Ice-cream country Germany? The fact check

By Easter at the latest, the best time of the year begins again: ice cream time! The ice cream parlours open their doors and the snow on the slopes gives way to ice cream in wafers.
Reason enough for us to present you with a few interesting facts about ice cream:

Is ice cream really that expensive in Germany?!

Every ice cream parlour owner has probably heard this quite often: "Waaaaas? 10 cents more for the scoop again this year?! That's expensive..." But is that true? Is ice cream really that expensive here?! Clear answer: No!
In the last 10 years, from 2008 to 2018, ice cream in Germany has become more expensive by a total of just under 8.1%, while the consumer price index has risen by 12.9% in this period (source: Federal Statistical Office) - which means: yes, ice cream (like everything else) has become more expensive - but much less than many other things.
Besides, ice cream is comparatively cheap in Germany anyway! Let's take a look at a comparison of major European cities: In Berlin you pay an average of € 1.44 for a scoop of ice cream from a top ice cream parlour, in Munich an average of € 1.52. Sounds a lot? Then watch this...
In Amsterdam you already pay € 1.74 for a scoop. In major Spanish cities (e.g. Madrid or Barcelona) you pay between € 2.40 and € 2.50, and in Dublin you already pay € 3.30. And the front-runner? Copenhagen in Denmark with an average of € 3.79 per scoop...

How much ice cream do Germans eat

The average per capita consumption in 2018 was 8.7 litres of ice cream. Of this, 81% was industrial ice cream, 16% artisanal ice cream and 3% soft icecream - i.e. every German eats an average of 1.4l of artisanal ice cream. With a normal portion size, that's around 25 scoops per person - and on average just under two soft ice cream portions.

By the way: On average, Germans order 2.7 scoops in street shops - at € 1.30 per scoop, you can expect a turnover of € 3.51 per customer.

What surprised us, by the way, is that you often hear ice cream parlour owners say "nowadays most people only order one scoop anyway", but it is actually only 20% who only order one scoop, while 6% of customers order six(!) scoops or more...
And what are the Germans' favourite flavours? The classics dominate: chocolate, followed by vanilla and strawberry.

And how many ice cream parlours are there in Germany?

In2017, there were around 5,500 ice cream parlours in Germany. However, it is interesting to note that the number of ice cream parlours in Germany has been falling for years: 10 years ago, in 2009, there were still almost 6,100 ice cream parlours in Germany. So today there are a good 10% fewer ice-cream parlours than in 2009, while per capita consumption today, at 8.7L/person (see above), is about 13% higher than in 2009 - when it was still 7.7L/person
What does that tell us? Actually, it's the perfect time to open an ice cream parlour. Consumption is increasing, competition is decreasing - it couldn't be better. And if you also manage to "steal" a customer or two from the ice cream industry, then success is not long in coming. How do you do it? Just ask us - we have a few ideas for you...

Would you like to open an ice cream parlour yourself, ideally inspired by our article, or are you toying with the idea of producing your own ice cream? Do you need help with the calculation, the planning of your ice cream laboratory or the choice of the right machines? Contact us - we will be happy to help you!

Source: Statista "Ice cream in Germany" 2019