Are companies "watering down" Ice Cream by bundling cheaper flavors?
How to use AI to Estimate the cost of Ice Cream flavor "bundling"
How to use AI to research a question:
This blog post demonstrates how AI can be used to quickly research a question, which in this case involves estimating the cost of various ice cream flavors’ production costs.
It starts with “Shrinkflation”
Most people are familiar with “shrinkflation” - the reduction of package size to achieve an increase in the cost per unit. I have an extension to the theory — corporations are using packaging “innovation” to disguise price inflation.
The Next Stage is “Bundling”
The concept of Shrinkflation is broadly understood. The next part I propose, is that ice cream companies bundle multiple flavors together, advertising a “headline flavor” (Brookie) that is higher cost and then bundle it with cheaper flavors like “sweet cream and cookie swirl” instead of cookie dough, which many people associate with “brookie”. This “waters down” the average production costs, enabling the company to maintain profit margins while keeping the nominal price the same.
The flavor that inspired this bundling concept for for me was Turkey Hill’s “Brookie Trio'politan”.
Using Multiple (Cheaper) Flavors
I talked to one customer about my bundling theory, and she downplayed it because she thought Turkey Hill sold containers where the entire containers consist of of “brookie / dough.” When she went home and checked her freezer, she realized what she bought was 3 bundled flavors.
(commonly half brownie and half cookie dough).
Instead, the carton is divided into three separate flavors (like neopolitan), one of which is the cheaper “Sweet Cream and Cookie Swirl” instead of “Cookie Dough”:
Here’s the summary of what ChatGPT returned. You can click on this link to see the specific prompts I used:
Estimating Costs with ChatGPT:
I used ChatGPT is to estimate and compare the cost of producing each flavor:
SUMMARY: Comparing Ice Cream Production Costs
🔸 1. Brownie Bits – 💰💰💰 Most Expensive
( Portion: 1/6th instead of 1/4)
Why: Requires baking + cooling, with rich ingredients like cocoa, eggs, butter.
Extra labor and fragility in mixing.
Cost rank: Highest due to prep complexity and ingredient density.
🔸 2. Cookie Dough – 💰💰 Very Expensive.
(Portion: Assumed, but not included)
Why: Made with flour, butter, sugar, and chocolate chips — plus must be made safe to eat raw (no eggs or pasteurized).
Storage and mixing considerations to prevent smearing or melting in production.
Cost rank: Just below brownie bits — expensive, but mass-produced more efficiently.
🔸 3. Brownie Batter – 💰💰 Moderately Expensive.
Why: Still uses rich ingredients, but no baking required.
Requires pasteurization or safe formulation like cookie dough.
Cost rank: Slightly cheaper than cookie dough overall.
🔸 4. Chocolate Cookie Swirl – 💰 Mid-Range.
( 1/6th: Substituted in place of more expensive flavors )
Why: Made from crushed cookies and syrups, easier to process in large batches.
Lower ingredient cost, less fragility than dough/batter/bits.
Cost rank: Clearly cheaper than doughs/batters but still a flavor-enhancing swirl.
🔸 5. Sweet Cream – 💸 Least Expensive.
(1/6th: Substituted in place of more expensive flavors )
Why: No mix-ins, just a neutral ice cream base.
Often used as a "blank canvas" for premium inclusions.
Cost rank: Cheapest by far.
ChatGPT Conversation:
Q1: Here is a list of ice cream flavors ..
Black Cherry
Black Raspberry
Brown Sugar Bourbon Vanilla
Brownie Fudge Swirl
Butter Pecan
Choco Mint Chip
Chocolate Chip
Cookie Dough
Chocolate Lava Cake
Chocolate Marshmallow
Chocolate Peanut Butter
Colombian Coffee
Cookie Butter
Cookies 'n Cream
Deep Dark Chocolate
Double Dunker
Dutch Chocolate
Egg Nog
French Vanilla
Frosted Cupcake
Frosted Party Cake
Fudge Ripple
Graham Slam
Homemade Vanilla
Ice Cream Cookie
Moose Tracks®
Neapolitan
Orange Cream Swirl
Original Vanilla
Peaches and Cream
Peanut Butter Ripple
Pistachio Almond
Pumpkin Pie
Rocky Road
Strawberries & Cream
Strawberry Marshmallow
Tin Roof Sundae
Vanilla & Chocolate
Vanilla Bean
That's a solid list of ice cream flavors! What would you like to do with it—sort it, categorize it, make a menu, or something else?
Q2: Please rank them from most expensive to produce to least expensive to produce.
