Ice cream accounts for approximately 10% of all milk US dairy farmers produce. That’s 872 million gallons of ice cream made from 23 million gallons of milk. That’s a LOT of ice cream. In any case, these numbers indicate a major environmental impact.
In this post, we’ll talk about different ways to save the planet while still enjoying the luxury of eating ice cream. These are easy eco-friendly steps that anyone can take. So, if you want to make eco-friendly ice cream, keep reading.
The 5 ways to make ice cream eco-friendly are:
- Use Seasonal Fruit
- Shop Locally
- Go Organic
- Use Renewable Products
- Encourage Others to Join You
Use Seasonal Fruit
Using seasonal fruits in your ice cream is one way to save the environment while retaining the rich flavor of ice cream. In addition, seasonal fruits help make a healthier ice cream.
Some of the benefits of using seasonal fruits are:
- Higher nutritional value – Vitamins and antioxidants in fruits decline when stored for a long period.
- Richer in flavor – Seasonal fruits ripen naturally, so the flavor is richer.
- Budget-friendly – Seasonal fruits have reduced production costs because they are locally sourced.
For example, let’s say you want a Blueberry and Oatmeal Cookie Ice Cream, instead of using stale blueberries, you can use in season, fresh blueberries. That way your ice cream will be more nutritious and rich in flavor.
Using fresh fruits in your ice cream can also attract customers. You’ll be giving the impression that you care for your customers and the environment.
Benefits to the Environment
A study found that using local seasonal food in a year can help reduce vegetable consumption. This study also discovered that seasonal foods lower Greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE) because they do not need the large energy input required to produce crops outside of the natural growing season.
Furthermore, a nutritionist shared that eating seasonally lessens the demand for out-of-season food, which promotes more local products and local farming, resulting in less shipping, refrigeration, hot buildings, and irradiation of products.
So, if you want to save the environment without sacrificing the quality of your ice cream, you can start using seasonal fruits. I’m sure you wouldn’t want to eat stale ice cream while also damaging the environment.
Shop Locally
Purchasing your ice cream ingredients from local stores will ensure you access to fresh products. It is also a great way to support your local economy and suppliers.
When shopping locally for your ice cream ingredients, you can check these 4 fruit characteristics:
- Smaller Fruits – They are naturally sweeter.
- More Colorful and Vibrant Fruits – More color means more health benefits.
- Fruits With Sweeter Smell – This tells you how ripe the fruit is.
- Undamaged Fruits – Fruits with no bruises are more tasty, healthy, and bacteria-free.
Some other benefits of shopping locally:
- It’s more convenient
- Helps reduce carbon footprint
- It helps create demand for local jobs
- You can find great deals
For example, let’s say you want to offer Strawberry, Blueberry, and Marshmallow Ice Cream, you can easily buy fresh strawberries and blueberries from your local farm. That way, you’ll be able to support your business while also networking with local businesses.
So, if you are looking for more environmentally friendly ice cream, you should start shopping locally. You will not only be helping the environment, but you will also be supporting local businesses.
Go Organic
Going organic means more sustainability and healthier ice cream. So, to manufacture environmentally beneficial ice cream, we need to return to the way we cultivated food before chemical corporations took over our farms.
You can make your ice cream using organic strawberries, blueberries, or mango. Not only will you get healthy ice cream, but you will also get tastier ice cream while helping the environment.
When shopping for your ice cream organic ingredients, you can check these three common labels:
- 100% Organic – This label indicates that the product was created entirely with organic components. The food was grown without the use of any chemicals, pesticides, antibiotics, or fertilizers.
- Organic – This label means that the product is 95% organic ingredients, with the remainder coming from the authorized National List. These goods also have the USDA Organic and other certified logos.
- Made with Organic Ingredients – This label means that the product is made with 70% organic ingredients. The other ingredients must be on the authorized National List.
Some other benefits of going organic:
- Less water pollution
- Contains low levels of chemicals
- More nutritious
The production of non-organic foods hurts our ecosystem. Its usage of chemicals like pesticides contributes to soil erosion, water pollution, and biodiversity loss.
