Author: Nanci's

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Lactose Intolerance

Did you know that 30 million Americans are lactose intolerant. As an owner, operator or employee of a frozen yogurt store it is important for you to understand what that means and how you can provide products for people with lactose intolerance.

What is Lactose?

Lactose is a milk sugar found in many dairy products.

What is Lactose Intolerance?

A deficiency in the body of a natural enzyme called lactase, which can cause symptoms of gas, bloating and diarrhea when foods with lactose are eaten. Lactase is needed to fully digest lactose, a sugar found mainly in dairy products. Lactose intolerance can cause severe discomfort, but is not life threatening.

How is Lactose Intolerance different from Milk Allergies?

A milk allergy is when the immune system overacts to a protein in milk and attacks dairy like it is a harmful invader. It is most common in infants and young children. Symptoms can range from hives to anaphylactic shock. A severe allergic reaction can be life threatening and is very different from lactose intolerance.

Is lactose intolerance very common?

Yes. About 65% of people worldwide have some degree of lactose intolerance. Here is a breakdown for a few geographic regions/ethnicities:

  • Asia: 80%
  • Africa: 70-90%
  • Southern India: 70%
  • Northern India: 30%
  • France: 17-65%
  • Germany: 15%
  • England: 5-15%

How do you treat lactose intolerance?

Many people can handle a small amount of dairy and be fine – like 8-12 ounces of milk. For those that experience the symptoms listed above, the immediate solution is to reduce the amount of lactose in the diet. There is not currently a cure. But there are commercially available enzyme substitutes. There are also many products available that don’t contain dairy or lactose, like Nanci’s new non-dairy soft serve mixes.

Nanci’s Non-Dairy Soft Serve

Nanci’s offers a line of non-dairy soft serve mixes that include:

  • Fruit Freezer Sorbet – a neutral base that can use most of Nanci’s flavor concentrates. The sorbet mix is colder and icier than regular soft serve.
  • Fruit Whip – a neutral base that can use most of Nanci’s fruit flavor concentrates. This base mix is part creamy and part icy, it has a bolder taste than the Fruit Freezer Sorbet.
  • Non-Dairy Vanilla Soft Serve – a creamy, vanilla/neutral base. Most of Nanci’s flavors can be added to this base.
  • Non-Dairy Vegan Chocolate Soft Serve – can be served without flavoring for a rich chocolate or can be used with many of the Nanci’s flavorings. This base contains no animal products and so it is a vegan mix.

Nanci’s non-dairy mixes contain PowerPro Active Cultures that provide all the health benefits of regular yogurt but without the dairy.

Sources:

http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/lactoseintolerance/; http://milk.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=000661; http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/tech/science/2009-08-30-lactose-intolerance_N.htm; http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/lactose-intolerance/DS00530; http://inhealth.cnn.com/digestive-health-center/10-things-to-know-about-lactose-intolerance/

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Frozen Yogurt Toppings

Toppings are a critical part of frozen yogurt shop operations. They play a big role in customer satisfaction, but if not managed closely you an actually lose money on your toppings. You should try to be below 30 cents per ounce on your average toppings cost. If you can get down towards 23-25 cents per ounce you are doing great.

Be careful of expensive toppings that are very light, like whipped cream. Here are a couple of tricks to manage the more expensive toppings.:

  1. Put the most expensive toppings the farthest away from the last soft-serve machine so customers fill their cup on the less expensive toppings.
  2. Put the most expensive toppings at the back of the toppings bar so they are a little harder to reach.
  3. Use smaller serving spoons for the more expensive toppings.

Also, with fresh toppings, such as fruits, you should rotate the toppings to ensure that you always have fresh product in the toppings bar.

Here are suggested list of toppings. You can find recommendations for toppings supplies on our Equipment & Supplies page.

