Whether with chocolate, strawberry or caramel sauce, complete chocolate topping, with colourful sprinkles or cereals – LUMEN soft ice cream is available in numerous variations.
We only offer top-quality toppings as well as high-quality sauces with a high fruit content – either directly from the soft ice cream machine or as an ice cream flip in various flavours from the bottle from the IREKS subsidiary DREIDOPPEL. Our chocolate icing not only sticks perfectly to the soft ice cream, but also tastes really chocolaty.
Add some variety to your soft ice cream assortment! Simply get in touch with us.
Finally: After five years, iba, the world’s leading trade fair for the baking and confectionery industry, is back in Munich after a long break from Corona – and this time with LUMEN! Together with our parent company IREKS GmbH, we will be presenting ourselves from 22 - 26 October in Hall B4 at Stand 230.
You are cordially invited to visit us, to dive into exciting taste dimensions and to try something new. We look forward to exchanging ideas with you!
Find out everything you need to know about LUNA L22 – what makes it so special, what advantages it has and what technology is behind it:
LUNA L22: A new appliance generation (PDF, 270 KB)
© EuroAmusement Professional, Issue 2/2023, G.P. Probst Verlag GmbH, www.eap-magazin.de
Did you know that in every soft ice cream machine, air is incorporated into the ice cream mix during the freezing process ensuring an increase in volume? We explain what’s behind it and how it works.
Feeding soft ice cream with a certain percentage of air is called overrun. This overrun is an important and natural component of the ice cream. A freshly dispensed 150 ml portion of ice cream with an overrun of approx. 80 % consists of for example, 83 ml ice cream mix and 67 ml air (83 ml x 1.8 = 150 ml). Conventional ice cream has an overrun of only 30 – 45 % at a consumption temperature of approx. -18°C.
The structure of the soft ice cream is creamier due to the higher overrun and even contains fewer calories. In combination with the higher dispensing temperature of about -6°C, it feels less cold in the mouth and the flavours of the ice cream are perceived better. The tiny air bubbles trapped in the ice cream also lighten the vanilla ice cream, which has a brilliant white colour. And let’s not forget: The cost of goods is reduced with every percentage point of a higher overrun. The return on investment improves!
However, the amount of possible overrun has its limits. With more than 90 – 100 % overrun, further improvement in taste and sensory characteristics can no longer be achieved. On the contrary: it changes to the opposite – the structure of the ice cream becomes shaving-foam-like and the taste diminishes.
How does the air get into the ice cream?
Basically, there are three different systems for introducing air into soft ice cream machines. All systems have in common that there is a storage container above the freezing cylinder. An agitator in the cylinder scrapes off the ice that freezes on the wall. At the same time, the ice mix is foamed with air. As there is overpressure in the freezing cylinder, the enclosed gas bubbles expand when the ice cream is dispensed. The storage container is connected to the freezing cylinder via a pipe and stores chilled ice cream mix.
1. Gravity system Here, both the ice-cream mix and the air are fed automatically from the storage container into the freezing cylinder via a pipe. Above the mix level, the ambient air is passively mixed into the mix via an adjustable nozzle. This system is cost-effective. However, it only achieves a low overrun of max. 20 - 30 %. |
2. Pump system In this system, a gear pump is located in the storage container above the mix level. This actively delivers a mix-air mixture to the freezing cylinder via a connecting pipe. The required air is also taken from above the mix level. When the pump is not in operation, a non-return valve prevents the mix from flowing back into the storage container. The amount of air supplied can be adjusted via various nozzle sizes. An overrun of around 80 % can be achieved. However, this begins to diminish after about two to four years, resulting in poorer material usage. Spare parts for the pump system are comparatively expensive. |
3. Overpressure system (Luna system) In the overpressure system used in LUMEN ice cream machines, the storage container and freezing cylinder are connected to each other via an inlet elbow and form a closed system. A common, adjustable overpressure prevails inside. Filtered ambient air is fed to the freezing cylinder by means of an air compressor via a non-return valve. Excess compressed air that is not required for the overrun is automatically fed into the storage container. An overrun of around 80 % can be achieved. |
Advantages of the self-contained Luna system:
Due to the large number of suppliers on the market, we recommend – not least because of our 60 years of soft ice cream experience – to understand the technical approach of a soft ice cream machine before making a decision.
Wear and tear on machines is given everywhere. However, its prevention with repair and service as well as required spare parts costs different amounts of time and money. The famous “life-cycle costs”, i.e. the costs of the soft ice cream machine starting with the procurement, i.e. the purchase price, the service and any necessary repairs combined with spare parts costs, play a role that should not be underestimated in a holistic business consideration.
