Soft ice cream - what is it, how does it work and what are the benefits? (Update 2025)

Today we are taking a closer look at soft ice cream in the Krämagazin. Which locations are particularly suitable for sales? How long does the season last? What are the margins like? What costs do you have to expect? And above all: What is the minimum sales volume that makes the business worthwhile? We answer these and other questions in this article.

What is soft ice cream?

Soft ice cream is basically ice cream, but it is prepared differently. It is not stored frozen like conventional ice cream, but is made fresh when it is served. It could therefore also be described as "fresh ice cream".

Soft ice cream is characterized by a high air content of up to 75%, which makes it particularly creamy. It is also served at around -6 °C, in contrast to -15 °C for normal ice cream.

Production takes place in special soft ice cream machines, which have a cooled storage container for the liquid ice cream mix and a freezing cylinder. It is important that the mix does not contain any chunks, as the high air impact is generated by gear pumps, which only work properly with a smooth mixture.

Location factors for soft ice cream

Where is soft ice cream available?

Generally everywhere where there are lots of people out and about: Pedestrian zones, shopping centers, outdoor pools, swimming lakes and popular excursion destinations. Kindergartens, schools and school bus stops are also well suited. A relaxed atmosphere is important, such as at festivals and events - customers particularly enjoy eating soft ice cream there because it is less common in everyday life.

This is also the reason why many showmen swear by soft ice cream machines (and no, it doesn't always have to be the Oktoberfest...)

Selling season and portions

The ice cream season in Germany lasts from mid-March to mid-October, which is around 7 months or about 30 weeks, depending on the region. With 6 opening days per week, that's a core season of around 180 sales days, with five opening days you get around 150 days.

A big advantage of soft ice cream is the short preparation and follow-up time: fill the machine, switch it on - done. Then clean - done. This makes it easy to extend the season.

If you manage an average of 50 portions a day, you can sell around 7,500 portions a year (based on 150 sales days). In prime locations, such as busy pedestrian zones, you can easily sell 150 portions a day - that's 22,000 to 30,000 portions a year. At major events, up to 3,000 portions a day are possible.

Cost of sales and sales prices

What about the cost of goods sold and the possible sales prices? Of course, the cost of goods also depends on the portion size and the air mark-up of your soft ice cream, but as a rule of thumb we can use the following:

The cost of goods is around € 0.20-0.25 per portion plus € 0.05-0.10 for the waffle or cup. This makes a total of around € 0.25-0.35 per portion.

The sales prices vary greatly from region to region: at folk festivals such as the Oktoberfest you can easily charge € 3.00-3.50 , in smaller towns they tend to be around € 2.00-2.50 per portion.

Our tip: It's better to make larger portions and charge a little more - the cost of goods remains low.

The sales tax for street sales - which is almost always the case with soft ice cream - is 7%. This results in a gross margin of around € 1.60 to € 2.90 per portion.

Costs and profitability

Is soft ice cream profitable for you? One thing is clear: it depends on your sales volume.

An example: With 7,500 portions sold annually and an average gross margin of € 2.25, this results in a gross profit of around € 17,000. After deducting energy and cleaning costs (approx. € 1,000-1,500), a gross margin of around € 15,000 remains. With 25,000 portions per year, the gross profit rises to over € 50,000.

Of course, may incur additional staff and space costs. Ideally, you should simply add soft ice cream to an existing outlet and use existing staff - then additional costs are minimal.

You can get a long-lasting Carpigiani soft ice cream machine from around € 20,000, which will last at least 15 years with good care - an investment that pays for itself quickly. Even a premium machine with the highest performance for € 40,000 including pasteurization (minimizes cleaning effort and maximizes hygiene) pays for itself extremely quickly with 25,000 portions per year. Leasing is an attractive alternative with an immediate return on investment.

It is precisely because the margins are so high that it is worth reaching for more expensive but high-quality premium appliances. Cheap Chinese models may be significantly cheaper, but there is a price to pay: hygiene is significantly worse, as is reliability and performance - and if you wait four weeks for spare parts from China in the height of summer, you lose money, customers and image in the long term.

Soft ice cream is worth it - not always, but often!

Conclusion: In a good location, you can build up an attractive additional business with soft ice cream. The important thing is to choose the right machine - suitable in size and technology, durable, easy to clean and with reliable service. Feel free to contact us or take a look at our machines directly on our homepage.

Happy licking!

Your Alois Krä GmbH

Note: The prices are based on current average values for the year 2025 and may vary from region to region.