Is the Ice Cream mix in the Ice Cream pasteurized?
Our mix comes from a local Southern California Dairy and is completely pasteurized.
I’m allergic to nuts. Are your products safe for me?
No. Some of our recipes contain nuts (almond, hazelnut, walnut, pecan nut, macadamia nut, pistachio, etc.). The nut ingredient in these recipes is shown in bold in the list of ingredients. As a precautionary measure, all our products carry the warning “may contain nuts”.
Do your ice creams contain gluten?
Yes, some of our products contain cereals which have gluten in them.
Do all your products contain lactose or dairy products?
No. While most of our offerings are dairy based, we do offer dairy-free products like our Natural Choice Pints and Bars and Absolute Fruit Sorbet Pints.
Do your ice creams contain egg?
Yes, all our ice cream recipes contain egg yolk which is used as a natural emulsifier.
Apart from dairy products and egg-based products, do your ice creams contain any other animal ingredients?
No.
How do you control quality during production?
We care deeply about customer service, the quality of our products, and regulatory compliance. Brothers International Desserts Inc. is a third party audited facility, participating in annual Silliker/Merieux Nutrisciences Good Manufacturing Practices/Food Safety Systems audits. We hold ourselves to the highest standards of quality, GMP’s and food safety. Our facility meets the FDA’s Current Good Manufacturing Practice (CGMP) requirements as outlined in 21 CFR Part 117 Subpart B. We are registered with FDA per the Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002 and we are in compliance with the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) regulations as finalized and published by the FDA. We have Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) plans for all classes of items we produce, Food Defense, Recall/Traceability, Pathogen Environmental Monitoring Program, Allergen Control, Pest Control, and Sanitation Procedures (SOP’s/SSOP’s) in place for our facility and all of our products. We have also developed and implemented our Hazard Analysis and Risk-Based Preventative Controls for Human Food plans for all classes of products we offer. Brothers International Desserts is also inspected and audited quarterly by the USDA/State of California Department of Food and Agriculture Animal Health and Food Safety Services- Milk and Dairy Food Safety Branch, as well as having year-round audits by certain customers and other third parties (Silliker, OTCO, SAI Global). We are a California State Certified Food Processor and Organic Food Processor. Our facility and selected products are certified Organic by Oregon Tilth. Our facility and selected products are also Kosher certified through Kof-K Kosher Supervision.
The product I purchased has ice crystals like it had been freezer burned. What caused this?
This is the result of what we call “temperature abuse.” This happens when a frozen dessert melts and is refrozen, sometimes more than once. We maintain strict temperature control over our products while they are at our manufacturing facility, but after our products are shipped, we have limited control over how they are treated. Shipping companies, distributors, and retail stores may not take as good care of our products as we wish and sometimes they allow the frozen dessert to thaw before placing it in a freezer or refrigerated storage environment.
Are there any ‘light’ products?
No. Our philosophy is to choose natural ingredients with the greatest care, selecting authentic ingredients where possible.
There is a problem with a Brothers Ice Cream product I bought. Who should I contact?
Please contact our customer service department: customer_service@brothersdesserts.com
Where do the ingredients used in your ice creams come from?
Our quality management department ensures strict traceability and requires us to document and provide information about the raw ingredients we use and our finished products, as a matter of course. We buy all our raw ingredients and packaging materials from accredited suppliers. As well as regular quality controls performed on deliveries received at the factory, we have designed a program to monitor contaminants and other parameters depending on the type of product concerned, in order to guarantee a premium quality product. The parameters of this monitoring program are reviewed every year by food specialists and adjusted to accommodate recent issues within the food industry.
Are your products natural?
The main ingredient of our ice cream is cream. All our ingredients and food additives come from well-known sources (plants, animals, minerals, micro-organisms) and are obtained using physical, enzyme and/or microbiological processes. Fruit or vegetable concentrates and/or extracts are used for coloring. We do not use artificial coloring. Our ice creams do not contain any colorings or artificial additives like mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids.
Are your ice creams suitable for vegetarians?
Vegans (who don’t eat dairy products, eggs or any other animal products) cannot eat our products. Lacto-ovo-vegetarians (who eat dairy products and eggs but not meat or fish) can eat our products. Our products do contain some ingredients which come from animals: our ice creams contain cream, dairy products and egg yolk. Our manufacturing plant is free from pork and derivative products. Our products do not contain meat or poultry. Lacto-vegetarians (who eat dairy products but not eggs) cannot eat our ice creams. This is because all our ice creams contain egg yolk. Ovo-vegetarians (who eat eggs but not dairy products) cannot eat our products.
Are any of your products Kosher-certified?
Yes, we are certified through Kof-K Kosher Supervision.
Do you use any vegetable fats in your products?
No.
What is carrageenan, and why do you use it?
We use food grade carrageenans, derived from red seaweed, that are widely used in the food industry, for their gelling, thickening and stabilizing properties, especially in dairy products. We use it in our ice cream to give it that smooth consistency you know and love.
Are any of your flavors sugar-free?
We’re sweet like sugar! (and so is our ice cream.) All our ice creams are made with sugar.
How do you ship ice cream?
Ice Cream needs to be stored at -20 degrees Fahrenheit. In order to ensure the our Brothers Products are in perfect condition, we ship all ice cream with dry ice in a specially designed coolers. This guarantees that our ice cream will be in perfect condition for up to 2 days. Our distribution warehouse is located in Ohio, right in the middle of the country, which allows us to send our ice cream anywhere in the lower 48 in less than 2 days. We guarantee our ice cream will be frozen upon delivery. Please note you will need to transfer into your freezer upon delivery.
Where all can you ship? Do you deliver to the West Coast?
Free shipping to anywhere in the lower 48! Overnight shipping can be accommodated for an extra $25. Additionally we are able to ship to Hawaii and Alaska for an extra $40.
WHY IS OUR E-COMMERCE ICE CREAM SO EXPENSIVE?
To ensure it arrives in perfect frozen condition we need to ship it in a cooler that maintains cold
temperature, add the perfect amount of dry ice that will last the duration of the shipping process, pack
the cooler and then ship the cooler in less than 2 days. All of this adds an additional cost to the ice
cream. We try and keep it as cost-effective as possible. We are confident it's worth it!
