Ready to Use Syrups versus Make Your Own
We hear a lot of opinions out there about the advantages of using ready-to-use syrups versus concentrates, and many operators have the opinion that making your own shaved ice syrups from concentrates is "so much cheaper." So, we wanted to take a deeper look and break down the differences in costs between the two:
Ready to Use Syrups
- Koldkiss Ready to Use Syrups: $10.99 per gallon, or $0.34 per 4 fl oz serving size
Make Your Own Syrup
- 5 lbs of cane sugar: $4.00 ($40 per 50# bag)
- 4 oz of Koldkiss concentrate: $1.45
- 1.5 oz of Koldkiss sodium benzoate mixture: $0.25
- 1 oz of Koldkiss citric acid mixture: $0.18
- Labor (10 minutes): $3.33
- Total: $9.22 per gallon, or $0.29 per 4 fl oz serving size
Based on the above, the math shows that it's slightly cheaper to make your own syrups, with Koldkiss Ready to Use Syrups at $0.34 per 4 oz serving size versus $0.29 for the make your own syrup. The $0.05 difference equates to a 11.4% COGS for the ready to use syrup versus 9.6% for the make your own.
But, while we did factor in 10 minutes of labor to make your own syrup, it is still one more thing you or your employees will have to do on a busy summer day.
Ultimately it's up to each operator to figure out the right solution for their venue. At Koldkiss, we make both Ready to Use syrups and concentrates, so we can help you either way.