Registration is now officially open for member shops to be featured in this year’s nationwide celebration. This members-only initiative is designed to help you drive traffic, increase visibility, and make the most of peak ice cream season through coordinated national promotion.

By registering, your shop will be included in consumer-facing campaigns that highlight participating locations across the country—making it easier for customers to discover and support your business during July.

What You Get as a Participating Member:

• Inclusion on the National Ice Cream Month map to help customers find your shop
• A comprehensive marketing kit with ready-to-use graphics and promotional assets
• Creative campaign ideas for in-store events, specials, and social media
• The opportunity to be part of a nationwide celebration driving awareness to local shops
• Added visibility through coordinated industry promotion

National Ice Cream Month continues to be a powerful way for members to showcase their brand, engage their community, and capitalize on summer momentum alongside shops across the industry.

Registration closes April 21, and members are encouraged to secure their spot early to ensure inclusion in national promotions and materials.

👉 Register your shop today: https://icecreammonth.org/register/

The must-attend event for ice cream and frozen dessert professionals is officially on the calendar! Conecon 2026, presented by the North American Ice Cream Association, will take place November 10–12, 2026 at the Palm Springs Convention Center in Palm Springs, California.

Conecon is the premier industry tradeshow and convention where business gets smarter, skills get sharper, and connections are made. The event brings together manufacturers, retailers, distributors, and suppliers for three days of networking, education, and innovation — plus a bustling trade show floor and hands-on experiences.

📍 What to Expect:

• Engaging educational sessions

• A packed trade show with the latest products and services

• Flavor of the Year competitions and unique industry showcases

• Networking with top professionals across the ice cream sector

Whether you’re looking to grow your business, explore trends, or connect with fellow ice cream pros, Conecon 2026 is where the industry converges.

🔔 Mark your calendars now:
📅 November 10–12, 2026
📍 Palm Springs Convention Center — Palm Springs, CA

Stay tuned for registration details, session schedules, and exhibitor announcements — more scoop coming soon! 🍨

Apr 16, 2025 11:00 AM CT

Have you ever considered adding frozen novelties to your product lineup? Join us for a practical seminar on frozen novelties and discover how they can help you achieve your business goals. In today’s dynamic and competitive marketplace, a well-defined product assortment is essential for driving growth, attracting customers, and maximizing your brand’s impact.


In this comprehensive session, Caitlin Hayes of Clare’s Creamery will explore market trends, share ideas on integrating frozen novelties into your business, and demonstrate how to make ice cream pops. Evan Waldt of Ice Cream Equipment Specialists will also be on hand for a demo and Q&A at the end of the session.

Click to Register

Here's how to enter:

• Go to https://icecreammonth.org/register/
• Complete the form including your membership status
• Once completed, you will receive a confirmation email.
  

Members who register by April 22nd, 2025 will receive:

• A Digital Press Release Template
• Social Media Posts and Captions
• 1 Program Guide
• 2 8.5 x 11 in. Posters
• 3 Table Tents
• 3 Prize Envelopes
• 2 Window Decals
• 100 Punch Cards
• 100 Stickers

YOU ARE INVITED

Last year was the most attended event in Association history, and this year......Well, everything is bigger in Vegas. We would love to have you attend the biggest ice cream and frozen dessert trade show and convention in the US this year. Conecon is the largest ice cream and frozen dessert trade event in the United States. If you are in the ice cream or frozen dessert business or are considering opening your own business, then this event is for you. Whether your focus is non-dairy desserts, soft serve, gelato, frozen custard, premium ice cream in any method of retailing or production, this is the event for you!

This year's Convention and Tradeshow features the following events and activities:

• Over 100 trade show booths
• Over 35 breakout sessions and workshops
• Competitions and opportunities for national recognition and prizes 
• Judging the Flavor of the Year competition with over 100 entries
• Donating $40,000 to scholarships to benefit member employees
• The largest networking opportunity for ice cream and frozen dessert makers, wholesalers and retailers. And much more
•  

Click HERE for more details

https://www.omnihotels.com/hotels/fort-worth/meetings/nicra-annual-convention-11052022

The Association is planning and looking forward to a very successful in-person trade event in 2022 at the Fort Worth Convention Center.

Last year was the most attended event in Association history, and this year......Well, everything is bigger in Texas. We would love to have you attend the biggest ice cream and frozen dessert trade show and convention in the US this year.

Early registration will save you $100 per person and is only available for a short period of time. For all of the details, go to www.conecon.org

• Kings River Packing, a citrus giant in California, "established the exclusive rights to the Raspberry Orange brand, with the aim of improving consumer acceptance of blood oranges," per an article on Fresh Plaza, a trade publication for the fresh produce industry.

• "'Many retailers are having a hard time marketing the blood orange,'" Jesse Silva of Kings River Packing told Fresh Plaza. "Consumers are not really taking to the variety despite its reputation for its flavor and healthy benefits."

• "The Raspberry Orange brand focuses on the distinct flavor of the blood orange, which has a notable aftertaste of raspberries."

• Silva says that sales have improved as a result of the name change. 
  

