Tag: frozen yogurt mix

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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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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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Diary of a Diabetic: the Power of Stevia

We received some great feedback about our Stevia Frozen Yogurt Mix from a type 2 diabetic named Steve (this is a real experience but names have been changed to protect the innocent). Keep in mind that this is not a conclusive scientific study, but rather one person’s anecdotal account.

On two different days, Steve measured his blood sugar level before eating frozen yogurt and two hours after. He compared YoCream, which is sweetened with lots of sugar, and Nanci’s stevia-sweetened frozen yogurt. Keep in mind that Steve does not take any medications to control his blood sugar levels.

Here are his results:

Day 1: YoCream sucrose (table sugar) sweetened frozen yogurt
Starting blood sugar level: 135
Blood sugar level 2 hours after eating 4 oz. of YoCream: 280

Day 2: Nanci’s Stevia Frozen Yogurt
Starting blood sugar level: 123
Blood sugar level 2 hours after eating 4 oz. of Nanci’s: 116

These numbers mean that the Nanci’s Stevia Frozen Yogurt had no affect on Steve’s blood sugar level, while the YoCream product caused his blood sugar to spike dramatically.

For many people with diabetes who can’t handle sugar, stevia is an excellent option. It is an herb from South America that has been used as a natural sweetener for centuries. The leaves of the Stevia plant have a clean refreshing taste and have zero calories, zero glycemic index, and zero carbs. And it’s 300 times sweeter than sugar, so you can use very little of it. And best of all, it is natural!

Check out our Vanilla Stevia Frozen Yogurt mix on our website. We also have a Chocolate Stevia Frozen Yogurt mix coming soon.

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Spring Frozen Yogurt Flavor Recommendations

Spring has sprung! Shifting your flavors to match the season can help increase sales. Check out our Spring flavor recommendations below and feel free to be creative with flavor names.

APRICOT
APRICOT MANGO
BLACK CHERRY
BLACKBERRY
BLUEBERRY
BLUEBERRY POMEGRANATE
BOYSENBERRY
COTTON CANDY
GEORGIA PEACH
HAWAIIAN PINEAPPLE
HONEYDEW MELON
KEY LIME
KIWI
KIWI COLADA
LEMON MIST
LEMON-LIME
MANGO
MANGO STRAWBERRY
PASSION FRUIT
PINK GUAVA
STRAWBERRY COLADA
STRAWBERRY KIWI
STRAWBERRY LEMONADE
WATERMELON
WILD BERRY

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Frozen Yogurt Training Videos

We’re excited to introduce three new training videos available on our website. We’ve kept them short and sweet, but packed with useful demonstrations.

The videos include:

  • How to Prepare Nanci’s Mix
  • How to Add Air into Mix
  • Soft-Serve Machine Overview

You can view the videos at www.nancis.com/training

Here’s our new Intro to Nanci’s video as a teaser…

 

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What are probiotics?

Check out this short video that explains probiotics and why they are important for your body. Nanci’s Frozen Yogurt contains micro-encapsulated probiotics, which keeps it protected in the powder form. It activates when you eat it and it delivers the good bacteria your body needs.

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Increase Sales Part 3: Marketing Tips

Drive Traffic to Your Frozen Yogurt Store with Marketing

“You can have the best product or service in the world, but if people don’t buy – it’s worthless.” Noel Peebles, Marketing Expert

 

I would add to this quote that if people don’t know about it – it’s worthless.

With the increasing competition in the frozen yogurt industry and stores popping up on every corner, you have to make consumers aware of your shop. Each community is different and some marketing tactics will work in some areas and others will not. The key is to try different things and find what works for you. And remember that what worked yesterday, might not work tomorrow.

The only limit to your marketing is your own creativity. Some ideas can be expensive, but there are plenty that are not.

Here are some ideas we’ve gathered from our customers.

  • Cross marketing with local businesses. Network with gyms and other retails to place coupons or signs in their shop. Host theme nights. Create nights for special interest groups – like book clubs, girls night out, religious study groups, singles groups, etc.
  • School fundraisers with your local elementary school.
  • Coupon mailers.
  • Daily deal websites. Living Social, Groupon, AmazonLocal, or Google Deals.
  • Create a flavor contest. Have people submit their ideas for a flavor via Facebook and in store. Pick three finalists and put their flavors in your machines for one week – with their photo and name above the machine with their flavor. Keep track of how many ounces of each flavor is consumed to determine the winner. This will create a buzz and cause the finalist to get friends and family to come eat their flavor.
  • Group contests. Similar to the Create a Flavor contest above, but have groups compete against each other. This can be especially effective with sororities. The winning can get a donation to the charity of their choice.
  • Street marketing. A sign holder or a person in a frozen yogurt costume can draw attention to your shop.
  • Sponsor or advertise at local races. Just about every community has 5K, 10K, triathlons, and other races throughout the year. There are many options for advertising, including dropping coupons into the bag each racer gets.
  • Social marketing. Leverage Facebook, Instagram, and other social media sites. There are many creative contests and games you can do combine social media with in-store interaction.
  • Online marketing. Create a free Google Places account, as well as other online directory listings. Google AdWords or Facebook advertising can also be effective.
  • Loyalty programs. Tools like Perka can help you put together customer loyalty programs and punch card systems.

 

We’d love to hear your ideas. Email us at info@nancis.com

 

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Increase Sales Part 2: Improve Customer Experience

Improve the In-Store Experience for Your Customers

Kids Activity Area

Most frozen yogurt stores don’t offer a great place for families to relax and enjoy their frozen yogurt. A kids area is a great way to entertain children, so parents can enjoy their time in your shop. Parents will be much more likely to visit your store, if they know their children will be entertained. Even if your shop is small, you can use a corner for some simple kids activities.

A few ideas for a kids area include:
    • Paper and washable crayons/markers
    • TV with kids movies on a loop
    • Small toys or games
    • Simple crafts
    • Video game system – like a Nintendo Wii

Live Music

Ask local musicians to play music on weekends or evenings. Many musicians will play for free or just for tips. If you don’t have room inside your shop, maybe they could set up on your patio and you could put out additional chairs.

Games

Have easy-to-play group games available for customers to use and return. Ideas include trivia games (i.e. Wits & Wagers), Jenga, Catch Phrase, etc.

Do you have other ideas you’d like to share? Email us at info@nancis.com

CLICK HERE TO READ PART 3: MARKETING TIPS