…
Q3: I have several other options to add to the list. Each of these options consists of 3 separate flavors bundled together in a single container. Please assess how expensive these are to produce, compared to the earlier 30 flavors ..
Sure! Share your additional multi-flavor options, and I’ll rank them in terms of production cost compared to the existing flavors. Since these are three-flavor combinations in one container, they might be more expensive due to extra ingredients and manufacturing complexity.
…
Q4: Please rank all options from most expensive to cheapest.
Result:
💰💰💰 Most Expensive to Produce
Banana Split – Real strawberries, bananas, fudge, chocolate, and walnuts make this the most expensive.
Triple Berry – Uses three real fruits (black raspberry, strawberry, blueberry), making it one of the costliest.
Moose Tracks® – Chocolate base, peanut butter cups, and fudge swirls add multiple expensive ingredients.
Triple Chocolate – Milk chocolate, dark chocolate, Dutch-style chocolate, fudge swirl, and chocolate chips make this a premium flavor.
Brookie Dough – Brownie bits, brownie batter, chocolate cookie swirl, and sweet cream make this labor-intensive.
Chocolate Peanut Butter – Premium chocolate and peanut butter are costly mix-ins.
Chocolate Lava Cake – Rich chocolate base with mix-ins raises the cost.
Black Raspberry – Real black raspberry is one of the most expensive fruit flavors.
Pistachio Almond – Pistachios and almonds drive up the cost.
Brown Sugar Bourbon Vanilla – Bourbon flavoring adds expense.
💰💰 Mid-Range Cost
Pumpkin Pie – Seasonal spices and mix-ins make this pricier than standard flavors.
Strawberry Marshmallow – Real strawberries + marshmallow mix-ins push the cost up.
Cookies 'n Cream – Cookie mix-ins add to production cost.
Tin Roof Sundae – Chocolate, peanuts, and fudge toppings make it slightly premium.
Deep Dark Chocolate – Uses high-quality chocolate for a richer flavor.
French Vanilla – Real vanilla bean costs more than artificial vanilla.
Peanut Butter Ripple – Peanut butter costs more than standard mix-ins.
Graham Slam – Graham cracker mix-ins add to cost.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough – Dough mix-ins raise production costs.
Rocky Road – Nuts, chocolate, and marshmallows increase the price.
Butter Pecan – Pecans and buttery flavoring make this more expensive.
Colombian Coffee – Real coffee extract is pricier than artificial flavors.
Strawberries & Cream – Real strawberries add cost.
Black Cherry – Cherry flavors, especially real fruit, increase costs.
Mint Cookie – Dark chocolate, mint, and cookie crumbs make this slightly more expensive than standard flavors.
Cookie Craze – Artificial vanilla, cookie dough, and chocolate flakes keep it mid-tier in cost.
💰 Least Expensive to Produce
Triple Vanilla – Mostly artificially flavored bases make this cheaper.
Choco Mint Chip – Mint extract and chocolate chips are mid-cost.
Dutch Chocolate – Standard chocolate ice cream, simple ingredients.
Double Dunker – Less costly than gourmet chocolate-based flavors.
Egg Nog – Seasonal but made with affordable ingredients.
Fudge Ripple – Chocolate swirls are a simple mix-in.
Neapolitan – Uses basic vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry.
Vanilla Bean – Slightly more expensive than artificial vanilla but still simple.
Original Vanilla – Artificial vanilla is cheaper than real vanilla bean.
Homemade Vanilla – Classic vanilla, likely artificial extract.
Vanilla & Chocolate – Simple, low-cost base flavors.
Frosted Cupcake – Artificial flavors and simple mix-ins.
Frosted Party Cake – Similar to Frosted Cupcake, affordable ingredients.
Ice Cream Cookie – Likely a low-cost cookie mix-in.
Brownie Fudge Swirl – Basic brownie mix-in, not as premium as cookie dough.
Orange Cream Swirl – Uses artificial orange flavor, making it the cheapest.
Key Takeaways:
Banana Split & Triple Berry are the most expensive overall due to real fruit & nuts.
Triple Chocolate, Brookie Dough, and Moose Tracks® are premium flavors with chocolate-heavy ingredients.
Artificially flavored options like Triple Vanilla, Frosted Cupcake, and Orange Cream Swirl are the cheapest.
Most single-flavor chocolates and vanillas fall in the low/mid-range.
Would you like any refinements or additional considerations? 😊
Q5: How do the following compare in cost: Brownie bits, brownie batter, chocolate cookie swirl, and sweet cream
…
(This is the prompt that returns summary above)