I know its a long shot, but the "Sig Forum Knows Stuff."®

We started filling quarts, and they keep selling out on me, so we will now be making larger runs of them. We have just been selling them out of our shops/to local restaurants.

They are labeled, and barcoded, and I have neck bands coming, so that they would be safe for general retail.

We might place smaller stuff in cigar lounges.

I'll talk to local produce stands.

My first thought was those Dippin' Dots freezers in the grocery stores.

DD Cryogenics?
https://ddcryogenics.com

What are you selling? You might be overlooking another potential market that is SIGforum.

JP

quote:

Originally posted by jprebb:
What are you selling? You might be overlooking another potential market that is SIGforum.

JP

Look under his avatar...

Retail? Are you talking like Wal Marts, Costco or small local grocery stores? Cracking the big retail market is number one very costly. Be prepared to pay big for shelf or floor space.
And be prepared to distribute nation wide either through their warehouse or your own distribution network.

Local chain stores can be equally difficult. They want money for initial shelf and floor space as well. You most likely will not get premium locations which will slow you're sales and make you're investment seem wasted. We have been in the retail distribution business for over 25 years. More info on what your goals are would be helpful. Are you independent and servicing your own stores? Or are you hoping to distribute via warehouse and the stores will service the product? There are advantages and disadvantages to both. Feel free to email me I'd be happy to give you what ever advice I can.

quote:

Originally posted by Aglifter:
I know its a long shot, but the "Sig Forum Knows Stuff."®

We started filling quarts, and they keep selling out on me, so we will now be making larger runs of them. We have just been selling them out of our shops/to local restaurants.

They are labeled, and barcoded, and I have neck bands coming, so that they would be safe for general retail.

We might place smaller stuff in cigar lounges.

I'll talk to local produce stands.

Convenience stores will make you a decent profit.

Blue Bunny uses Stajac industries. Stajac sells the equipment and does all the service work, or subcontracts it. Blue Bunny (Wells Dairy) owns the freezers. They are shipped to distraction centers (DC) that sell the ice cream. The DC has a program manager that makes sure customers that get a freezer are meeting the minimum requirements for sales to keep the freezer. The DC is responsible for placement of the freezer, and repossession if sales aren’t met. The DC is also responsible for keeping track of all the freezers placed and an accurate inventory if freezers, as well as sales of where those freezers are at. This is reported to Blue Bunny every quarter. Any lost freezers are the responsibility of the DC to pay for. When freezers are broken or too old to repair, they are retired. Removed from the serial database, and a refrigeration company disposes if the freezers and de-graphics them.

I know this as I was in charge of the service department for a DC and my employees placed the freezers, and repossessed them. Because the program manager was completely inept, without choice, I was stuck as the program manager, and stuck with the freezer inventory and tracking.

If I can help in any way, feel free to reach out. Email is in my profile.

Ace is the place with the helpful hardware man.

Speak with the manager or owner of your local Ace Hardware store. All of the Ace stores around here have small freezers with ice cream, usually near the checkout registers.

The store owner or manger can probably give you a lot of information. Pick his / her brain.

The majority of my customers are Ace Hardware stores. The way that my business works with them is simple: the store retains a healthy percentage of the revenue from the income associated with my product.

Yes, I think V-tail has the right idea. Small businesses would welcome this way to differentiate themselves, and wouldn’t necessarily have to toe the company line.. they may be able to think independently in regards to what they can/will allow in their store.
I’d also check boutique stores near tourist traps. You’re in a southern touristy spot, I bet a lot of northerners come there to visit and take in the sights. Properly placed product (ppp) would work wonders (www).
Wow- Master of alliteration this am.

Probably wise to check with the local health department on what is allowable. Secondly it will have to have a door you can see through to merchandise the product. A small chest freezer like you have in your home won't sell any product.

I would want a lot of control of how your product is handled when out of your facility.

I’ve delivered plenty of ice cream to c-stores. When I say nobody gives a shit about your quality please believe me. Everyone knows, everyone promises, but I’m here to tell you everyone is at home on their day off.

quote:

Originally posted by Krazeehorse:

Probably wise to check with the local health department on what is allowable. Secondly it will have to have a door you can see through to merchandise the product. A small chest freezer like you have in your home won't sell any product.

Aglifter is already selling ice cream in his own locations, so he is probably all set as far as health department regulations, although there might be some additional requirements for the non-owned retail locations. For example, here in Florida, if any food products are sold in the store there there is a requirement for a sign to posted in the bathroom re "employees must wash hands."

The freezers that I see in all of the local Ace and True Value Hardware stores are chest types, size similar to small home freezer, but they have sliding glass tops so that the product is visible. I have seen a few with flat tops, but most have curved tops. The curved tops are probably better; I have seen stuff piled on top of the flat top freezers, so the ice cream is not visible, nor easy to access.

We're a full dairy, licensed for interstate and international sales. (We have bring in raw product, pasteurize, etc.)

Useful info, will be in touch with the fellows who suggested I email them.

The curve tops do seem to be more common these days - not sure why, but all the newer display freezers seem to have those.

Good idea on the hardware store. I'd like to get a restaurant customer to carry our quarts as well, but I don't have any with excess floor space.

Ya know, if were going to opine on such a product, I think we all need a sample....at least a gallon each.



Seems like you are getting really good advice already. Good luck!!

quote:

Originally posted by Aglifter:
We're a full dairy, licensed for interstate and international sales. (We have bring in raw product, pasteurize, etc.)

Useful info, will be in touch with the fellows who suggested I email them.

The curve tops do seem to be more common these days - not sure why, but all the newer display freezers seem to have those.

Good idea on the hardware store. I'd like to get a restaurant customer to carry our quarts as well, but I don't have any with excess floor space.

quote:

Originally posted by Aglifter:
We're a full dairy, licensed for interstate and international sales. (We have bring in raw product, pasteurize, etc.)

Useful info, will be in touch with the fellows who suggested I email them.

The curve tops do seem to be more common these days - not sure why, but all the newer display freezers seem to have those.

Good idea on the hardware store. I'd like to get a restaurant customer to carry our quarts as well, but I don't have any with excess floor space.

I look forward to seeing some at stores here in the Columbia area!

I figured you were set up with DHEC and SCDA already. I have meetings with those folks quite often.

Chris