• Click Here to Read More: https://www.axios.com/newsletters/axios-whats-next-6bda9eb6-2e3d-481d-a58a-61ccceaee4dd.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter_axioswhatsnext&stream=science

The North American Ice Cream Association is a real thing—a trade organization “committed to advancing the ice cream and frozen dessert industry” that also bestows awards upon ice cream makers in a variety of categories each year.

Why should you care? Because Sarasota’s Yoder’s Southern Creamery recently won a blue ribbon award for its vanilla ice cream, and also took home the top prize in a category devoted to new non-dairy flavors, thanks to its peanut butter brownie scoops.

The judging took place earlier this month at the association’s annual trade show, popularly known as Conecon, and was overseen by dairy scientist Samuel Alcaine of Cornell University. Ice creams were subjected to microbial testing and other analyses, and scored for their flavor, body, texture and color.

Want to try an award-winning scoop? Find Yoder’s products at Main Street Creamery (1359 Main St., Sarasota) or at Detwiler’s Farm Market locations, as well as a handful of other stores.

Read More at: https://www.sarasotamagazine.com/eat-and-drink/2021/11/yoders-southern-creamery-award

These are hot times for ice cream in Philadelphia, what with home-grown brands such as Bassetts, Wecklerly’s, Dre’s, Zsa’s, 1-900-ICE-CREAM, and Franklin Fountain getting company from out-of-town artisanal labels such as Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams and Van Leeuwen.

Jeni’s, incidentally, just opened its Fishtown scoop shop at 1322 Frankford Ave. and has a second shop opening soon at 1901 Chestnut St. in Rittenhouse, while Van Leeuwen opened in August 2021 at 13th and Sansom Streets in Washington Square West and has more locations on the way.

Now it’s Milk Jawn’s turn to come in from the cold and go the brick-and-mortar route, a little more than a year after Amy Wilson, Ryan Miller, and Cathryn Sanderson debuted with pop-ups and deliveries of their small-batch ice cream pints, which routinely sell out.

They have leased a storefront next to Essen Bakery at East Passyunk Avenue and Dickinson Street in South Philadelphia to become a scoop shop in spring 2022.

Further, they have leased space a block away for a production facility.

Milk Jawn, which Wilson started in 2012 in her kitchen as a hobby, currently operates out of its production facility at MaKen Studios North in Kensington, near 1-900′s facility.

Milk Jawn’s shop will offer ice cream in pints, cups, and cones, with various toppings. Wilson also plans to offer ice cream cakes. Milk Jawn’s fame has spread by word of mouth and Instagram.

Milk Jawn’s flavor roster includes tahini fudge swirl; pistachio; double-fold vanilla; cold brew and caramelized cacao nibs; and chocolate hazelnut crunch. Its Earl Grey with honeycomb won Best New Flavor for the Northeast Region, and second place nationally, at the North American Ice Cream Association annual convention, held in early November.

Read More at: https://www.inquirer.com/food/milk-jawn-ice-cream-shop-philadelphia-20211203.html

ANN ARBOR, MI -- Blank Slate Creamery is scooping up ice cream awards — again.

The North American Ice Cream Association recognized three different Blank Slate flavors as being some of the best in the country, awarding Blank Slate with a White Ribbon for its Madagascar Vanilla and a Red Ribbon for its Bittersweet Chocolate. The creamery also took home third place for its Non-Dairy Peppermint Bark.

Judging for ribbon placements was conducted under the direction of Sam Alcaine, a Cornell University dairy scientist. Samples are judged for structure and sensory experiences, as well as flavor, texture and color, among other categories. Winners are split into three tiers, with Blue Ribbons awarded to the highest tier, followed by White Ribbons and Red Ribbons.

“They test everything down to the microbes in it,” said Nate Nuttle, Blank Slate’s operations manager.

Categories for Best New Flavor and the Non-Dairy Flavor of the Year are both selected via vote by participants at the NAICA conference.

Nuttle said the Madagascar Vanilla flavor is made of vanilla extracted with bourbon, which he said is “a more classic kind of flavor profile” than Tahitian vanilla, which is made with rum.

Blank Slate also won third place for its Non-Dairy Peppermint Bark, which has an oat milk base. Its Non-Dairy Sunbutter Cinnamon has placed in the category in the past.

Nuttle said being recognized provides a morale boost for Blank Slate’s staff.

“It’s kind of hard to keep up the energy in the winter, and stuff like that keeps us going and reminds us that we’re doing something special,” Nuttle said.

The Madgascar Vanilla, Non-Dairy Peppermint Bark and Hot Cocoa flavors are all currently available at the creamery.

Read More at: https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2021/11/ann-arbors-blank-slate-creamery-receives-national-honor-for-three-flavors.html

Conecon, the biggest ice cream trade event in the U.S. was held in November in Orlando, Florida where Moo-ville Creamery was the talk of the convention. The Nashville, Michigan company was recognized by The North American Ice Cream Association for their delicious chocolate ice cream. They received the highest score in the category.

According to MLive, the creamery has been attending Conecon for a few years, but this was the first year they entered any of their flavors into the competition. Some of their other flavors did really well too, just not as well as their chocolate.