Dry Toppings

  • almonds
  • butterfinger
  • cap’n crunch
  • carob chips
  • cocoa pebbles
  • coconut flakes
  • fruity pebbles
  • graham cracker crumbs
  • gummi bears
  • heath toffee
  • jelly bellies
  • kit kat
  • m&m’s
  • peanut m&m’s
  • mini caramel cups
  • chocolate chips
  • mini peanut butter cups
  • nestlé crunch
  • non-fat granola
  • old fashioned granola
  • oreo cookies
  • peanuts
  • pecans
  • peanut butter chips
  • reese’s peanut butter cups
  • snow caps
  • chocolate sprinkles
  • rainbow sprinkles
  • thin mint cookies
  • twix
  • walnuts
  • yogurt chips

Fresh Toppings

  • strawberries
  • raspberries
  • blackberries
  • blueberries
  • peaches
  • mangos
  • kiwi
  • pineapple
  • bananas
  • cinnamon apples
  • mochi
  • cookie dough
  • fudge brownies
  • fat-free brownies
  • cheesecake bits

Hot Toppings

  • hot fudge
  • caramel sauce
  • non fat / no sugar-added fudge

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Frozen Yogurt Recipe Ideas

We have some great flavor recipes/combinations that will keep your customers coming back time and time again. We all have our “go to” best selling flavors that we don’t want to change, but you never know when a bold and unique new flavor idea could become your signature product. The beauty of Nanci’s mixes is you can keep it very easy and simple or you can make artisan products with your own creativity.

The key to these recipes is the using the “Blender Method” described below.

Blender Method

  1. Prepare the base mix as normal in a large bucket.FOOD PEANUTBUTTER 2 KC
  2. Fill a blender half way with prepared base mix.
  3. Add the extra additive (fresh peanut butter, Nutella or fruit) into the blender and blend throughly. There shouldn’t be any large particles.
  4. Stir the concentrated base mix from the blender back into the rest of the base mix in the bucket.
  5. Take a quick taste to make sure its the right strength and then pour into your soft-serve machine.

Recipe suggestions:

 

Peanut Butter using REAL peanut butter and Nanci’s peanut butter flavor concentrate

  • Use Nanci’s vanilla base mix.
  • Add 5 oz of Nanci’s Peanut Butter flavoring and 1/4 to 1/2 cup of real peanut butter using the Blender Method.Nutella

Nutella

  • Use Nanci’s vanilla base mix.
  • Add one large container (26.5 oz) of Nutella using the Blender Method.
  • You can also make Peanut Butter Nutella by adding 1/4 cup of peanut butter with the Nutella.

Fresh fruit

  • Use Nanci’s plain tart base, premium tart base, or vanilla base mix.
  • Add about 1 1/2 cups of fresh fruit using the Blender Method.
  • Be sure to blend throughly to avoid any large particles. You may want to strain the mix for seeds.

Peanut Butter Cupstrawberies

  • Use Nanci’s vanilla base mix.
  • Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup and 1/4 to 1/2 cup of real peanut butter using the Blender Method.

With all these recipes, stir the hopper regularly. After serving the flavor, be sure to clean the machines throughly to remove any seeds or particles.

New flavor combination ideas:

– Peanut Butter & Jelly (combine 1/2 peanut butter flavoring and 1/2 strawberry or raspberry flavoring)
– Snickers (combine salted caramel and peanut butter in either the vanilla or chocolate base)
– Coconut Taro (combine 2/3 taro and 1/3 coconut)

Try it for yourself and let us know how it goes!

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Are soft drinks and sugar as bad as cigarettes?

A recent study from he American Journal of Public Health has found that soft drinks and smoking cigarettes both speed up your body’s aging process. Drinking a 20 oz soda per day can lead to 4.6 years of additional aging, which is the same effect as smoking cigarettes.

The culprit in the soft drinks is the huge amounts of sugar. A 20 oz soda would have about 43 grams of sugar, which is about 3 Tablespoons.

Nanci’s Frozen Yogurt uses superior sweeteners, such as fruit sugar and stevia. Stevia is a natural sweetener that comes from a tropical leaf. It has no caloric impact and has a glycemic index rating of zero. Fruit sugar (pure fructose) does not require the same amount of insulin as table sugar and does not spike blood sugar levels like sugar.

Click here for a news article about the report.

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Importance of Cleaning and Sanitization of Frozen Yogurt Machines

Cleaning your frozen yogurt machines properly can help produce better tasting product and prevent any issues of harmful bacteria. Most manufacturers recommend that you clean and sanitize your machine at least once every three days, but some municipalities may require you to clean the machine every day. Check with your local health department for your local regulations. Dairy products can breed many kinds of harmful bacteria, so it’s important to stay on top of your cleaning and sanitization schedule.

