1.1 Definition and scope of the study

Ice cream is a food made from milk, sugar, fruit and a variety of flavors. Sorbet, on the other hand, is made only of sugar syrup and fruit pulp or flavors. Different types of ice cream are available for sale, such as cones and sticks, ice cream specialties to share (ice cream logs and cakes) or sorbet and ice cream tubs, and those sold in hypermarkets and supermarkets.

In terms of volume, US consumption is dominated by individual specialities (cones, sticks, etc.) and by sorbet and ice cream in bulk (sorbet tubs in particular). The snacking ice cream segment plays the most important role in ice cream sales, especially during the summer period, and ice cream consumption varies considerably depending on the weather conditions.

The global ice cream and sorbet market is growing and will continue to do so in the coming years. Several factors are driving this growth, including premiumization and flavor innovation. On the contrary, the consumption of low quality ice cream has decreased. Vanilla is the most common flavor, followed by chocolate. New Zealand consumes the largest amount of ice cream per person per year (28.4 liters), followed by the United States, Australia and Finland [worldatlas].

In the U.S., sales value increased by 1% in 2019, while volumes fell by 2%. This confirms the premiumization trend that characterizes the ice cream and sorbet sector. In addition, the infused protein ice cream segment has been growing since 2016..

The structure of the U.S. market is relatively concentrated; Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream and Unilever accounted for nearly one-third of sales in 2019. The top-selling brand is Haagen-Dazs. In terms of innovation, the industry is very dynamic, forcing players to continue creating new products.

1.2 A Growing Global Market

The global market for ice cream and sorbets was estimated at $**.* billion in ****. It is projected to grow at a CAGR (***) of *.*% between **** and **** to reach $**.* billion in ****.

World ice cream and sorbet market World, ****-*****, in billions of dollars Source: ****

This growth is explained by the development and rise in ...

1.3 The US Market

The average American consumes more than ** pounds of ice cream and related frozen desserts per year and regular ice cream is the most popular category of frozen desserts [***]. To give a clearer idea of the size of this market in the US, it is sufficient to say that about *.* billion pounds ...

1.4 Ice Creams and Sorbets in Florida

As it can be seen from the graph below, the industry revenue for ice cream and frozen dessert manufacturing in the state of Florida as been on a decreasing trend for the last six years and is likely to continue down this path. Between **** and **** this industry's revenue indeed decreased by ...

1.5 Imports and Exports

In order to analyze the international trade of American ice creams, we took into consideration the products under the HS commodity code ****: Ice cream and other edible ice; whether or not containing cocoa.

Imports, Exports and Coverage rate for HS code **** USA, ****-****, in million USD and % Source: ****

As it can ...

1.6 COVID-19 Impact

We have seen how over the ** weeks ending Sept. *, ****, dollar sales in the ice cream subcategory of the larger ice cream/sherbet category were up **.*%. The lockdown period caused by the spread of the COVID-** has certainly fueled this growth. Ice Cream has indeed always been considered a so-called “comfort food” ...

2.1 Demand Characteristics

Americ's top ** favorite ice cream flavors:

Vanilla Chocolate Cookies N’ Cream Mint Chocolate Chip Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Buttered Pecan Cookie Dough Strawberry Moose Tracks Neapolitan

America’s favorite novelty products are:

Sandwiches Mini cups Sticks or pops Cones Bars

Retailers say premium ice cream is most popular with their consumers, ...

2.2 Consumption Habits

The consumer profiling company MRI-Simmons conducted a survey in **** to better understand the consumption habits of US citizens when it come to ice cream and sherbets. The two graphs in this section show the results of this survey for two fudnamental questions: "Which brands of ice cream and sherbet do you ...

2.3 Demand Drivers

A study published on the journal of dairy science revealed that price and consumer income were the main determinants of demand for ice cream products.

Disposable Consumer Income

Disposable personal income in the United States has increased by **.*% between **** and ****. This vertiginous growth in the past ** years has represented an opportunity ...

2.4 New Trends in Demand

Low-fat Ice Cream

Americans are becoming more health conscious by the day, and generally more aware of the importance of eating healthy. Those who could not give up ice cream switched to low-fat or non-fat alternatives. This tendency has been growing in the past ** year at exponential levels. Domestic consumption of ...

3.1 Market Structure and Main Players

Families are the primary customer group for ice cream retailers and that is why ice cream marketing is primarily done on a local or regional level. Ice cream makers and retailers say the Great Lakes region (***) is the most successful ice cream market [***].

The majority of U.S. ice cream and ...

3.2 Value Chain

Source: ****

The challenge in the production and distribution of ice cream and sorbets is not to break the cold chain. Products must be kept at a temperature of -** °C or below. Ice creams or sorbets must be kept at -** °C until they are delivered to the consumer.

3.3 Market Shares

The following graph shows the breakdown of the sales of the ice cream vendors in the US, giving us a picture of the market share of the different companies active in this sector.

Market share of leading ice cream vendors USA, ****, in % Source: ****

3.4 Distribution Channels

By distribution channel, the market is segmented as foodservice channels, supermarket/hypermarket, convenience stores, ice cream franchise stores, online stores, and other distribution channels. Ice cream is among the largest supermarket food categories, one of only ten with double digit billion dollar sales, according to market research publisher Packaged Facts.

Therefore, ...

4.1 A Diversified Offer

The structure of the offer

The ice cream and sorbet market offers a wide range of products, differentiated by many factors:

Flavor;

Typology;

Cones Tubs (***) Bars Sticks Mini format (***)

Segmentation;

Choc snacks Luxury ice cream Premium ice cream Kids Cones/Sticks Standard Adult refresh Individual dessert

Vegan/plant-based or not;

Artisanal ...

4.2 Pricing

The graph below shows the evolution of the retail price of ice cream. As we can see, after a peak in ****, these prices have remained pretty much stable in the past */* years. However, between **** and **** the retial pprice of ice cream increased by **.*%, indicating a premiumization of the market towards more ...

4.3 The Store Franchise Sector

US ice cream offering is often distributed through store franchises. Most often, these stores are the physical correspondents of famous brands such as Ben&Jerry's and Haagen Dazs. The following graph shows the evolution of the number of ice cream and gelato store franchises.

Evolution of the number of businesses in ...

4.4 Production and Ingredients

The production of ice cream is structured around * steps:

The different raw materials (***) are mixed and then pressurised. The mixing is carried out at a temperature of -*°C. The mixture is churned slowly for about ** hours in order to make the "ice cream" homogeneous. Then comes the pre-freezing stage ...

5.1 Rules and Regulations on Composition

Ice cream is a frozen blend of a sweetened cream mixture and air, with added flavorings. A wide variety of ingredients are allowed in ice cream, but the minimum amounts of milk fat, milk solids (***), section ** CFR ***.*** for ice cream, ** CFR ***.*** for goat's milk ice cream, and ** CFR ***.*** for sherbet.

Ice ...

5.1 How to Open an Ice Cream Parlor in Florida

Before starting a business, in Florida it is necessary to register with the Florida Department of State, the IRS and the Florida Department of Revenue. For businesses located outside of the State of Florida, evidence of registration with their Division of Corporations or Corporate Registry may be required.

When those steps ...