Can the raw materials of fully automatic ice cream machines be made at home?

SevenCloud Technology, a manufacturer of intelligent self-service equipment, has achieved a breakthrough in ingredient adaptation technology in its new generation of fully automatic ice cream machines, successfully breaking the monopoly of traditional equipment on specialized milk mixes. This technology not only supports standardized ingredients such as specialized milk mixes and milk powder blends, but also accommodates specialty ingredients such as homemade recipes, yogurt, and plant-based ingredients. Through dynamic viscosity control and an adaptive stirring system, it ensures stable delivery of ingredients with varying fluidity. This move will help businesses reduce ingredient costs by 40%, while unlocking new opportunities for flavor innovation and driving the ice cream industry's transformation from 'ingredient dependence' to 'flavor competition.'

Industry pain points: Raw material monopoly drives up costs and limits business innovation

The China Ice Cream Association's '2024 Industry Research Report' reveals that as many as 92% of traditional ice cream machines have strict restrictions on raw material viscosity and solids content, forcing vendors to purchase specialized milk pastes specified by the equipment manufacturer, which cost 30%-50% more than standard ingredients. 'We wanted to launch a matcha red bean flavor, but the equipment only uses that specific milk paste and can't add solid particles at all,' said the head of a tea chain. The survey also found that 85% of small and medium-sized businesses would like to use homemade secret recipes or local specialty ingredients, but equipment compatibility is the biggest obstacle.

The monopoly on raw materials has also led to a significant homogenization of flavors across the industry. 70% of vending machines offer only three basic flavors: mango, pistachio, and strawberry, making it difficult to meet the diverse needs of consumers. A consumer survey at a Shanghai shopping mall revealed that 62% of respondents said, 'Vending machine ice cream has a single flavor and I won't buy it again.'

SevenCloud Technology's marketing department analyzed: 'Raw material restrictions essentially allow equipment manufacturers to gain excess profits through 'bundled sales'. This not only drives up costs for merchants, but also stifles innovation in the industry. Our goal is to return raw material autonomy to merchants through technological innovation.'

Factory trial service: reducing the risk of trial and error for merchants

To help businesses verify the performance of their homemade ingredients, SevenCloud Technology has launched a 'Raw Material Adaptation Test Service.' Businesses can send 500ml of their homemade ingredients to our Guangzhou factory, where our technical team will complete fluidity testing, adjust equipment parameters, and provide a test report within three working days, including details on cup quality, taste evaluation, and optimization recommendations. Upon passing the test, a customized operating guide will also be provided.

'Many merchants are worried that homemade ingredients will damage equipment or affect the taste. Our testing service is to eliminate such concerns.' The customer service director of Qiyun Technology said that since the launch of the service, it has provided testing for more than 200 merchants, of which 85% of merchants have successfully put homemade ingredients on the machines.

Ms. Li, the owner of the Singaporean brand, shared, 'We tested our homemade pistachio milk. The factory responded by increasing the water content by 10% to improve fluidity and recommended using a high-viscosity screw. After these adjustments, the equipment operated very stably, and this pistachio ice cream has now become our signature product.'

Industry transformation: from “raw material dependence” to “innovation freedom”

SevenCloud Technology's raw material adaptation technology is reshaping the cost structure and competitive landscape of the ice cream machine industry:

1. Cost Restructuring

For example, for a business selling 200 cups of coffee per day, the raw material cost of using specialized milk mix (8 yuan/L) is approximately 400 yuan/day. Using milk powder (3.2 yuan/L) reduces this to 160 yuan/day, resulting in an annual cost savings of approximately 87,600 yuan. For chain brands, this figure can be magnified to tens of millions of yuan.

2. Accelerated flavor innovation

After the equipment opened up its raw materials, businesses launched differentiated products one after another: 'strawberry ice cream' in hot pot restaurants, 'espresso ice cream' in coffee shops, 'mango sago ice cream' in tea shops, and other cross-border products emerged in an endless stream, pushing the industry from 'homogeneous competition' to 'differentiated innovation'.

3. Decentralized supply chain

Small and medium-sized businesses no longer rely on a few raw material suppliers. They can purchase local specialty ingredients nearby (such as nuts from Xinjiang and coconuts from Hainan) to create 'localized' products, shorten the supply chain and improve the freshness of raw materials.

Professor Zhang Ming, a member of the Expert Committee of the China National Food Industry Association, commented: 'SevenCloud Technology's ingredient adaptation technology breaks the long-standing 'equipment-ingredient' binding model. This not only lowers the industry entry threshold, but also activates the innovation potential of the ice cream category, and is expected to push the market from 'scale expansion' to a new stage of 'value enhancement'.'

'We hope to build an open ecosystem so that more businesses can achieve differentiated competition through raw material innovation.' The CEO of SevenCloud Technology said that the company will also launch a 'Raw Material Innovation Support Plan' to provide equipment rental discounts and market promotion support for high-quality innovation cases.

About SevenCloud Technology

SevenCloud Technology, headquartered in Panyu, Guangzhou, is a leading Chinese developer and manufacturer of intelligent self-service vending machines. The company specializes in technological innovation for commercial equipment such as self-service ice cream and cotton candy dispensers. With over 100 patents, SevenCloud Technology serves 110 countries and regions worldwide. With its mission to 'unleash business innovation through technology,' the company continues to drive technological breakthroughs and model innovation in the unmanned retail industry.