How to Start Ice Cream Business in Nigeria

How to Start Ice Cream Business

My discussion today will be on how to Start Ice Cream Business in Nigeria.

Ice cream business can be started as small scale basis with moderate capital investment.

Ice cream is defined as a frozen dairy product made by suitable blending and processing of cream and other milk products.

Together with sugar, flavour, stabilizer and incorporation of air by agitating during the freezing process.

Ice cream is consumed by all sections of society, particularly children.

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Today ice cream may be considered a luxury food item although its popularity is increasing rapidly.

Ice cream is consumed more in cities.

However occasionally, particularly in meetings and social gatherings, it is being used even in villages and towns.

The consumption of ice cream is likely to increase in future.

Starting an ice cream business can be extremely lucrative, as long as you have researched other ice cream businesses in your area and developed a detailed Business plan.

There are stages in an ice cream process these are:

Firstly, the raw ingredients mainly milk, added milk powder, sugars and fats such as cream, butter or vegetable-fats, must all be heat treated (cooked) and blended through heating to emulsify the fat in the mix.

The mix is heated to a temperature of 65-85°C for a specific time to achieved pasteurization which then kills harmful-bacteria present in the pre-heated ingredients.

The heat treatment is usually defined in the Food Regulations that apply in the country of production.

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Secondly, the heated mix must be cooled rapidly, regulations normally specify this must be done within 1.5 hours, to the required temperature, usually 7°C or lower.

And most equipment will usually continue this cooling down to 4°C.

Once cooled the mix is allowed to age before flavours such as strawberry, mint, vanilla and other fruit pastes are added.

Finally the chilled mix is frozen to -6°C to -9°C, very quickly within 5-10 minutes in either a continuous or batch freezer by way of a churning/whipping process.

During this freezing cycle the complete mixture is poured or pumped into the freezing chamber of the freezer to be frozen.

Inside this chamber the mix, now containing sugars, water, fats and proteins is partially frozen incorporating air bubbles, resulting in a finished ice cream similar in consistency to a soft-serve ice cream.

How to Start Ice Cream Business