The first thing to do before any cleaning is to look in the owner’s manual for the proper procedure. Many machines will come with a special brush kit to get product out of every part of it. The manual will tell you where to use them. The manual will also tell you what types of sanitizer are and aren’t okay for your machine, and which parts you should inspect every cleaning for possible replacement.

Most frozen yogurt machines follow these procedures. First, drain the machine of product. Depending on the age of the product you could put it into a freezer and reuse it. Next, get access to the hoppers and pour in water. Turn on the cleaning cycle and let it run for the recommended time. Drain the water and use your brushes to any speck of product out. Repeat the rinsing and brushing until it looks clean, then remove the scrapers and any other recommended parts. Clean these thoroughly, and check the hopper again for any missed product.

Once your parts are clean, it’s time to sanitize them. Make sanitizer according to the package directions, then soak any parts you removed for the recommended time. Make another batch to put into the hopper and use it according to your owner’s manual. Once you’re done soaking, rinse out the hopper and the parts, replace them, and then put your product back into the hopper and turn the machine on as normal.

In about 20 minutes, you should be ready to go again with fresh frozen yogurt in a clean and safe machine. Not only that, but your frozen yogurt will taste much better too. The first batch out of a clean machine is the best! Try it yourself and see.

About the Author

Emily is the customer information “champion” at Spaceman USA – a friendly manufacturer of soft serve and frozen yogurt machines. With technical knowledge of the machines and understanding of soft serve business, Emily writes in various topics – from business management to delivering the best food quality to customers.

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How Organized Are You?

A Bit of Discipline Goes a Long Way

Do you ever find you feel rushed or overwhelmed with all your responsibilities? Do you run out of products and rush to order at the last minute? Here are 6 ideas to help you get ahead and stay organized.

  • Weekly Inventory – Take an inventory of your store regularly. That way you are always on top of what you have in stock. If an employee uses the last of something, have a sheet ready for them to document what they used so you have a handy list of what you need to order.
  • Consistent Orders – Order at the same time every week or month so don’t forget – that way you won’t get caught without an important item. Set reminders in your smart phone to help you stay on top of things.
  • Bulk Orders – If you order something, try to order a little more at a time so that you get any available discounts. Remember, FroCup.com offers the Baker’s Dozen Special which is “Buy 12 Cases and Get a 13th Case Free”. By keeping track of how much you are using, forecasting and reordering becomes more simplified. If you are running out of one item faster than others, order one extra of it next time. This way you can continue to order in bulk without needing one item sent to you in the middle of your ordering cycle. This might help your peace of mind and your pocketbook.
  • Organized Workspace – Keep your work area and storeroom clean and organized so that everything is easy to find and count. Set up simple organizing systems that think like you do, and then create a habit of using those systems consistently. Use labels to remind you and your staff where items belong.
  • Training – When training a new employee, train each the same way every time. Have a checklist to go over so that the consistency flows throughout the whole company. There is also a training certification available to your staff on nancis.com.
  • Procedures – Eliminate confusion by having each procedure in your shop outlined and clearly posted in the correct places, including opening and closing procedures, and ongoing maintenance procedures.

Being organized is an ongoing process, not a one-time event. It takes daily discipline to maintain the order you created. Encourage everyone in your group to continue the cause and you will find everything will go more smoothly. The feelings of unity and teamwork will increase and those feelings of being overwhelmed with all your responsibilities will turn to feelings of confidence and peace. Relax – you got this!

 

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Frozen Yogurt vs Soft-Serve Ice Cream

You might not realize that Nanci’s chocolate and vanilla bases are rich and creamy just like soft-serve ice cream. Texture depends on how much air you get in the product and the quality of the ingredients. We don’t sell a soft-serve ice cream because it is so similar in creaminess to our frozen yogurt but lacks the health benefits.  In fact, you could choose to serve Nanci’s and not call it frozen yogurt, some of our customers sell it as soft-serve and don’t even call it frozen yogurt at all.  It is up to you how you want to name it and market it.

