March is probably the worst time of year to be selling ice cream and gelato in my little corner of Maine. The summer residents are a long way from arriving and so are the tourists. Added to that, my favorite little artisan ice cream shop, Pugnuts, is located in a micro town. You really can blink and miss Surry, Maine! Prior to COVID, you could walk into this tiny ice cream shop and be greeted by friendly servers who encouraged you to sample the artfully arranged trays of gelato with exotic names and creative combinations of ingredients. The same was true of their homemade ice creams. Then you could sit in their charming little café and enjoy your gelato, ice cream or other novelties.
And then COVID came along and Pugnuts, like so many other businesses, was forced to close their doors. I was extremely concerned that my little slice of gelato heaven would close forever. But Eric Treworgy, co-owner of Pugnuts (whose background is in Supply Chain IT) quickly responded to the crisis at hand. In winter, the shop traditionally offers a “buy one, get one free” on a dozen of their most popular flavors of ice cream and gelato. I decided to stock our freezers to help keep them going until summer. I was sure things would be back to normal by summer… So, I ordered about 8 or 10 pints by phone. Eric answered the phone cheerfully, took my order and my credit card information, and about 20 minutes later, he loaded my order in the back of my car. It was totally contact-free, and I was happy. When I went back a couple weeks later, Eric had begun to use his supply chain knowledge to improve his operations. His trays of gelato and gallons of ice cream in his freezers were replaced by pre-packed pints of the twelve flavors being offered. Collaborating with other ice cream artisans, Eric described this change as a Kanban system of visually controlling his inventory. He installed a service window at the front of the store, placed a credit card reader on the counter, and placed a display of delectable cookies and pastries nearby to further tempt customers. Another important change was the deeper collaboration with key suppliers so that Eric could stay ahead of any ingredient shortages.
With the Paycheck Protection Program ensuring that employee payroll would be covered, Eric felt confident in spending other funds to further renovate the shop to make it safe for doing socially distanced business. He placed a second service window on the side of the building. The addition of signage, decking, an awning, and ramps enabled him to socially distance customers so that he could go back to serving cones, dishes of ice cream and his other novelties and cakes. He added a wholesale business and now his delicious gelato is conveniently located in 14 other locations.
I am not only impressed by the many instances of my industry’s best practices, but I am also personally relieved that the best gelato in the world continues to be available!
Pugnuts Ice Cream Shop is located at 1276 Surry Road (Route 172) at the intersection of Surry Road and Wharf and North Bend Roads. Phone: 207-412-0086
Pugnuts makes Frost Heave fun!