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What a waste. Shutterstock/MattParker

Cost of 99 ice creams to rise as Irish companies hit by vanilla price hike

Some companies have stopped making vanilla-flavoured ice cream altogether.

THE PRICE OF your beloved 99 ice cream is likely to have gone up since last summer, as Irish ice cream manufacturers and sellers are impacted by rising vanilla costs.

The Financial Times reported this week that a strong demand for vanilla, speculation, bad harvests and money laundering in Madagascar, where most of the world’s natural vanilla is grown, has driven prices as high as silver.

One Irish company that has stopped making its vanilla-flavoured ice cream is Murphy’s. Company director Kieran Murphy said that for quality purposes it had already been using “very expensive vanilla”, but the price started to shoot up and it became difficult to source.

Despite the fact that vanilla is often seen as a boring choice, Murphy said it became of the company’s most expensive flavours to make.

“Also, there are terribly stories of criminality happening around vanilla plantations and it just seems like, if we have the option, why would we do it? So we just decided not to make vanilla until things change,” he said.

In some parts of Madagascar, according to the Financial Times, gangs of thieves are stripping vines bare at night to fill orders for buyers in the capital. These buyers then charge extortionate prices when they supply western markets.

Kieran Murphy Kieran Murphy

Murphy said the decision was made when issues sourcing the vanilla started in September last year. Customers have been noticing its absence as it was one of the company’s most popular flavours.

Vanilla people fall into two categories – people who want something plain and people who, because it is an exotic orchid with an amazing array of flavour, just love it. It’s a wonderful flavour.

Some ice cream parlours in the US and across the water in the UK have taken the flavour off their menus entirely.

Yasmin Khan, owner of the popular Teddy’s ice cream shop in Dún Laoghaire, south Dublin, said she managed to prepare for the current situation as she was warned two years ago by someone who was following the stock market that the prices was going to go up.

Teddy’s’ ice cream is manufactured in Italy and she said she spoke with the manufacturer to ensure they purchased enough stocks to get them through a potential crisis.

“I told everyone I knew in the ice cream industry and they thought I was cracked,” Khan said.

Khan also said there has been a price hike in the UHT soft serve mix that most small shops use for their 99 ice creams.

“We may only see the real effects of it in March next year, the price always goes up in March every year. Some may be trying to absorb it as much as they can but it has gone up by 30%. I noticed with one of the small vans, their 99 ice creams have gone up frm €2 to 2.50.”

Now she said a lot of companies have stopped making vanilla ice cream because they would have to use a synthetic product and compromise the quality of the flavour.

However she said she believes Teddy’s will get through the current season and that it will absorb additional costs for as long as it can if the problem continues.

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    Mute Before its too late
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    Jun 9th 2018, 12:11 AM

    Hopefully the comment section won’t get closed down because I dislike sprinkles .

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    Mute Alan Watts
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    Jun 9th 2018, 12:43 AM

    @Rudi Giuliani Rises: banned

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    Mute Steve Mac
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    Jun 9th 2018, 2:35 AM

    @Rudi Giuliani Rises: I’d love the Journal to explain why is closes comments on an article about a dirtbag like Paddy Jackson. No legal reason. And seemingly saying sc_mbag gets a 7.7 but dirtbag only gets a 1.2.

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    Mute Paul Furey
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    Jun 9th 2018, 2:52 AM

    @Rudi Giuliani Rises: Why do you lot keep posting then? You enjoying yourselves too much?

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    Mute Conor O'Neill
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    Jun 9th 2018, 2:55 AM

    @Before its too late: wouldn’t have happened in November

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    Mute Before its too late
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    Jun 9th 2018, 3:25 AM

    @Conor O’Neill: I was born in february , O how I wish . https://youtu.be/ltBX_AhuaWc

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    Mute Sean
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    Jun 9th 2018, 8:14 AM

    @Rudi Giuliani Rises: what I think happens is that certain stories like Paddy Jackson and the Pete Taylor attract so much libelous comment that the Journal moderator has to actively remove comments so frequently that they get fed up and close the comments. But it is censorship and the comments spring up on another article.

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    Mute Before its too late
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    Jun 9th 2018, 12:16 AM

    We’ve gone from closing down an article about refugees , to opening an article about icecreams . The mind boggles .

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    Mute Graeme Murphy
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    Jun 9th 2018, 12:28 AM

    “First you get the vanilla, then you get the women”.