The benefits of Frozen Yogurt vs Ice Cream are many:
Frozen Yogurt provides the same satisfaction and tasty treat as soft-serve ice cream with many additional benefits.
What you’ll get with an average ½ cup serving of Ice Cream:
-2x the calories (190)
-10x the Fat (11g)
-Cholesterol (not good for heart disease)
-Sucrose (not good for hunger spikes and diabetes)
-Sweet, Rich and Creamy
-No variations of sweetness or texture available

Here’s what you’ll get with an average ½ cup serving of Frozen Yogurt:
-Half the calories (90)
-Low-fat or no-fat (healthy non-animal fat)
-Probiotic enriched to support a healthy immune system
-No Cholesterol
-No Corn Syrup
-No Sucrose
-Sweet, Rich and Creamy
-Versatile in that it can also have other tastes and textures depending on what you like best.  For example, the Chocolate and Vanilla bases are just like soft-serve ice cream in sweetness and texture.  The Tart bases are uniquely different from ice cream.

In addition, another base mix which is called FRUIT WHIP is a bold and refreshing fruit soft-serve like what is served at Disneyland.  And it has probiotics.  What is really cool is that if you add double the water in your recipe and use a frozen drink machine, the FRUIT WHIP turns into a self-serve smoothie.  See link to two machine options for self-serve smoothies made from just Fruit Whip base + flavor + water.

 

 

 

https://frocup.com/product/elmeco-frozen-beverage-smoothie-machine-call-for-best-price/
https://frocup.com/product/commercial-frozen-drink-machine-donper-xf124/

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Daily Opening Procedures

Every frozen yogurt operator asks how they can make fantastic and consistent frozen yogurt. They want their product to come out of the machine with the same creamy, smooth texture every day. The key to achieving this is doing two daily procedures every morning before opening.

Prime the MachineYogurtInCup

Priming the machine refreshes the product in the freezing cylinder and hopper. Here are the steps:

  1. With the machine on Standby (or Overnight) Mode, remove the air tube (carburetor tube) from the hopper.
  2. Stir the mix in the hopper with a small whisk.
  3. Dispense 1-2 quarts of liquid mix from the machine (by pulling the handle on the front).
  4. Pour the mix back into the hopper and stir with a whisk.

The machine is now primed and ready to have the air set.

Set the Air

With gravity machines, the mix is poured into a hopper on the top of the machine and gravity pulls the mix into the freezing cylinder. On a gravity machines you need to manually set the air, for a maximum of 35% air.

One very important piece on the machine is the carburetor tube or air tube. The air tube is a skinny tube – usually stainless steel – that you insert into the intake hole in the bottom of the hopper. Once inserted, the top of the tube sticks up out of the product allowing air to get down into the product. All air tubes have some way to shut off the product intake – either by flipping the tube over or by closing off the intake hole using a sleeve that fits around the tube.

Here are the steps to set the air:

  1. After you’ve primed the machine, insert the air tube with the feed hole at the top of the tube (sticking out of the mix) to stop the product from flowing into the freezing cylinder.
  2. Keeping the intake closed, dispense 8-10 ounces of frozen yogurt into a clean cup. This product can be put back into the hopper.
  3. Turn on the soft-serve machine and wait for it to freeze down and for the motor turn off.
  4. Once the motor turns off and the product is frozen, open the air intake either by flipping the air tube around so the feed hole is now at the bottom (submerged in the mix) or sliding the sleeve on the tube (depending on your style of air tube).
  5. The overrun is now set and the product should come out smooth and creamy. As long as you leave the air tube in place it will stay this way. You can repeat this process as needed.
Another important factor in dispensing a great product is the temperature of the frozen yogurt coming out of the machine. Nanci’s regular mixes are best served at 17 degrees F, and the stevia and non-dairy mixes are best served at 24-25 degrees F.
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The Secret Ingredient for Amazing Frozen Yogurt

Close your office door and make sure no one is listening because I’m about to share with you the secret to making amazing frozen yogurt…ready…here it is…AIR. That’s right – one of the key components of smooth and creamy frozen yogurt is to have air or overrun in the product. If the product comes out icy and dense that means there isn’t enough air in the mix. This is especially important with natural frozen yogurt mixes.

All frozen yogurt machines have a hopper and freezing cylinder. The hopper is where you pour the mix, and the freezing cylinder is the horizontal empty cylinder behind the handles where the mix is frozen and the air is whipped into it. Inside the freezing cylinder there should be at least 30-40% air. This gives room for the product to expand and create a nice, creamy consistency.

Getting air into the product will depend on the type of soft-serve machine you have. Here is a quick breakdown. For more detailed instructions and help contact us at 1-800-788-0808 or info@nancis.com. You can also visit our Training Page for a howto video on adding air into the product.