A long service life of the machines over decades, few necessary services to guarantee the function and care with simultaneously high load offer you a high degree of investment and planning security. The cost of sales is thus a fixed constant for years!
This is not the only reason why numerous companies from the market segment of German and international amusement parks have been customers of the LUMEN Group for many years.
Do you have questions about the Luna system? Please feel free to contact us!
Innovative products, leading technology and top quality: LUMEN has represented these values for over half a century.
Our success story started in 1962 – just a few years after the Ruckdeschel family, owners of the internationally operating IREKS Group, imported soft ice cream machines from America to Germany for the first time and founded LUMEN GmbH as a subsidiary of their family business.
A lot has happened since then, but LUMEN has not changed in its basic understanding. To this day, we see ourselves as a technology leader and innovator in the industry. Together with all our employees, we are pleased about the decades of continuity in the markets and about the many customers we have had the pleasure to accompany over many years and decades. At LUMEN, we place particular value on direct customer contact, including our advisory and service perfor-mance, which has been steadily expanded in recent years.
Together with our partner, we are looking positively into the future and look forward to continuing to offer leading technology for the best soft ice cream quality with a new, future-oriented generation of machines as well as with modern services and products adapted to customer needs.
![[Translate to English:] Shoppingmall Oberhausen](/fileadmin/_processed_/8/1/csm_Shoppingmall_Oberhausen_76a27be689.jpg "[Translate to English:] Shoppingmall Oberhausen")
At the end of March 2022, one of our long-standing customers started a very special project in Europe’s largest shopping mall, the Westfield Centro in Oberhausen. The aim was to implement a high-quality, innovative soft ice cream business in this special location. Due to the governmental measures in the gastronomy sector and the changed consumer behaviour in the first 20 months of the pandemic, the realisation of such a complex project was made enormously difficult.
In close cooperation with LUMEN, based on a detailed, sustainable concept, which was continuously adapted to the corona regulations in terms of both time and content over the past two years, an impressive start was made possible in spite of everything. In addition to the tireless work and flexibility of the customer’s team, LUMEN was also particularly challenged – starting with the stand design and the choice of machinery and extending to advice on the choice of location and products, we were able to make an important contribution to the successful start with our more than 50 years of experience.
In addition to the good feeling of having direct customer contact again, we are very pleased with the customer response after six weeks. We thank you very much for the good cooperation and wish you continued success!
We are happy to offer all interested parties the opportunity to develop a successful soft ice cream concept in individual workshops or to validate your ideas or to identify further potential in an existing concept.
Have you ever thought about the carbon footprint of your ice cream treat? No? We have! Based on existing external studies, emission factors and real data from our machine technology, we have calculated the CO2 consumption of soft ice cream.
A soft ice cream portion of about 70 g consumes approx. 50 % less CO2 than a comparably sized popsicle. But why is that?
Soft ice cream is comparatively low in CO2 because
What does this mean for companies offering soft ice cream?
With a sales volume of 50,000 kg of soft ice cream per year, you save 17.6 t of CO2 by deciding in favour of soft ice cream, which is equivalent to 143,200 car kilometres not driven. That corresponds to 3.5 circumnavigations of the earth.
Is your company committed to sustainability? Then check your product range in terms of ice cream enjoyment! We would be happy to invite you to a virtual or personal expedition into the world of soft ice cream at the LUMEN headquarters in Kulmbach. Discover the advantages of our technology and how you can make a contribution to environmental protection with soft ice cream in the catering trade!
LUMEN has long been committed to sustainability. This can be seen, for example, in the recent switch to “green” electricity at our headquarters in Kulmbach and at our service centres, or in the fact that we abandoned palm oil in our soft ice cream mix many years ago.
Would you like to know more about the carbon footprint of LUMEN and our products? Feel free to contact us!
Are you looking for ice cream products that you can also offer your guests suffering from a gluten intolerance without hesitation? Then LUMEN is the right address!
More and more people suffer from gluten intolerance. It can be difficult for them to enjoy ice cream without hesitation. This is because the Deutsche Zöliakie Gesellschaft e.V. (www.dzg-online.de) (German Coeliac Society) classifies ice cream as a foodstuff that may contain gluten. However, the association’s “Aufstellung glutenfreier Lebensmittel 2021” (List of gluten-free foodstuffs 2021) manual lists LUMEN’s soft ice cream mixes, milk shake mixes, all glazes and topping sauces that are made without raw materials containing gluten.
This means that soft ice cream from the LUMEN range in a tub or our milkshake can also be enjoyed gluten-free without having to think about it. Simply contact us!