That is why choosing organic is the best option for making ice cream environmentally friendly. I don’t know about you, but I want my ice cream free of pesticides or GMOs.
Use Renewable Products
If you are or plan to be an ice cream shop owner, you may help create environmentally friendly ice cream by switching to renewable products. And by products, I mean everything from your power supply to the materials utilized in your business, from the flooring to the walls, as well as the ice cream packaging.
Start by replacing your basic supplies, such as spoons, with disposables that don’t harm the environment. Plastic spoons, like plastic straws, hurt the ecosystem, particularly turtles.
Best options for ice cream spoons:
- EcoiScoop
- Metal spoon
Next, you can think of switching to solar panels to power your ice cream shop. This is a win-win decision! By using solar panels, you will help the environment and it will help your business too.
Some benefits of using solar panels:
- Reduces electricity bills
- Low maintenance costs
- Renewable energy source
Use Plant-Based Packaging
You can also rethink your ice cream packaging. And one of the best options for this is using plant-based packaging.
In this age where environmental issues are prevalent, your product’s packaging will affect the way customers see your product. By switching to plant-based packaging, you convey a message that you care for your customers and the planet.
Some benefits of plant-based packaging:
- More Sustainable
- Less carbon cost
- Recyclable
- More presentable
Do you like your product to be more presentable while helping the planet? If yes, then you should start using renewable products such as solar panels and plant-based packaging.
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Encourage Others to Join You
The environment, as stated by Mohith Agadi, is no one’s property to damage; it is everyone’s obligation to defend. Whether you are an ice cream shop owner or just an ice cream lover, it’s your responsibility and encourages others to join you.
Sure, you can start using organic resources or switching to renewable products, but it wouldn’t mean that much if everyone around you is still doing the opposite.
You can start by following these tips:
- Encourage your customers through promos
- Establish a connection with your community
- Host workshops or events
- Promote going green to your competitors
Conclusion
In conclusion, these are the 5 ways to make ice cream eco-friendly:
- Use Seasonal Fruit – Using seasonal fruits may help make ice cream taste better, be healthier, and be more environmentally friendly.
- Shop Locally – Great way to help the environment while supporting local suppliers.
- Go Organic – Significantly helps the environment and the quality of ice cream.
- Use Renewable Products – Use plant-based packaging, solar panels, and other eco-friendly supplies.
- Encourage Others to Join You – Promote going green to communities, customers, and competitors.
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Frequently Asked Questions
There are 10 sustainable ice cream brands: 1) Halo Top, 2) Cosmic Bliss, 3) NadaMoo, 4) Van Leeuwen, 5) Ben & Jerry’s, 6) Ample Hills Creamery, 7) Mackie’s of Scotland, 8) Tara’s Organic Ice Cream, 9) Alden’s Ice Cream, and 10) Coolhaus.
Yes. Aside from being crunchy and delicious, ice cream cones are also environmentally beneficial because, unlike throwaway plastic cups, they are edible and nothing goes to waste.
You can follow these tips to make high-quality ice cream at home: 1) Pick the best ingredients, 2) Forget the fats and the calories, 3) Add flavorings, 4) Add mix-ins wisely, and 5) Keep it creamy.
To learn more on how to start your own ice cream/gelato business check out my startup documents here
This blog post is provided for informational purposes only. The information contained is not intended to constitute legal advice or to substitute for obtaining legal advice from a qualified attorney.
Hi! I am Shawn and I am a happy individual who happens to be an entrepreneur. I have owned several types of businesses in my life from a coffee shop to an import and export business to an online review business plus a few more and now I create online ice cream/gelato business resources for those interested in starting new ventures. It’s demanding work but I love it. I do it for those passionate about their business and their goals. That’s why when I meet a ice cream/gelato business owner, I see myself. I know how hard the struggle is to retain clients, find good employees and keep the business growing all while trying to stay competitive.
That’s why I created Ice Cream Business Boss: I want to help ice cream and gelato business owners like you build a thriving business that brings you endless joy and supports your ideal lifestyle.