September 2011

Here’s hoping that you all had a brilliant summer holiday period and are now, at least, able to catch your breath. If anyone has any exciting news to tell then please let me know at alison.watkins@rsshereford.co.uk.

New Large Environmentally Friendly Batch Freezers from Telme

If you struggled to keep up with demands over the summer, did you know that Telme can now supply a vertical batch freezer with a maximum batch capacity of 24 litres? This means that you can produce up to a massive 160 litres within one hour. The Ecogel machine can also feature an inverter which allows you to adjust the amount of air incorporated during freezing and makes filling 500ml pots straight from the machine a lot easier as you can also slow down the speed of extraction. All Ecogels also feature two compressors so that you can reduce water and power consumption when freezing small quantities by turning one of the compressors off. The machine also only uses the bottom compressor when it first starts up to further reduce water and power consumption. As with all vertical batch freezers you can add inclusions directly into the machine just prior to extraction which saves time and helps to increase your productivity. For more information contact sales@rsshereford.co.uk or telephone 01432 276777 to arrange an on site demo.

New Contact for South East

RSS Hereford is very pleased to announce that Sean Barnett has joined us to cover London and the surrounding counties as a Design and Sales Consultant. Sean, who lives in Leatherhead with his fiancé, has a territory that will take him from Dorset in the South West across to the English Channel in the South East as well as including the Home Counties and Essex. Sean will be at the ICA Exhibition in Harrogate in November and is looking forward to meeting existing and potential customers alike. If you have an immediate need then Sean can be contacted on his mobile 07775 038593 or e-mail sean.barnett@rsshereford.co.uk.

Ice Cream Cake and Dessert Demonstration – free to RSS Hereford customers!

There are still places available on our one day course on October 13th 2011 to help kick start your preparations for the festive season. This demonstration will give you some ideas for special flavours suitable for Christmas as well as introducing semifreddo, ice cream cakes and individual desserts which make great products for you to sell over the Christmas period and even throughout the year. These unique products are great for catering customers to serve up quickly especially at this busy time of the year. Keep your equipment manufacturing and bring in some cash even when the snow is on the ground by adding a new product to your range. There will be practical involvement and tastings throughout the day so come and join in the fun. We’ll also have a range of packaging and containers that compliment the products on show for you to see. To book your place please contact Karren Davies on Karren.Davies@rsshereford.co.uk or telephone 01432 276777. If you would like to attend but are not yet a customer then a fee of £150 per person is payable in advance.

10 Reasons Why RSS Can Help Your Ice Cream Business

1. Passionate and knowledgeable personnel available WITHIN the company
2. Customer driven family company established in 1976 with customer focused, supportive suppliers
3. 24 MONTHS parts warranty on all new ice cream equipment with well stocked UK spares department or next day shipment from our supplier
4. In house loan equipment provides essential cover for emergency breakdowns
5. Dedicated installation, training and technical engineers based at head office with nationwide service contacts
6. Innovative product offering with market leading equipment for energy and water efficiency
7. Free introductory demonstration in our fully working ice cream parlour and laboratory or on site “try before you buy” offer for existing businesses
8. Designs for manufacturing laboratory and retail parlour based on our first hand experience of owning an ice cream parlour – Giovanni’s Gelateria
9. One to one product training in your own laboratory on your own equipment
10. Continued support for new product development; retailing and promotion ideas and training

VAT On Ice Cream To Stay

Did you know that in April, the trade body Ice Cream Alliance (ICA) wrote to the Treasury requesting VAT to be taken off the price of ice cream to help producers cope with rising costs? The reply from HM Revenue & Customs last month says it cannot make changes to VAT because it is an EU-wide tax. A spokesperson for HM Revenue & Customs says “it is unable to extend the scope of its existing zero rates or introduce new ones.” Zelica Carr, chief executive of the ICA, said she was disappointed that this opportunity to help the ice cream industry, which is worth more than £1 billion to the UK economy, was knocked aside. Ms Carr said: “It is the UK government which has increased VAT on ice cream to 20%, surely it must also have the power to reduce it?” Why not start your own campaign to see how strong local support would be for you to target your MP against this hefty tax on ice cream?

Register Now for a Chance To Win a Caribbean Cruise!

On Wednesday November 2nd the first ever UK leg of the European Gelato Championships will take place at the Ice Cream Expo in Harrogate. This unique competition only runs once every three years so don’t miss your chance to win a trip to Berlin to compete in the Finals in October 2012. Other countries taking part include Italy, Spain, Germany, Austria, Holland, Slovenia, Greece and France. Competitors are required to bring 4L of toffee flavoured liquid mix ready to freeze in a Telme Ecogel 20-60 vertical batch freezer at the show. The top six competitors will receive a “gold” medal and the top two winners will compete together in team UK at the final in Berlin. The overall winner at the finals will be crowned Gelato King or Queen of Europe and win a fantastic cruise around the Caribbean including flights to and from Miami. To register for the competition contact Donna at the Ice Cream Alliance at donna@ice-cream.org. Entry fees are £80 + vat for ICA members and £120 + vat for non-members. Full information and a copy of the rules can be downloaded here.