Frank Yuengling first began making ice cream in 1920 in Pottsville, Pa., to help support his family brewery during the Prohibition. Then, in 2014, Frank’s grandson, David Yuengling, and his partner Rob Bohorad, brought back the tradition of Yuengling’s Ice Cream, selling in more than 1,000 stores nationwide.
Today, the super-premium ice cream processor based in Orwigsburg, Pa., produces high-quality ice cream for grocery and convenience stores and foodservice channels.
“Tastes are always changing, and staying ahead of the curve is important. To be successful in meeting the needs of customers and retailers’ bottom line, manufacturers must hit four key points,” writes Bob Carlson, chief operating officer, in an online expert column for Refrigerated & Frozen Foods.
Carlson discusses how consumers want high-quality goods, and are willing to pay a reasonable price for them, and how companies should take a leading role in sustainability and energy efficiency.
“There is a significant increase in the use of biodegradable packaging with a great number of the packaging types utilized in Europe migrating to American supermarkets. Though some changes in equipment are going to be required, some of the newer packaging types will create excitement with consumers,” he writes.
Those packaging changes entail pints sold in retail freezercases, 3-gallon tubs for foodservice and new 8-ounce, single-size serving cups complete with spoon attached inside the lid, combining the convenience and novelty of a “grab-and-go” serving.
“We use our packaging to respond to the needs of customers and the business,” says David Yuengling, president. “For instance, we started offering 3-gallon tubs to meet the needs of foodservice. Each of our containers, both quarts and pints, has a unique color band on the label and on the lid corresponding to the flavor. Being easily identifiable is the way customers can find the flavors they like by sight without having to read the label.”
To create new products, Yuengling’s looks at current culinary trends and flavors, industry sales trends and feedback from consumers. It also uses a panel of taste testers from its distribution area to evaluate and rate new flavors. It’s this market research that’s enabled Yuengling’s to offer such unique flavors as Sea Salt Caramel Swirl, Teaberry, Cinnamon Churro, Cherry Vanilla Chunk and Black & Tan, which is a trademark it shares with Yuengling Brewery, Pottsville, Pa.
“Our business is backed on a commitment to high-quality, all-natural ingredients and a combination of traditional and innovative flavors,” says Yuengling. “We have also started implementing a path to being a GMO-free ice cream brand.”
