Don’t scream for ice cream–go online

For many people, there can be no better time to scream for ice cream than now with lockdowns and all forms of quarantine in effect most likely until next year.

The deadly new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic is threatening not just people’s physical health but mental well-being, too, with movements and social interactions restric­ted. Many look to ice cream as a delightful solution to beating the doldrums, as they safely distance themselves from family, loved ones and friends.

“Ice cream is cheaper than therapy,” advises one to those worrying about keeping their sanity during this time of insanity. Another declares, “Ice cream is like duct tape—it fixes everything.” As for those wondering when it is best to indulge one’s craving, another puts it simply, “The best time for ice cream is always.” And, of course, who can imagine the holiday season without the frozen delight no matter how subdued the celebration is?

Fortunately, some of the country’s most innovative ice cream makers have stepped up to meet the never-ending demand. Although caught by surprise by the initial strict lockdown and forced to shut down for several weeks, they immediately scrambled to adapt to the situation and are now back on track to ensure people will always get their ice cream fix.

Ricardo Cuna

Reinvention

Ricardo Cuna says the crisis created an opportunity.

As his Fiorgelato ice cream’s scooping stations and retail outlets shut down in malls, schools and offices, Cuna says, “I reinvented our business model” and found ways “to navigate an unfamiliar terrain.” Instead of customers going to them, he brings “our products to our customers.”

The decision to go online was also motivated by a desire to help his employees. Cuna says several were unable to return to work in Manila, caught by the quarantine in their provinces. Through a new online distributorship, he was able to give those employees a livelihood as they waited to be cleared to travel.

Fiorgelato also got a makeover. As online learning continues and people shorten their mall trips, the Italian-style ice cream is now sold in pints—easier for the company to deliver and for buyers to eat within the day or store in home refrigerators.

Cuna also consolidated his three companies under the Milkin Group. Aside from Fiorgelato, it now includes Donburi Mix (DM) Express, frozen ready-to-eat Japanese food; and Kurimi Milk Tea. DM Express products come complete with the necessary sauces and condiments and generally need only to be reheated or cooked briefly. While Kurimi may be available in October in mall stalls, Cuna is also finding ways to allow his distributors and resellers to offer it.

He admits “every day is a challenge. We just have to be flexible. [Problems] seem to be endless. Every day, every time there is a crisis but I cannot stop [finding solutions] because many people depend on me.” His products are sold all over the country and will even be available soon in war-ravaged Marawi City. Cuna’s products may be viewed on Facebook (FB): DM Express, https://m.facebook.com/DonburiMixExpress/, Instagram (IG): dmexpress_phil, email: [email protected], and tel. 0917-6203807; Kurimi Milk Tea, FB: kurimimilkteabar, IG: kurimimilkteabar, email: [email protected], and tel. 0917-8725181; and Fiorgelato, FB: fiorgelatoheadoffice, IG: fiorgelatoheadoffice, email: [email protected], and tel. 0917-8725181.

Antonio Tiu

Healthy indulgence

Even before the pandemic, Antonio Tiu’s ANI’s Big Chill has been committed to promo­ting health and good nutrition, developing products that are plant-based. His ice cream is nondairy being coconut-based, thus containing less fat.

Since Big Chill ice cream does not have cow’s or any animal’s milk, Tiu says, “It’s different from other ice creams because even lactose intolerant individuals can freely enjoy it. It’s also good for those on a diet.” Tiu says he has been an advocate of the vegetarian diet since 1995. “It was a deliberate decision to stay fit and healthy given our family’s medical history,” he says.

Since his company, ANI, just happened to be a major producer and exporter of fruits, grains and coco-based products, it was just a skip and a hop to turn the ingredients into a healthy ice cream. “The new ice cream line also helps our local farmers,” Tiu adds.

“We also introduced our immune-boosting Big Chill natural drinks in cans for local and export distribution, while our Fit Bites meat substitute aims to make plant-based meat substitutes more accessible and affordable to consumers,” he says.

The Big Chill ice cream is exclusively sold in the company’s own stores and online, aniexpress.1ani.com.ph, and eKadiwa, the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) online retail market.

