Short supply chain for cinemas

Ice cream is a classic at the cinema concession stand. But ice cream is not like ice cream. Some cinemas avoid processed ice cream. In collaboration with local ice cream manufacturers, new concepts are being introduced which range from an in-house-branded ice cream to the prevention of packaging waste. “We removed processed ice cream from our menu”, says Gerda Kroiss, proprietor of the Roxy Cinema in Abensberg, “and offer our own popcorn-caramel ice cream made by a local ice cream manufacturer.” Roxy Cinestar ice cream was designed by the Gelato World Master-Germany prize winner Adriano, who runs the Italian ice cream parlor ‘La Dolce Vita’ in Abensberg.

 

The Casablanca arthouse cinema in Nuremberg serves handmade ice cream with bio-certified ingredients from “The little ice manufacturer”, located in the nearby Old Town. Proprietor Josée Boucher works with local producers when she selects ingredients. “We’re getting milk from an organic milk farmer who is only twenty minutes away.” The animals run a free range all year long, and they pasture in local meadows. Imported soy, genetic engineering, and glyphosate are taboo. Strawberries are also sourced from a regional organic farm.

 

 

The recipes of the ice-cream flavors do not require artificial additives, such as aroma powder. Instead, raw milk, cream, sugar, and fruits are pasteurized by heating them to eighty degrees Celsius. The liquid ice mass must be steadily agitated in a fridge cylinder where it is cooled down to minus nine degrees Celsius. The ice cream is delivered in reusable glass ice cream cups with covers which can be cleaned in a dish washer and can be reused according to the principles of the circular economy. “The spoons come from our café, so there’s no packaging waste”, emphasizes Matthias Damm, programming director of the Casablanca.

 

The Florida ice cream company in Berlin-Spandau relies on traditional craftsmanship to produce its ice cream, which it delivers to film theaters, among them the Hackesche Höfe Kino, the Sputnik and Union Kino in Berlin, as well as the Movie at Luitpoldhaus in Marktheidenfeld. Selected ingredients, such as fresh fruits, and the loving care taken in the production process are diametrically opposed to industrially processed food. This milk-based ice cream is made with butter. Artificial aromas are banned. The new product line includes a vegan ice cream based on oats with a fruity mango maracuja.

 

Florida’s efficient energy concept involves photovoltaic, solar-thermal, and a recuperation system from the refrigeration system to engage with each other, which makes ice cream production eco-friendly. The photovoltaic installation on the green roof provides electrical energy for production. The cryogenic energy resources are connected to a circulatory system that generates hot water for the adsorption-type refrigeration system. Thanks to the adsorption technique, the production area is temperature controlled. Isolating the freezer with permafrost, made from recycled crushed glass, saves more than 100,000 kW per year.

 

The company’s carbon footprint: 6.5 tons of carbon emissions were saved over the period of eleven years. The ice cream is delivered in electric vehicles outfitted with a eutectic cooling system. Florida’s drop-in ice cream freezers in cinemas are powered by propane gas, which has a much lower potential for global warming than synthetic cryogens.

 

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