Whatever the size of your food business, if you wish to serve ice cream, you'll need some specialized ice cream equipment and supplies. Although the variety of ice cream supplies might seem overwhelming at first, if you focus on ice cream equipment and supplies basics, you'll quickly discover what your business will--and won't--need.

You can easily break down ice cream equipment and supplies into three main categories, and it's likely your business will require at least one item from each of those categories. Consider:

1. Commercial ice cream makers and servers, available for hard and soft ice cream, as well as frozen yogurt, galatos and other specialties;

2. Display cases, an especially important part of ice cream shop equipment;

3. And miscellaneous small equipment available from ice cream suppliers.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find commercial ice cream machines for any use

Whether you need an ice cream machine for making or serving hard ice cream, soft ice cream, frozen yogurt, galatos or sorbets, there is a perfect machine for you. Many commercial ice cream makers are useful for more than one type of iced treat, adding profitability to your business.

I recommend: AAA Commercial Products offers several commercial soft serve ice cream machines. Vieco's Kitchen supplies soft service, sorbet and yogurt machines, all sold with free shipping. Kitchen Professionals has a wider line of ice cream machines, including commercial machines for small and large batches, and machines suitable for soft or hard ice cream.

Remember display cases as part of your ice cream shop supplies

It's easier for potential customers to pass up your ice cream if it's not proudly displayed and readily tempting them. Therefore, investing in good ice cream display cases makes good business sense. Small or large, mobile or immobile, you'll find a wide variety of ice cream display cases are readily available.

I recommend: Ice Cream Equipment World carries several types of display cases; for more details, click on the photograph of the type of case you are interested in. Sevel USA sells several gelato and ice cream display cases. For mobile ice cream display carts, check out All Star Carts and Vehicles.

Buy miscellaneous commercial ice cream supplies

Almost every ice cream selling business requires commercial ice cream equipment like cone holders, scoops and spoons. Many ice cream supply companies also sell toppings, cones and other perishables, keeping your costs lower by reducing shipping costs and time spent searching for and working with additional suppliers.

I recommend: For ice cream scoops, tasting spoons, cone holders and cups, try Ice Cream Supply Co. Tundra Specialties carries topping dispensers, dippers, dishes and many other ice cream supplies. For paper and plastic cups and bowls, cone displays and cone dispensers, try Icy Supply.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  When choosing ice cream shop supplies, look for lighted display cases. These showcase your offerings more delectably, perhaps increasing sales.

Before you open up your new ice cream selling venture, you need to gather the right ice cream equipment and supplies. At the very least, you’ll need to purchase commercial ice cream machines and additional ice cream supplies.

The type of ice cream shop supplies that you’ll need varies by the size of your operation. For a smaller stand, you may only need moderate sized commercial ice cream makers. For a larger outfit, you’ll need much more commercial ice cream equipment pieces.

1. Develop a list of the various equipment pieces that you’ll need for your ice cream shop. You may need dipping merchandisers, dipping cabinets, a commercial quality ice cream maker, cone dispensers, and topping rails.
2. Set up a meeting with ice cream equipment and supplies sales rep. Work with the vendor to determine the amount of ice cream shop supplies that you require.
3. Order your ice cream from ice cream suppliers once your shop is operational. You don’t want to place orders with ice cream suppliers until you are ready to set up delivery of the products.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Purchase the larger pieces of ice cream shop equipment

Your first purchase orders should include your commercial ice cream machines and commercial ice cream makers. These products are going to cut into your budget the most and you can adjust your numbers for the rest of your equipment after you purchase them.

I recommend: Check out the selection of commercial ice cream makers on the Make Ice Cream website. Featured products include both new and used ice cream making equipment. For dispensing commercial ice cream machines, look at the products manufactured by 1st-line.

Select the serving utensils needed for your ice cream parlor

Once you get the larger equipment pieces out of the way, you can concentrate on all the additional items that you need to serve ice cream at your location. At this point, order your cone dispensers, scoops, serving dishes, spoons, warmers, blenders and topping rails.

I recommend: Browse the different product categories on Ice Cream Equipment World to find all of the serving equipment that you’ll need to make your shop operational.

Order your ice cream supply

In this case, you are probably going to constantly need to reorder from a supplier. Your best bet is to build a long term relationship with an ice cream supply company. Work out the terms of your supply arrangement before placing your first order.

I recommend: If you want a wholesale manufacturer to provide your ice cream for you, try the Ice Cream Club. Fill out their website’s contact sheet for them to get in touch with you about providing your ice cream shop supplies.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  After you order your commercial ice cream machines and makers, ask the company about their policies on ordering and supplying parts in case of breakage.

