Taste testing ice cream: sound like a dream come true? What about taste testing ice cream and getting paid to do so? Sound too good to be true?
Orange City is conveniently located only 20 minutes from the Blue Bunny Ice Cream Parlor in Le Mars, where Blue Bunny set their Ice Cream Capital of the World.
In order to continue keeping their company moving forward and keep customers happy with their products, Blue Bunny has implemented a team of ice cream taste testers to give feedback on new flavors and desserts. Testers have an opportunity approximately once a month to sign up for a taste testing that takes place in the corporate headquarters, also located in Le Mars.
Testers must complete a screening prior to each taste test where they answer questions about what type of ice cream and frozen novelties they have personally consumed in the past few months, as well as giving their interest in testing a variety of different ice cream treats. Once the questions are answered, if they qualified for that test, they pick a time during the test day to come eat new, unreleased ice cream.
On the day of the taste test, testers arrive at the headquarters and live the dream of getting paid to eat ice cream. Each tester is directed to their own individual desk and chair where the testing will take place.
As the different samples are placed in front of them, they are asked to give honest feedback about each sample, evaluating characteristics including appearance, taste, texture and any changes they would like to see. All of this is done on a computer, which gives immediate feedback to the company.
Testers are compensated well for their time, taste buds and opinions. After each taste test, every tester is given a 30-dollar pre-paid credit card to be used for whatever they please.
There are various time slots for each taste test day that work with college students’ diverse schedules. Northwestern junior Jessica Mulder is only one of many NW students who has this unique job. She first began hearing about this experience when she was young because her mother used to work at Blue Bunny.
“Once I got to school at NW I realized a lot of my friends were doing it too, so I was like, ‘Hey, why not finally sign up for this?’” Mulder said.
Her favorite part of the job is getting paid to eat ice cream, which is most likely the case for all students involved. She receives emails from Blue Bunny every 2-3 weeks for taste test opportunities.
If anyone wants to add “ice cream taste tester” to their list of job experiences, all they need to do is simply go to this link: www.wellsenterprisesinc.com/about/tasters.
Once signed up, a person is automatically in the system for taste testers and will be emailed every time a new taste test opportunity is available.
This job won’t go a long way in helping to pay for tuition, but it is a special opportunity to take advantage of and it will help you accomplish some of the finer things in life: eating ice cream and making a little extra money.
