Our extensive work with the dairy industry means we know a thing or two about ice cream – and not just eating it with a bowlful of jelly.

Making ice cream is a fine art, and the process of taking it from a production facility to your fridge freezer has been almost perfected within the past decade.

We’ve helped improve that process in our own unique way – by providing dairy manufacturers with effective climatic systems that facilitate better tasting products.

To celebrate our relationship with dairy, let’s take a look at five amazing facts about the ice cream industry you would never have guessed.

• You can visit an ice cream conference

Have you ever wanted to visit a conference in which the keynote speaker does nothing but discuss Neapolitan ice cream?

Then you’re in luck – the Ice Cream Technology Conference in Florida is a hotspot for ice-cold dairy, and could make the perfect holiday for anyone with a sweet tooth.

Covering topics as diverse as ‘frozen dessert research, technology [and] new market trends’ this annual get-together proves that companies are thinking about the future of ice cream more than you ever realised.

•  High Society Loved it

While you’ll likely purchase a tub of ice cream from your local supermarket nowadays, it wasn’t always so readily available – in the 1700s it was reserved for high society.

Only the elites of any country could afford the delicacy known as ice cream, giving it a cultural cache it’s thankfully shed in the modern day.

• Cleaner sells better

No one could ever claim ice cream is a healthy option – it’s a product for those with a sweet tooth who want to forget about their latest diet while they chow down on dessert.

But as the fad for clean eating continues to pique consumer interest, ice cream manufacturers are discussing how they can remove certain preservatives and stabilisers from their ingredients.

So you probably won’t notice it while eating, but the core ingredients of your ice cream are changing.

• There’s a reason for Ben & Jerry’s chunks

Ben & Jerrys ice cream has become famous in part because of the chunks of flavour it puts into its ice cream. Whether it’s pistachio nuts or chocolate chip cookies, we’ve grown to love this counterintuitive approach to ice cream production.

But the real reason these chunks exist has nothing to do with a marketing department’s bright idea – it’s because the company’s co-founder Ben Cohen has no sense of smell.

His appreciation of texture over smell while he eats provided Ben & Jerrys with a fantastic USP – and the rest is history.

• Ice cream melting changes its molecular structure

You’ve probably noticed that the texture of your favourite ice cream changes after it’s melted then refrozen. The reason for this is that the molecular structure of ice cream is broken down, and air bubbles that were locked in place from freezing escape.

We understand the complexities of the dairy industry, and we’d hate to think of a fresh batch of ice cream melting on our watch. That’s why we can provide special climatic systems for the ideal temperature control in your food production facility. Take a look at the rest of our site to learn more.

For more information on temperature control, give us a call on 0113 202 7300 or email info@penmann.co.uk