Even with temperatures taking a big dip this week, some folks still have a taste for ice cream. The cold treat was the main topic of conversation for hundreds of people this week in downtown Lexington.
Some 300 mom and pop ice cream operators visited central Kentucky for the National Ice Cream Retailers Association Convention. Carl Chaney of Chaney's Dairy Barn in Bowling Green is president-elect of the organization. His store opened in 2003 to supplement his family's dairy cattle business. Chaney says the ice cream shop has been instrumental in keeping the 125-year-old family farm going. "There's been twice in the last five years that if it wouldn't have been for the ice cream store, we would have probably had to sell the cows," said Chaney.
Chaney says independent ice cream operators face the same challenges as most all small business owners. "I think I saw some figures where it said that if you can make it three years, you've got a chance at survival. Then I saw another that said if you make it five years. Then I saw another one that said if you make it ten years, you have a chance. So, we're still chasing that ladder, trying to make sure that we're gonna survive," added Chaney.
Also attending the week-long event was Vince Giordano of Sno Top Ice Cream in Manlius New York. His soft-serve shop has been in business since 1957. Giordano says Sno Top features a variety of flavors, including sugar-free and fat-free products. "I've tried to cover everybody out there that I can. When that car pulls up, somebody in there maybe can't have something. We've got something they can have," said Giordano.
Giordano says the secret to lasting success in the ice cream industry is service and quality.?
