[https://yle.fi/a/74-20031330](https://yle.fi/a/74-20031330)
[https://www.tagesschau.de/wirtschaft/verbraucher/inflation-speiseeis-kosten-100.html](https://www.tagesschau.de/wirtschaft/verbraucher/inflation-speiseeis-kosten-100.html)
I wonder what makes ice cream so damn expensive in Finland. I came across two very similar news articles recently, one in Finish YLE and one in German ARD (the second link being in German, but only for reference). The point was the same in both articles: ice cream got a lot more expensive, because of cost for raw materials, rent, etc.
However while a cone in Finland is raising to 5€ and above, the cone in Germany is just hitting the 2€ level. That difference can’t be explained with just labour cost. I dare say that ice cream in Germany is even much better (thanks to the many Italians running ice cream parlours). I would eat ice cream more often if the cones were a little smaller than a man’s fist but for half the price. Coughing up over 20€ for a kilo of Ingmans industrial produce served in plastic cups (for the whole family) is just too steep.
end rant\\
19 comments
These stands are always expensive.
Store bought ones haven’t rised that much in prices.
In a kiosk, you also pay for the service, rent of that place and someone’s salary. Go to the shop.
Just got one scoop for 3,50€ in Tampere today
Ice cream stands are pure convenience, so you pay a premium for it. They are also seasonal, so need to rake in the cash in the summer.
Even in the UK, where everything is much cheaper, you could easily pay 4€ for a cone.
Sugar tax
Because the owner is greedy and knows you will bend over right when your kids starts crying and moaning. Just the same as you can see that during school winter holiday season everything in all resorts is like +25-50%.
I have yet to find nice vanilla Ice cream. I like it when it tastes milky and creamy. Sofar the ones i have tried taste like sugar. Would also be nice if it was also frozen so it would have very small ice crystals in it that bring out the milkiness.
Does anyone know what I am talking about?
5€ in (central) Helsinki perhaps, but not elsewhere.
Can we discuss the actual issue regarding ice cream, which is the fact that pistachios and coffee flavours are nowhere to be found?
Doesn’t concern me, I only buy 1L bricks. Preferrably in Spezial Tarjous Preis.
What annoys me the most is that it’s difficult to find fruit ice creams. Everything is some artificial flavored shit
Finns are not very industrious or keen to use the services of small businesses.
Money laundering in Germany is the answer
Because labour is valued in Finland and tax evasion is uncommon compared to many other EU countries.
It’s due to the city selling those spots for the kiosks at a very high cost. If they want to return any profit, the price needs to be high.
Maybe it’s a luxury if you buy from a kiosk in central Helsinki? But so is living there as well. Just went to a kiosk in a normal mid-to large sized city and it was 4euros for a scoop. And I think most people here are like me and only buy from these a few times in a summer. So I wouldn’t say it’s this crazy expensive thing that this article makes it out to be. If you can’t afford the kiosk where you buy for the service at a nice location with maybe some chairs to sit and enjoy a summer day too you go to the nearest shop to buy ice cream for a lot cheaper.
Because Finnish entrepreneur wants to earn a lot, even if the business is just selling ice cream. Same with coffee or basically anything. Finnish coffee shop keeper must travel a lot, have their own 2 bedroom house and a new car. That’s why a small cup of coffee costs at least 2 euros anywhere you go.
German agriculture is a heavily subsidize field. They feel they have to keep prices artificially low, while in finland and other northern countries the true cost of production is starting to get factored in(still producers are struggling to get profit). And if you look at german food wasteage, it is way highger too. So basically, exaggerating and oversimplifying a lot, Germany uses taxpayers money to help produce cheap food for customers to throw away. And this effect is even worse for example for meat.
Ice cream is a highly processed food and the production process costs money. If you think about how long the production line is, that the grain/plant gets from a field to getting to be an ice cream sold to a customer at the ice cream booth. Plant matter has to be grown, it gets eaten by a cow, milk gets extracted and processed and flavoured to ice cream and sold at the booth. Think about at how many points of the line people need to get money. Plus we have sweets taxes that raise the price a bit higher still. So to me it not even that surprising how hight the price gets, especially if you have a paid worker serving it.
One big explanation would be amount of buyers. Germany has much bigger population and so much more potential customers. With much more customers profit per customer can be much lower.