Ice cream maker Avenei navigates the challenges of Latvia's short, cold summers
Dāvis Dudelis, founder of SIA Avenei, describes how his ice cream company copes with a market that is heavily dependent on weather, after Latvia's second consecutive short, cold and rainy summer. Unlike in several other European countries, Latvians have no tradition of eating ice cream regardless of the weather.
By September, activity has slowed at the factory producing the Avenei ice cream brand, as the peak buying season has already passed. Dāvis Dudelis, founder of SIA Avenei, says the company's fortunes are closely tied to the weather, since ice cream is a strongly seasonal product bought mostly during hot, sunny summers.
The difficulty is that for two years running, Latvia's summers have been short, cool and rainy. The situation is compared to a mood cycle described by Latvian poet Juris Kronbergs — moving from autumn depression through winter apathy and spring fatigue to worry over yet another summer that turns out too short, cold and wet.
Different habits
According to the report, Latvians lack a habit found among Swedes, Finns and even the British — eating ice cream even in cold, damp weather. In Latvia, ice cream is not seen as a mandatory part of a trip to the beach or an amusement park regardless of season or temperature.
Britons, for instance, will eat ice cream by the sea even when the air temperature is only around 11 degrees Celsius. Latvians in similar conditions are more likely to light a stove and warm up with a cup of tea than to buy ice cream.
These cultural and climate factors also shape the operations of Avenei, whose product range includes vegan recipes. The company has to plan around demand that fluctuates heavily with summer weather rather than being spread evenly across the year.