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    Mute Kieran Stafford
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    Jun 9th 2018, 1:00 AM

    They can flake off with their hike. Shower of cones

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    Mute White Rabbit
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    Jun 9th 2018, 8:26 AM

    @Kieran Stafford: time to Stop Collaborate and Listen.

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    Mute Martello Mulligan
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    Jun 9th 2018, 12:13 AM

    I’ve had some monstrous 99′s from Teddy’s – I’d say Stormy would be hard pressed to get her mouth around them.

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    Mute Drew P. Baulsach
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    Jun 9th 2018, 7:59 AM

    @Rudi Giuliani Rises: whats this toxicity rating you’re on about?

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    Mute Shea Fitzgerald
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    Jun 9th 2018, 12:42 PM

    @Rudi Giuliani Rises: I was wondering what that was all about. Saw it a few times recently…fairly new?

    By the way guys, and author Michelle, it’s the chocolate flake that makes it a 99. Without the flake, it’s just a cone! Teddy’s Rocks!!!

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    Mute Before its too late
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    Jun 9th 2018, 1:31 AM

    We’re all barred from commenting on the article about children dying at the hands of people smugglers , but we can comment on everything in between .
    I’ll show the clash again. Here’s a picture of a child who died because of an accident , and beside it there will be a picture of a child who was murdered .
    http://www.maxportal.hr/vijesti/djecak-iz-barcelone-i-djecak-iz-sirije-zasto-nam-njihova-smrt-nije-ista/

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    Mute Joseph Dempsey
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    Jun 9th 2018, 6:17 AM

    Yeah, it’s as if companies use real vanilla FFS, most wouldn’t know what real vanilla looks like, let alone taste like, any old excuse to raise prices

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    Mute John Murtagh
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    Jun 9th 2018, 12:33 AM

    Nice article. You guys rock!

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    Mute Cheryl Mellett
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    Jun 9th 2018, 1:07 AM

    First world problems!

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    Mute Dermot Lane
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    Jun 9th 2018, 8:36 AM

    @Cheryl Mellett: is Madagascar first world?

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    Mute DAVID EIRE
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    Jun 9th 2018, 12:35 AM

    NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO[OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO[OOO ETC !!!!!!!

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    Mute Lobert Rester
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    Jun 9th 2018, 11:52 AM

    It’s not a 99 if it’s costs 2.30.

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    Mute Seth Cheffetz
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    Jun 9th 2018, 7:47 AM

    I can always count on the journal for the hard hitting news stories.

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    Mute marty johnbann
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    Jun 9th 2018, 3:12 AM

    Not a 99. If it’s not 99

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    Mute Ted Murray
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    Jun 9th 2018, 10:15 AM

    Flake news.

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    Mute Louis O'Connell
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    Jun 9th 2018, 4:09 AM

    I’m concerned about the red balloons

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    Mute shane harris
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    Jun 9th 2018, 1:02 AM

    It’s them pesky penguins

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    Mute Wayne Quinn
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    Jun 9th 2018, 12:09 AM

    I got 99 problem’ but a b***haint one…

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    Mute Liam O Sullivan
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    Jun 9th 2018, 12:14 AM

    @Wayne Quinn: But punctuation is…

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    Mute Wayne Quinn
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    Jun 10th 2018, 3:26 PM

    @Liam O Sullivan: I knew this would come back to bite me.. dam page doesn’t allow editing of comments

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    Mute Seán Domhnall O'Sullivan
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    Jun 9th 2018, 5:28 AM

    Nothing is sacred no more

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    Mute Gerry Fallon
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    Jun 9th 2018, 8:25 AM

    A 99 should only be 99cent.

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    Mute Lobert Rester
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    Jun 9th 2018, 1:40 PM

    @Gerry Fallon: not in Ireland

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    Mute Aidan Augustus Daly
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    Jun 9th 2018, 6:59 AM

    one drip to each litre cmon you ripoff

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    Mute Darren Corrigan
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    Jun 9th 2018, 8:03 AM

    “Also there are terrible stories of criminality…..” Wasn’t an issue before

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    Mute John Strahan
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    Jun 9th 2018, 10:35 AM

    It shouldn’t be allowed! They’re all just flakes! Someone dial 99…

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    Mute Grasshopper
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    Jun 10th 2018, 4:02 AM

    Are here there’s more important news the feckin 99s price hike

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