about making a profit. We want to partner with ice cream producers to help them improve their business and to drive the development of ice cream production.
So, as you see, a visit to Tetra Pak’s ice cream PDC could turbo-charge your business. We’re sure that you have some great ice cream ideas. Let us help you put them in the hands – and mouths – of your customers.
