Choosing the Right Taylor Freezer & Mix for Your Business

Choosing the right frozen dessert equipment can make or break your menu. With so many Taylor ice cream machine models, mix types, and flavor options available, it can be tough to know where to begin. At Rocky Mountains Distributing, we help operators every day choose the right Taylor soft serve ice cream machine, select a profitable product mix, and build a frozen dessert program that customers love.

This guide breaks down how to select the best soft serve machine, how mix types differ, and how to choose the right flavor brands to support your menu.

Start With Your Business Model

Before comparing machines or reviewing Taylor soft serve machine specs, think about your operation’s needs:

• What formats do you want to serve — soft serve, slush, frozen beverages, or custard?

• What’s your expected peak-hour volume?

• How much space, electrical capacity, and staff training time do you have?

• This helps you choose a Taylor soft serve machine that fits your menu and workflow, not just your budget.

Match the Machine to Your Menu

Different concepts require different equipment. Taylor soft serve ice cream machines are ideal for operators who want consistent texture, quick service, and high-quality soft serve. Single-barrel and dual-barrel models, including twist configurations, give you flexibility to serve multiple flavors.

If your concept centers around artisanal or chef-driven desserts, Taylor Company or Emery Thompson batch freezers allow you to create dense ice creams, gelato-style products, sorbets, and custards. Meanwhile, Taylor and Icetro frozen beverage machines are perfect for slushes, margaritas, lemonades, and smoothies — particularly when you want high visual appeal.

Selecting the right category ensures your menu delivers exactly what your customers expect.

Consider Capacity, Space & Maintenance

Not all Taylor soft serve machines operate at the same volume or speed. When choosing equipment, consider:

• How many servings per hour you need

• Cylinder size and recovery time

• Long-term operating costs

With access to local service and Taylor tech support, RMD’s service team helps operators choose equipment with the right capacity so they’re prepared for rush periods without overinvesting.

Choosing Your Product Mix: Water, Milk, or From-Scratch?

The mix you choose impacts your texture, flavor quality, and cost per serving — especially when using a high-performance Taylor machine ice cream. You’ll choose from three main categories:

Dry Mix + Water: Simple & Reliable

Brands like Frostline, Cool Chiller, and Dole offer dry mixes that only require adding water. These mixes are easy to store, simple to prepare, and extremely consistent, making them a perfect match for Taylor soft serve machines and frozen beverage equipment.

They’re ideal for convenience stores, fast-casual restaurants, health care facilities, and high-volume locations where simplicity and speed matter.

Dry Mix + Milk: Premium, Creamier Texture

If you want richer, more developed flavors, Itaberco mixes require milk (or milk alternatives) instead of water. When paired with a Taylor soft ice cream machine, they produce elevated textures that feel more artisanal.

This style works well for dessert shops, cafés, and restaurants that want to stand out with gourmet soft serve or gelato-like offerings.

Liquid Mixes: Ready to Pour

Liquid soft serve bases offer the highest level of consistency. You simply open, pour, and serve. These mixes are a great choice when you want minimal prep time, predictable texture, and the most classic soft-serve profile.

From-Scratch Mixes: Total Creative Control

For chef-driven concepts or brands wanting signature flavors, creating your own base gives you full control over dairy percentages, stabilizers, overrun, and sweetness. Taylor batch freezers — and even select Taylor soft serve models — accommodate custom mixes exceptionally well.

Choosing the Right Flavor Brands

Your flavor partners shape your menu just as much as your equipment does.

• Frostline offers classic, cost-effective mixes that work beautifully in any Taylor machine setup.

• Itaberco delivers gourmet quality, especially when combined with their flavor compounds and milk-added bases.

• Cool Chiller specializes in slush and frozen beverage products — perfect for colorful, refreshing drinks.

• Dole provides iconic, vegan, fruit-forward flavors like Pineapple and Mango that draw instant attention.

Combining these brands gives you a flexible, profitable menu — and because RMD keeps all of them in stock, you can pick up product locally whenever you need it.

Build a Flavor Strategy That Works

Successful operators balance familiar favorites with exciting seasonal options. A strong menu includes:

• Core flavors that stay on year-round

• Seasonal features to drive engagement

• Limited-time offers to create buzz on social media

Many RMD customers use Frostline or Dole as their dependable everyday flavors, then introduce seasonal offerings throughout the year to spark interest and boost limited-time promotions — such as Frostline’s Lavender Lemon Butter Cookie or Dole’s Pomegranate and Peach flavors.

Why Partner with Rocky Mountains Distributing?

As your local Taylor distributor in Colorado, New Mexico, and Wyoming, RMD provides more than machines. We offer equipment selection support, guidance through the Taylor soft serve catalog, mix consulting, and responsive Taylor tech support. Our goal is to help you consistently serve high-quality soft serve ice cream with reliability and ease.

The Right Equipment, The Right Mix, The Right Partner

Choosing the right Taylor ice cream machine or Emery Thompson batch freezer, mix type, and flavor lineup can transform your dessert program into a major revenue driver. Whether you’re looking for a dependable Taylor soft serve machine, exploring milk-added mixes like Itaberco, or testing water-added mixes from Frostline, Cool Chiller, or Dole, RMD is here to help every step of the way.

Contact us today to schedule an appointment in our free test kitchen and start building the perfect frozen dessert program for your business.