Big Chill’s ice cream line can also be enjoyed by those who don’t like dairy.

“The [few] stores allowed to open are currently reconfi­gured to serve online orders and takeaways,” Tiu says. As the COVID-19 restrictions ease, Tiu says the ice cream will soon be available in major supermarkets.

Tiu admits the pandemic has hit the business hard. “Fewer cargo flights to and from our major export markets restricted the movement of our produce. But our company quickly adap­ted to the new normal,” he says.

“The lockdown provided the best platform to introduce our products,” he says. It led to the launch of the ANI Express website and mobile application and the tie-up with the DA’s E-Kadiwa ni Ani at Kita program to promote a contactless farm-to-plate business model. Through the web application aniexpress.1ani.com.ph, customers can order fresh produce, canned beverages, rice and other essential goods direct from farmers to customers without physical contact.

“We’re also pioneering the digitalization of the Philippines’ agri-agra (agriculture-agrarian reform) sector by introducing farmers to their very first digital e-wallet,” Tiu says.

ANI plans to add more products to its online service and open more physical stores to create jobs amid the pandemic and to ensure customers can access its products, especially with the growing need for healthy products created by the pandemic.

The renewed, even heightened, interest in the antiviral properties of virgin coconut oil (VCO), which is being studied by the Department of Science and Technology, has also given a boost to Tiu’s coco-based ice cream. He says they now infuse their products with VCO.

Big Chill ice cream is available in four flavors—”ube,” vanilla, chocolate and coffee. Its best sellers are ube and chocolate. Aside from its web app, which may be downloaded from both Google Playstore and Apple Store, ANI Express products can also be viewed on FB: https://www.facebook.com/pg/ANIExpressPH; FB Messenger: m.me/ANIExpressPH, and IG: https://www.instagram.com/ani.express. The company website is www.ani.com.ph.

Francisco Magsaysay

Holiday must-have

Can’t decide between dessert or a liqueur at the end of a hearty meal? J&M Naughty and Nice Cream gives both in one package. A spin-off of the award-winning Carmen’s Best Ice Cream, J&M has introduced into the market four alcohol-infused frozen treats that should be a must on every dinner table this holiday season.

Francisco Magsaysay, who has parlayed Carmen’s Best into an international brand, says they originally intended J&M (named after sons Jaime and Miguel while Carmen is the name of his daughter) for “our B2B accounts (other business establishments). With the lockdown, and many businesses also struggling, we decided to sell the alcohol-infused ice cream directly to the public. We had to pivot.”

Like Cuna and Tiu, Magsaysay says the pande­mic hit his business hard. “Most of our clients, prior to COVID, were restaurants, coffee shops, hotels, resorts and airlines. Now, we have to look for a different way to sell our ice cream,” he says. While milk came from their dairy farm in Bay, Laguna, Magsaysay says they had some difficulty sourcing some ingredients.

After totally suspending manufacture during the first month of the strict lockdown, Magsaysay says production is now done only to fill orders. “We started taking in community resellers … as many people were looking for ways to earn some extra income. Since we have been in the market for close to 10 years, we have a good number of people who want to sell our products.”

He says that before COVID-19, they deliberately chose not to sell online or direct to the consumers, so as not to compete with retailers like grocery stores and supermarkets. “It’s only now that we are looking to sell online. It has been challenging, to say the least,” he says.

Magsaysay says he is happy to have chosen to go slow but sure, opting to go through resellers and other businesses (B2B), advising other entrepreneurs, “Just follow your gut and don’t be too greedy. Grow your company slowly and don’t take such big risks. The greater the risk, the greater the chance of failure!”

The plan now is to limit J&M products to four flavors, or no more than five, which will be available through community resellers and online delivery. “We plan to ‘drop’ the least selling flavor every quarter to ‘spice’ things up,” he says. On FB, visit J&M Naughty & Nice Cream and @jmnaughtynicecream on IG. Carmen’s Best’s website is www.carmensbest.com

With the never-say-die attitude of these entrepreneurs—Cuna, Tiu and Magsaysay—there is no need to scream for ice cream. Go online! —CONTRIBUTED