Your premium ice cream looks amazing, but the cup feels cheap. A soggy cup ruins the experience, makes hands cold, and fails to represent the quality of your brand.
Choose heavy-duty paper cups for the best branding canvas and a classic feel. Use crystal-clear PET plastic cups to showcase colorful gelato and toppings. Match the size to your portions and top with the right lid.
I remember talking to a gelato shop owner in Italy. He made the most beautiful, artistic gelato, but he served it in a plain white paper cup that got soft and cold within minutes. He complained that customers couldn't see the beautiful layers he crafted. He was missing a huge opportunity. The cup isn't just a container; it's the frame for your masterpiece. Getting it right is one of the easiest ways to elevate your entire brand.
Should You Use Paper or Plastic for Your Frozen Desserts?
You're worried paper cups will get soggy, but you think plastic cups look cheap. This dilemma can make you feel stuck, unable to choose a package that reflects your product's quality.
Use heavy-duty paper for its classic feel and excellent branding surface. Use crystal-clear PET plastic when visual appeal is everything, perfect for showing off colorful swirls and toppings.
This is the first big decision every shop owner faces. Both materials are great, but they do very different jobs. Think of heavy-duty coated paperboard as the classic choice. This isn't just any paper; it's a thick, rigid board designed to handle cold and moisture. We line it on the inside with either standard PE plastic or eco-friendly PLA bioplastic to make it completely waterproof. The best part about paper is the outside surface. It’s the perfect canvas for printing your logo with vibrant, beautiful colors. It also provides some natural insulation. On the other hand, PET plastic is the crystal-clear showcase. Its main advantage is its glass-like transparency. If you serve frozen yogurt with lots of colorful toppings or layered gelato, PET lets your customers see everything. It looks modern and feels sturdy. For most of my clients, the choice depends on their product. If branding and a classic feel are most important, they choose paper. If the visual appeal of the dessert is the main selling point, they choose PET.
Paper vs. Plastic: A Quick Guide
| Feature | Heavy-Duty Paper | PET Plastic |
|---|---|---|
| Best For | Branding, classic look, insulation | Visual appeal, showing layers & toppings |
| Feel | Classic, sturdy, comfortable to hold | Modern, rigid, premium |
| Eco-Option | PLA-lined (compostable) | rPET (recycled plastic) |
| Weakness | Hides the product inside | Less insulation than paper |
What Ice Cream Cup Sizes Do You Actually Need?
You offer one or two cup sizes, but customers complain they're too big or too small. This leads to wasted product, inconsistent pricing, and a feeling that you're not meeting everyone's needs.
You need three core sizes. A small 3-5oz size for kids and samples, a standard 6-12oz size for regular servings, and a large 16-32oz tub for take-home sales.
Offering the right sizes is critical for managing your costs and keeping customers happy. You don't need a dozen different options; you just need to cover the three main use cases. First is the small or taster size, usually around 3 to 5 ounces (90-150ml). This is perfect for giving out samples, serving a single scoop for a child, or for very rich, dense gelato where a small portion goes a long way. This size helps with portion control and minimizes waste. Next is your workhorse: the medium or standard size. This is typically between 6 and 12 ounces (180-360ml). It's the sweet spot for most businesses, ideal for two or three scoops of ice cream or a standard serving of frozen yogurt loaded with toppings. It's what most of your customers will order. Finally, you have the large or take-home size. These are the 16oz (pint) and 32oz (quart) tubs. These are essential if you want to sell your ice cream in grocery stores or offer family-sized portions for customers to take home. They must be extra sturdy to survive in a freezer.
Is a Lid Just a Lid, or Is There More to It?
You think any lid will do, but then a customer's beautiful froyo creation gets squashed by a flat lid. Or worse, a take-home pint leaks in their grocery bag.
A lid is a crucial part of the system. Use flat lids for stacking and take-home tubs. Use dome lids to provide extra space for toppings. Use insert trays to keep toppings crunchy.
A lid does so much more than just cover the top. It enables to-go orders, helps with storage, and can even improve the product itself. There are three main types I recommend.
Flat Lids
These are the standard for pre-packaged and take-home items. Vented paper flat lids are perfect for your take-home paper tubs because they allow you to keep your branding consistent and help prevent freezer burn. Clear plastic flat lids give a secure seal while letting customers see what's inside.
Dome Lids
This is absolutely essential for any frozen yogurt shop or "build-your-own" concept. The high dome provides a protected space to pile on whipped cream, fruit, and other toppings without anything getting crushed. The crystal clarity of the PET material turns the dessert into a beautiful, portable treat that's perfect for social media photos.
Lids with Compartment Inserts
This is a small tray that sits inside the cup, separating dry toppings like granola or nuts from the ice cream below. This is a premium feature that customers love because it guarantees their toppings will never get soggy.
Who Are You Selling Your Frozen Desserts To?
You're focused on your local shop, but you might be missing huge opportunities to sell your product to other businesses, limiting your growth and brand exposure.
Your cups can be engineered for different markets: independent shops needing strong branding, restaurants needing durable cups, and grocery stores needing retail-ready tubs. Each market has specific needs.
As a manufacturer, I don't just make one type of cup. I create solutions for different kinds of businesses, and understanding them can help you see new opportunities. My main customers are independent and chain shops, like your local ice cream parlor or a national frozen yogurt franchise. For them, strong branding and a full range of sizes are the most important things. Then there's the food service and hospitality market. This includes restaurants, hotels, and cafes that serve your ice cream as a dessert. They need a durable, premium-feeling cup that matches the quality of their establishment. A huge market is also retail and grocery. This is for brands that want to sell their ice cream in supermarkets. They need heavy-duty, freezer-grade tubs—like pints and quarts—with perfect printing to stand out on the shelf. Finally, we serve Quick Service Restaurants (QSRs) like fast-food chains. They need massive volumes of custom-printed cups at the lowest possible cost. By thinking about these different markets, you might realize there's an opportunity to get your product into more hands.
Conclusion
Choose paper for branding and PET for visuals. Offer small, medium, and large sizes. Use the right lid system for your menu. This elevates your brand and satisfies customers.