Whether you're opening an ice cream shop or planning on adding ice cream treats to your current food business, you'll need to map out what ice cream equipment and supplies will cost you. Pricing and costs of ice cream equipment and supplies are fairly consistent throughout the United States, so no matter where you live, local and online research will greatly help you plan.

When it comes to ice cream shop equipment and ice cream supply, there are three main expenses you will encounter, aside from actually purchasing ice cream. When shopping for equipment, consider the pros and cons of buying new (for example, warranties, repair services, availability, efficiency) and used (like lower initial costs). When buying supplies, try to find a company that can provide you with all your needs so you avoid additional time and costs shopping with several distributors. Now consider the following:

1. Do you need commercial ice cream machines, for either soft or hard ice cream?

2. Do you require ice cream shop supplies, like display cases?

3. How much will disposable ice cream supplies run?

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Price commercial ice cream makers and serving machines

There are a great variety of ice cream machines--some that make ice cream and other iced treats, and others that only serve them. Generally, you can expect to pay $8,600 to $10,000 for a new countertop machine serving or making one flavor of soft serve ice cream, and $19,000 to $21,000 for a larger floor model for more than one flavor. A countertop hard ice cream server usually runs about $9,000 to $10,000. Used ice cream equipment varies widely in price but are usually about half the cost.

I recommend: FoodServiceWarehouse.com carries a line of soft serve and batch ice cream freezer machines for commercial purposes, and MakeIceCream.com offers classified ads for used ice cream machines.

Check out ice cream parlor equipment, like display cases

A large stainless steel and glass display case for ice cream, about 46 inches by 66 inches, runs about $18,000 to $20,000 on up. A similar used display case run around $5,000 to $8,000. A small display case, designed for selling pre-packaged ice cream products, runs about $400 to $600 used and $1,100 to $1,800 new.

I recommend: ACityDiscount Restaurant Equipment & Restaurant Supply offers a variety of used ice cream display cases. Galasource sells high-end, new ice cream display cases.

Seek ice cream suppliers for disposable needs

Small, miscellaneous supplies will occupy much of your ongoing costs of running a business serving ice cream. Tasting spoons run about $25 to $30 wholesale for about 3,000. A pack of 800 sugar cones run about $60 to $70, while waffle cones are around $40 to $50 for about 200.

I recommend: A. Panza and Sons offers a variety of wholesale ice cream supplies, including toppings, products for making ice cream and foam, paper and plastic ice cream serving dishes. For ice cream cones of every type, check out the business-to-business division of Joy Cone.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Whether you buy your commercial ice cream machines new or used, be sure to ask for specific details about warranties and repair services. A machine that costs a bit more but offers a better warranty or free parts or repair services will always be a better deal.

If you're thinking about opening an ice cream business, then you can't freeze up when you hear some of the terms used in the industry. Words such as dipper wells, batch freezers and ice cream units are not usually understood unless you have prior experience working in an ice cream shop. Also, there are certain items that can make your ice cream business more productive and efficient. You should be certain to know terms that include ice cream scales, ice cream cone holders and topping dispensers.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Ice cream scale

An ice cream scale can save you money by helping to ensure each serving of ice cream is the right size. Simply decide how big you would like your portions to be, then have your employees weigh the ice cream on the scale before they serve it to a customer. Most ice cream scales include attachments to hold cones.

I recommend: To see a picture of a typical ice cream scale and get more information about a scale's specs, check out Restaurant Equipment World.

Ice cream cone holder

Boost the productivity of your employees by lining your counters with ice cream cone holders. The holders give your employees a place to put ice cream cones after they have scooped them, but before the customer is ready to take them. This allows the employees to scoop ice cream faster.

I recommend: For more information, check out CompactAppliance.com. Click on the "description" and "specifications" links to learn more about the advantages of ice cream cone holders.

Dipper wells

A good place to put ice cream scoopers between uses are dipper wells. They are typically small, stainless steel buckets that contain water and can be mounted on the side of an ice cream case. Some dipper wells come with faucets.

I recommend: To view examples of dipper wells, visit Tundra Specialties.

Topping dispensers

Topping dispensers come in two types--pumps for dispensing liquid toppings and boxes with sliding doors for dry goods. Many dispensers allow you to portion the right amount of topping for each serving.

I recommend: To learn more about a variety of topping dispensers, check out Galasource Ventures.

Ice cream unit

An ice cream unit is a portable serving container that will keep ice cream chilled for hours, without a freezer.

I recommend: You can view pictures of ice cream units and gather specs for the different styles at Instawares.

Batch freezers

Batch freezers are popular with small ice cream shops and restaurants. They are used to make a limited quantity of frozen desserts and work well with premium ice cream, such as sorbet and gelato.

I recommend: Technogel is a good source for more information about batch freezers.