Ice Cream Clinic Review


My Ice Cream is Perfect


This year, for the first time, companies that received a perfect score in the ice cream clinic were given a lapel pin that said, "My Ice Cream is Perfect". Only five samples of the 30 samples that were submitted received a perfect score.

The pins were awarded at the opening banquet at the 79th Annual Meeting and Trade Show, November 7-10, 2012 in Greenville, South Carolina.

Following are the companies that received the pins:

Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream, Madison, WI for Old Fashioned Vanilla Ice Cream
Double Dip, Lebanon, OH for Vanilla Ice Cream
Double Dip, Lebanon, OH for Dutch Chocolate Ice Cream
Queen City Creamery, Cumberland, MD for Chocolate Frozen Custard
Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream, Madison, WI for Zanzibar Dark Chocolate Ice Cream

In addition to the My Ice Cream is Perfect Pin, each company received a Blue Ribbon for their ice cream.

Each year, members of The National Ice Cream Retailers Association, who make their own ice cream, submit samples of their ice cream to a professor of dairy science, prior to the Annual Convention, to be analyzed and compared to ice cream standards. This year Dr. Johnny McGregor, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina analyzed samples of vanilla, chocolate and dark chocolate ice cream submitted by members of the association. A total of 20 vanilla samples, 10 chocolate and 4 dark chocolate samples were submitted.

The ice cream is scored, according to color, texture, taste, bacterial count, and many other factors. Blue Ribbons are awarded to those scoring the highest marks, then Red Ribbons, and White Ribbons.

The following winners received their certificates at the Association's 79th Annual Convention.

VANILLA ICE CREAM
Blue Ribbons:

Anderson's Frozen Custard, Williamsville, NY
Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream Co., Madison, WI
(Old Fashioned Vanilla)
Double Dip, Lebanon, OH
The Ice Cream Club, Boynton Beach, FL
(Vanilla Bean)
Queen City Creamery, Cumberland, MD
(Vanilla Frozen Custard)

VANILLA ICE CREAM
Red Ribbons:

Apple Valley Creamery, Sevierville, TN
(French Vanilla Bean)
Chaney's Dairy Barn, Bowling Green, KY
Deters Frozen Custard Co., Quincy, IL
(French Vanilla Frozen Custard)
Henry's Homemade Ice Cream, Plano, TX
(Homemade Vanilla)
The Ice Cream Club, Boynton Beach, FL
(Vanilla, French Vanilla)
Scooptacular, Laveen, AZ
(Vanilla Bean)
Sno Top, Ltd., Manlius, NY
(Vanilla Ice Cream 10% Special)
Spring Dipper, Mammoth Spring, AR
(Vanilla Bean)
Woodside Farm Creamery, Hockessin, DE

VANILLA ICE CREAM
White Ribbons:

King Cone, Plover, WI
(International Vanilla Café)
Royal Scoop Homemade Ice Cream, Bonita Beach, FL
(French Vanilla Bean)

CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM
Blue Ribbons:

Anderson's Frozen Custard, Williamsville, NY
Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream, Madison, WI
Double Dip, Lebanon, OH
(Dutch Chocolate)
Queen City Creamery, Cumberland, MD
(Chocolate Frozen Custard)
Woodside Farm Creamery, Hockessin, DE

CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM
Red Ribbons:

Henry's Homemade Ice Cream, Plano, TX
The Ice Cream Club, Boynton Beach, FL
(Captain's Chocolate)
Scooptacular, Laveen, AZ
Sno Top, Ltd., Manlius, NY
(Chocolate 10%)

CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM
White Ribbons:

Deters Frozen Custard Co., Quincy, IL
(Belgian Frozen Custard)

DARK CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM
Blue Ribbons:

Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream, Madison, WI
(Zanzibar)
Royal Scoop Homemade Ice Cream, Bonita Springs, FL

DARK CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM
Red Ribbons:

Apple Valley Creamery, Sevierville, TN
(Smoky Mountain Fudge)
Spring Dipper, Mammoth Spring, AR

Next year the Ice Cream Clinic Review will examine vanilla and strawberry ice cream.

The National Ice Cream Retailers Association is a trade organization whose members are in the retail ice cream; frozen custard; gelato; frozen yogurt and water ice business. The members of NICRA are located all across the United States, Canada and several other countries. They operate hundreds of stores and have an estimated annual sales in the millions of dollars. They employ thousands of full-and part-time employees. Since 1933, NICRA has helped hundreds of ice cream and frozen dessert entrepreneurs get started and prosper.

11.21.2012