They don't even have a fancy name for it, it's simply chocolate ice cream.

Troy Westendorp, of MOO-ville Creamery: "We still use granulated sugar instead of corn syrup and we are definitely pushing the butter fat a little bit higher than most places. We are about 20-25% higher than most of the competition in butter fat."

He had me at butter fat.

They say the extra butter flavor gives the chocolate ice cream a richer flavor.

MOO-ville Creamery is a family-owned company. They milk 200 cows with robots in Nashville, Michigan. They believe in producing high-quality milk and process it as little as possible. They also bottle their own milk, make their own ice cream, cheese, and butter

If you know me, you know I'm a freaking nut when it comes to ice cream. If I could eat it every day and not gain weight, I'd be throwing it down my throat nonstop.

Congrats to everyone at MOO-ville Creamery.

The Rosen Plaza is at 50% capacity of our room block for the NICRA convention on the 7,8 and 9th November 2021. make your reservation now with no money down at the following link:

https://www.rosenplaza.com/wp-content/uploads/RP-Facilities-Guide.pdf?x21374

You will also note there are several deays either side of the convention dates that also qualified for our special discount rate. BOOK NOW

The Executive Committee met this morning and accepted Jeff’s resignation.

NICRA has and always will be sensitive to discrimination in any form. The associations policy on discrimination and harassment is displayed on our website.

It reads:

NICRA is committed to a policy of nondiscrimination in all of its endeavors.

To that end, NICRA shall not tolerate any words or acts of discrimination, harassment or any inappropriate behavior in general against any person affiliated with NICRA, including its members and guests, with regard to race, sex, color, creed, religion, age, national origin, disability, marital status or sexual orientation.

High Point, North Carolina (May 28, 2020) – Carpigiani, an Ali Group Company, is pleased to announce the expansion of their distribution network with the addition of three new distributors: Coolers Inc. (Greater Houston metro area), Refrigeration Mechanics (Northern Ohio), and Red Rock Food Equipment (Oklahoma).  These new distributors not only add local sales support for our customers but also local service and parts distribution for both Carpigiani Professional and Chain Solutions.

About Coolers Inc.

Coolers Inc. was established in 1967 and is one of the largest family owned & operated refrigeration and commercial kitchen equipment service companies in Houston. They offer commercial equipment installations, repairs, maintenance, parts replacements, and warranty work on a wide range of equipment types, including refrigeration, ice machines, draft beer systems, soda systems, hot-side equipment, gelato/ice cream machines, and more. Coolers Inc. is a one-stop-shop for restaurants, bars, cafeterias, venues, and other businesses for all of their commercial kitchen equipment and refrigeration service needs.

 “We are excited to partner with Carpigiani as a sales, service, and distribution center serving Houston and surrounding markets. Our extensive background in commercial refrigeration and kitchen equipment made the integration of their products and services into our range of capabilities a seamless process. We are passionate about the quality of Carpigiani equipment and the value it brings to the end-users, and, ultimately the gelato consumers.” Lee Mamone - Business Development

About Refrigeration Mechanics, Inc.

Refrigeration Mechanics, Inc., established in May 2007, is a newly appointed distributor for Carpigiani dedicated to sales, service, and training in Northern Ohio. Refrigeration Mechanics, Inc. also provides installation, service and preventative maintenance on HVAC/R and kitchen equipment for commercial and industrial needs. Refrigeration Mechanics, Inc, is a service representative for Scotsman Ice, as well as a dealer for US Cooler and Heil Heating and Cooling products for commercial, industrial as well as residential needs.

About Red Rock Food Equipment

Red Rock is a certified Woman-Owned Business that is the Oklahoma Distributor for Scotsman Ice, and 3M-Cuno Water Filter Systems. Sheila Amundsen is the owner and operator of Red Rock which she formed in 2010. Red Rock currently has 2 offices – one in Oklahoma City and one in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

About Carpigiani

Carpigiani Corporation began in 1946 and has been the global leader, innovator and manufacturer of frozen dessert equipment for more than 70 years. Carpigiani is dedicated to providing the highest quality, most reliable and most durable frozen dessert equipment in the industry. Carpigiani also hosts the Gelato Festivals, the world's largest gelato competition, and Carpigiani Gelato University and Frozen Dessert University, providing unparalleled professional education on frozen desserts for gelato and premium ice cream artisans.

For more information, visit our website at www.carpigiani.com/usa. 

Due to the current hardships the industry is facing, NICRA is extending free 3 month memberships to Ice Cream Retailers around the world. 

To take advantage of this offer please do the following:

1. Visit the link below: https://www.nicra.org/general/register_member_type.asp?
2. Select Three Month Free Membership Type
3. Create a username for your account and enter your first name and last name.
4. Accept the Membership Conditions
5. Complete information form

Once you are registered and confirmed by an admin you can enjoy all of the member-only areas of the site.

Members that already have their NICRA membership will have an additional 3 month period added to the end of their current memberships.

As an association we are looking to support those in the industry at this especially difficult time. 

Please reach out to the office if you have any questions.