Summer’s here and demand for ice cream is peaking. After all, no picnic or barbecue is really complete without ice cream to follow the hamburgers, spare ribs, green beans, and mashed potatoes. And there’s nothing like a delicious ice cream smoothie to recover from an afternoon of hiking or gardening. Stores and retailers that sell ice cream should be getting ready for the summer rush, and stocking up on basics like paper ice cream cups, spoons, and lids.
Summer’s here, and so is ice cream season
People tend to eat ice cream on a weekly basis all year. One study has found that on average, Americans eat ice cream 28.5 times every year. But summer is the special season for ice cream. Maybe that’s because this frozen treat is the best, or at least the tastiest, way to beat the heat. Nothing says summer like driving with your friends with the windows open and paper ice cream cups in your hands with colorful scoops of your favorite flavors.
Ice cream is the perennial favorite food for Americans but summer is the best time to enjoy this sweet, frozen treat. After all, ice cream is best eaten out of doors, at a poolside picnic or barbecue or on the beach. Or enjoyed as a smoothie on the deck after you finish mowing the lawn. Or enjoyed when strolling through a street fair or at a concert in the park.
A special month for ice cream
In 1984, the U.S. Congress passed a law declaring that July is to be celebrated as National Ice Cream Month. That’s one law no one is complaining about. Just in time for the celebration, ice cream production in the U.S. peaks in June. Almost a tenth, or 9% of all milk produced by dairy farms nationwide is used to make ice cream. That adds up to 1.5 billion gallons of ice cream each year. And that’s not a pint too much.
July is not only one of the hottest months of the year, it’s also when most outdoor celebrations happen. Which makes ice cream the perfect dessert to round off any event, whether it’s a formal garden wedding or an impromptu family barbecue. Frozen desserts like gelato and frozen yogurt are popular too, but plain vanilla ice cream is the perennial crowd pleaser.
Are you ready for ice cream season?
Ice cream is also the perfect refreshing snack on a hot summer’s day, which is why all stores, retailers and trucks should make sure they have a good supply of ice cream as well as paper ice cream cups, spoons, and lids. That’s bound to make you a popular neighborhood destination. Luckily, it doesn’t take too much time or effort to get ready for ice cream season.
If you can add special touches like those tiny umbrellas on toothpicks to top each helping of ice cream, or colored spoons, you can be sure that your customers’ grandchildren will be hearing tales about that wonderful corner store, for many, many years to come. Memories are made of such small things.
Summer and ice cream just go together naturally. Memorable touches like brightly colored paper ice cream cups and spoons can make each occasion a special one, that will be remembered for a long time.
