“First you have to cook the base,” pastry chef Elena Baklashova teaches me, with whom we prepare ice cream according to a French recipe. – Pour the cream into the milk and bring to a boil. Beat the yolks well with the sugar and add them to the milk. Add vanilla. Prepare at 80 degrees. Then chill the dough and put it in the refrigerator. Whisk. A little more and our dessert will be ready.
Elena is a pastry chef with 30 years of experience. I learned how to make great ice cream in the 2000s from famous French chefs Eric Tassone and Guillaume Joly. Now experiment often. Recently I came up with an unusual combination: Commander squid ice cream.
In recent years, according to Elena’s observations, ice cream has been gaining popularity. More and more is requested in public catering. And not only ice cream and creme brulee, loved by everyone since childhood, but also various unusual tastes and combinations.
“However, there is a tendency to reduce the content of sweet and fatty foods in desserts,” Elena shares, “which does not have the best effect on the taste.
HAS YOUR LIFE BECOME HOTTER AND MORE MONEY?
It’s not just in public catering where people are starting to eat more ice cream. According to the analysis department of the National Union of Milk Producers (Soyuzmoloko), in the last four years total consumption has increased by 17%. And if we compare January and February of last year with the current months, then by 30% (see “Only numbers”). And these are record numbers: the highest in almost 30 years.
Experts from the information and analysis agency Milknews explain this jump not only by a warmer climate than before, but also by an increase in the population’s real income. Ice cream is the product that people enjoy. And we take care of the treats if we have extra money.
An increase in consumption also implies an increase in production. Its volume in Russia in 2023 amounted, according to Soyuzmolok, to the record figure of 524 thousand tons.
“43% of the country’s entire ice cream market is shared by five major players,” says Soyuzmolok CEO Artem Belov. – They contributed 60% of the increase in production of the sector as a whole last year. Investments in the sector in recent years have amounted to more than 30 billion rubles, of which since 2020 alone, about 15 billion rubles, which indicates the interest of investors in this segment.
You feel good and happy when you walk through that door and find yourself at the right party, for example, the ice cream festival at GUM.
Photo: Ivan MAKEEV. Go to Photobank KP
JOBS
The sanctions, of course, affected the ice cream industry, but…
“Within two years, companies were able to find alternative suppliers of the necessary ingredients (for example, emulsifiers and stabilizers. – Ed.),” explains Artem Belov. – To achieve this, supply mechanisms were developed through intermediary countries and new partners were sought in friendly countries.
The situation with equipment and spare parts continues to be much more complicated. We had to look for non-standard ways to purchase and deliver spare parts from Europe; some were ordered from national companies.
US TO THEM, THEM TO US
Meteorologists say this summer will be hot.
“And this means that Russia can break another record in ice cream consumption,” says Artem Belov. – In 2023, Russians have already eaten a record amount of ice cream – more than 0.5 million tons. There may be more in 2024. At the same time, the price of ice cream will not increase at a faster rate than other milks. Manufacturers tried to contain the cost of final products. In 2023, the ice cream price increase was about two times smaller than the food inflation rate.
Prices had to be maintained partly due to the so-called inflationary contraction. This is when a cup or package contains not 100 grams of ice cream, but 90, 80 or even 78. And the price is the same.
Not only our compatriots love our ice creams, there are also connoisseurs abroad. But now the share of exported ice cream, according to Soyuzmolok, is only 2% of the production volume. Therefore, there is room for growth.
“Russian ice cream remains one of the most attractive segments for potential export development,” explains Artem Belov. – Our country already has a strong brand here, because Russia is associated all over the world with frost and this cold dessert. Many Russian companies already have successful experience in selling products in foreign markets. We see great potential in supplying China (where several Russian companies have opened their offices), the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, countries in the Asia-Pacific region, Africa and the Middle East.
In total, in 2023 we exported 13.9 thousand tons of ice cream worth 50.3 million dollars (see “Details”). And among the main buyers is Kazakhstan ($21.32). This same country is the one that supplies the most to Russia. Another important importer is South Korea: 1.2 million dollars.
