From the PreGelAmerica.com Blog
Published on March 21, 2018
If every month had an assigned frozen dessert flavor to market, I would vote green mint for March. Why? My first reason is solely superficial – because it’s green, which correlates beautifully with St. Patrick’s Day. Second, because March is the month of the spring equinox, and the color green represents the season of spring in Western cultures. Third, because for eateries, March is when there is an uptick in food trends and new food concepts are launched for the coming warmer season.
In my professional opinion, these are great reasons to market green mint for frozen dessert applications in March, but personally, the following story is telling of why I believe the flavor of green mint should be promoted in general.
I remember going out for milkshakes one spring evening a couple of years ago with some family members. It wasn’t long after I had received my chosen dessert drink that I quickly began to second guess my choice due to an immediate case of “shake envy,” (yes, I made that up; it’s not a real term).
You see, one of my family members had ordered a mint chocolate cookie shake. And not to say that my milkshake didn’t taste fantastic, but the hypnotizing aroma of sweet mint filled the air like a spritz of magic. It was almost as if I could taste the mint flavor with every sip I took of my own milkshake. Pretty soon, excuses of why my relative and I should trade shakes began to overwhelm my thought pattern as I watched him sip away the minty essence, slightly fearful that I would miss out on the opportunity to get a taste before it was all gone.
As I began to accept the idea that the great mint treat would pass me by, I vowed that the next time we went out for milkshakes, the words “GREEN MINT, PLEASE!” would ring out of my mouth before the waiter could ask me which flavor I would like. But lucky for me, I was in generous company and was kindly asked if I wanted a taste of the mint-based shake my relative was noticeably enjoying. So, as if I had not been secretly plotting on his shake the entire time, I calmly replied, “Oh,” with a bit of purposeful surprise in my tone. “Okay, thank you,” I continued with a gracious smile, while trying my best not to blatantly snatch the large plastic cup out of his giving hand.
As I began to “sip”, my eagle-eye view from above the partially opened lid of the cup saw the pale green hue of the frosty concoction shrinking away from me faster than I would have liked, while the chunks of soft chocolate cookie reminded me of why mint and chocolate is one of the dessert world’s greatest flavor combinations. All the while, beads of condensation from the plastic cup began to gather and come to rest on the tight grip of my locked fingers, as my family’s facial expression slowly transitioned from that of “I’m happy to share with you” to a look that silently informed me to hand the shake back over… stat!
In jest, I was teased about the much lighter weight of the cup I had returned, where only a slightly transparent layer of green mint, gingerly dotted with miniscule chocolate speckles, marked the area where a portion of the thick, sweet, minty milkshake once existed (before my hurried consumption).
Like that, I was cured of “shake envy” and returned to my shake…which, surprisingly, I was able to enjoy even more, seeing as mint is a palate cleanser, so the flavor was much more apparent.
I share this experience to say, from a consumer standpoint, green mint is an attractive menu choice because of its appealing green hue and instantaneously captivating scent.
In my opinion, for a business owner, green mint is always a great menu option because of the fore mentioned reasons, and because mint is an impressive flavor mate for chocolate, and some fruit selections. Also, green mint has been voted into the top ten favorite frozen dessert flavors on numerous surveys about the topic. But finally, read my story again. Green mint has a lot of influence over the senses, which could be good for your bottom line.
Therefore, this March, prepare for summer with an irresistible menu of innovative offerings and classic flavors, including green mint. However, you might want to consider a BOGO promotion to help prevent future cases of “shake (or any other kind of dessert) envy.”