The Iowa Stater
May 2001
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Ph.D. ice cream
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| Will Schroeder (left) and T.J. Paskach at the 2000 Iowa State Fair |
What started as a "what if" attempt in 1999 to improve on a Chem E Veishea tradition--using liquid nitrogen instead of electricity to freeze ice cream--has evolved into a patent-seeking proposition for Will Schroeder and T.J. Paskach.
"The faster you freeze something, the less likely you are to have ice crystals, which create a grainy texture," explained Schroeder. "In our tubes, an ice cream pre-mix goes from liquid to solid in less than a second."
After two years of Veishea ice cream stands, the duo set its sights a little higher: the 2000 Iowa State Fair.
"It was a huge step for us. We had to make sure what we sold was good--every single time. We were dealing with the USDA and city health codes, and we had to come up with the money to build a stainless steel machine that met all those requirements," Schroeder said.
Grossing more than $30,000 in sales at the state fair convinced them they had a good idea and a great product. They are building a second machine and hope to satisfy ice cream cravings at three state fairs this summer.
Long term, Paskach and Schroeder would like to form a franchise company that licenses the ice cream freezing technology to concessionaires around the country.