Pressurized or Pump Soft-Serve Machine

These machines pump the product into the freezing cylinder with the exact amount of air you want – up to 100% air. Pump machines allow for you to set the precise amount of air. Consult the operators manual for your machine to find out how to adjust these settings.

Gravity Soft-Serve Machines

With gravity machines, the mix is poured into a hopper on the top of the machine and gravity pulls the mix into the freezing cylinder. On a gravity machines you need to manually set the air, for a maximum of 45% air.

One very important piece on the machine is the carburetor tube or air tube. The carburetor tube is a skinny tube – usually stainless steel – that you insert into the intake hole in the bottom of the hopper. Once inserted, the top of the tube sticks up out of the product allowing air to get down into the product. All carburetor tubes have some way to shut off the product intake – either by flipping the tube over or by closing off the intake hole using a sleeve that fits around the tube.

Here are the 6 steps:

  1. Pour the frozen yogurt mix into the hopper without the carburetor tube and wait for the bubbling from the intake hole to stop. The freezing cylinder is now full.
  2. Insert the carburetor tube to stop the product from flowing into the freezing cylinder.
  3. Turn on the soft-serve machine and wait for it to freeze down and shut off.
  4. Keeping the intake closed, dispense 8-10 ounces of frozen yogurt into a clean cup. This product can be put back into the hopper.
  5. Wait for the machine to cycle off then open the air intake either by flipping the tube around or sliding the sleeve on the tube.
  6. The overrun is now set and the product should come out smooth and creamy. As long as you leave the air tube in place it will stay this way.
Another important factor in dispensing a great product is the temperature on the frozen yogurt coming out of the machine. Nanci’s mixes are best served at 17 degrees F.

If you have any questions, please contact us.

 

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Preparing for “Busy Season”

Did you have a slow winter or maybe even close for the winter cold?  Spring is around the corner which makes now a great time to start preparing to open back up or generate new interest for the year. 

Here are some insights you might consider as you prepare for the warmer weather. 

SOCIAL MEDIA:  To generate interest, don’t forget to use Social Media.  Some people with home businesses ONLY do business using Social Media and understand what a great tool it can be.  Don’t overwhelm your customers or followers with too many posts, but regular reminders and posts are great!

PROMOTIONS:  Start thinking of promotions you can use throughout the year.  Whether it is stamp cards to earn free yogurt, or maybe even a contest where someone gets to choose their favorite flavor as “Flavor of the Week” or have a “Customer of the Month.”  Whatever you choose to do, don’t forget how important it is to be part of your community.  Get involved in sponsoring local teams or schools and get your name out there. 

TRAINING:  Use this time for training your employees better, make sure everyone is on the same page with not only operating procedures but with the excellent customer service you want to offer your customers.  Quiz your staff on product knowledge such as how to put air into the product to make it creamier or why your product is better than most.

NEW MENU ITEMS:  Start thinking of things you can easily add to your menu that will generate more interest and excitement.  Things like salads, soups, and bakery items.  Anything that will help you to diversify and attract new customers is a good thing.  Remember to clear it with your landlord.  

INVENTORY:This is a great time to take a really good inventory.  Go through everything and make sure that expiration and best buy dates are still good.  Move everything that needs to be used first to the front and don’t forget to rotate your stock as new items come in. 

MAINTENANCE: Don’t forget to have your machines looked over.  Replace any worn parts, lube well and clean thoroughly.  The better care you take of your machines, the longer they will last.

NEW FLAVORS:This is a good time to also think about changing out a few yogurt flavors on your menu.  NANCIS.COM is a great resource for flavor ideas and new flavor cards and graphics.  Watch for our newsletters for Nanci’s flavor specials.  And if there is ever a new flavor you’d like us to carry, type it in the “Notes” section at checkout on FroCup.com.  

We love to hear your creative recipe ideas!  Here is one we liked that a client shared:  Candy Bar Flavor: 1/2 bag Chocolate Base + 1/2 bag Vanilla Base + 3 oz Salted Caramel + 3 oz Peanut Butter + 2 gallons water.  Think outside the box and try something new!  You’ll be surprised how many flavors are good in different bases; try Strawberry or Red Raspberry in chocolate and see what you think!