At LUMEN, we take the issue of sustainability very seriously and are constantly working on it. That is why we have been using soft ice cream without palm oil since 2016.
Due to the growing demand for consumer goods worldwide, palm oil is now increasingly used in many industrially produced foods. Because of this rising consumption, the cultivation of palm oil has increased, which has a negative impact on the environment. Forests around the world are being cleared for palm oil plantations, which means that countless animal and plant species are endangered and in some cases even threatened with extinction. Thus, one thing is clear: the worldwide consumption of palm oil is to be drastically reduced!
As a member of the IREKS Group, LUMEN has always been committed to sustainability. Since 2016, LUMEN soft ice cream has been produced exclusively without palm oil. By manufacturing all its products free of palm oil, LUMEN is making a valuable contribution to protecting our environment and the habitats of numerous animal species.
With the soft ice cream machine LUNA L22, LUMEN is developing the next generation of this soft ice cream machine model. In doing so, we opt for the protection of our environment as well as for digitalisation.
In recent years, the European Union has repeatedly prioritised climate protection by means of various regulations. LUMEN has been actively facing these dynamic challenges for years and is therefore currently developing a new environmentally friendly refrigerant gas generation. The associated components such as valves and compressors have already been approved. Managing Director Uwe Täuber (on the right in the picture) is certain that LUMEN will be able to gain a competitive advantage with this innovation.
But that's not all – further technical changes have made it possible to reduce the power consumption of the refrigeration supply even more. Moreover, all electric control elements in the new machine generation have been further developed in order to advance digitalisation for the benefit of our customers. This is because innovative accessory parts of the ice cream machine, such as the cashless payment system, require a higher data volume. A larger touchscreen display for operating the ice cream machine completes the technical innovation of the new LUNA L22 model generation. Be curious about the new model!
LUNA soft ice cream machines are known worldwide for their durability under heavy use. Even after having been in operation for decades, customers appreciate the consistently high performance in overrun, freezing process or pasteurisation. Now, LUMEN offers commercial customers the well-known LUNA technology refurbished to generate attractive high-margin turnover. All machines are completely overhauled by experienced technicians using original spare parts.
What does "refurbished" mean? In the literal translation, this term is synonymous with "renovated”. During this process, the machine is completely dismantled, cleaned, polished and defective or worn components (mechanical as well as electrical) are replaced, new seals are installed. In this way, an excellent machine condition with a new warranty and a fresh look is achieved, ensuring all the necessary hygienic standards.
As our customer, you will receive the premium quality you have come to expect from LUMEN. We are always happy to help you choose the most suitable machine technology for your business and your needs – just get in touch with us!
You don't feel like searching for a long time for the right financial partner to purchase your ice cream machine? No problem! With MMV Leasing GmbH, LUMEN has a proven partner for tailor-made leasing and financing solutions in Germany.Various types of contracts enable you to react quickly and flexibly to changing market conditions and to plan investments together and on a long-term basis. Do you have questions regarding financing? Our LUMEN sales team will be happy to assist you!
Just in time for the Horecava Fair in Amsterdam, the fair appearance of our Dutch subsidiary Dupon Nederland BV shines in new splendour. Billboards in loud, strong colours and ice cream machines in elegant black form a contrast that immediately catches the eye. Due to the current corona pandemic, the international fair for hotels, restaurants and canteen kitchens with more than 75,000 visitors per year, unfortunately, had to be postponed until January 2021. In this view, we look forward to welcoming you at our new fair stand at the very beginning of next year!
Do you dream of walking along the beach, enjoying a soft ice cream with a view of the sea? Take the boat to the island of Terschelling! On this West Frisian island about 15 km off the Dutch North Sea coast, from now on, you can find a LUNA soft ice cream machine in the department store "Hema".
After having studied business economics, Nils Olaf Lewe gained many years of professional experience in leading positions before he joined IREKS GmbH in 2017. Since 2018, the business graduate has been working there as Director of the Accounting/Controlling Department. Following the retirement of Jürgen Brinkmann at the end of 2019, Mr Lewe was appointed to the Management of LUMEN GmbH in January 2020.
For years, Finland has ranked in the top three in terms of the highest per capita consumption of ice cream. Since 2019, LUMEN has been developing this important ice cream market. The inhabitants of the Land of 1000 Lakes can now enjoy their soft ice cream from LUNA ice cream makers – and the respective operators receive first-class service!
Unlike classic design awards, the PLUS X Award honours brands for the quality and innovative edge of their products. With an international and independent expert panel from 25 sectors, 23 competent strategic partners and more than 600 participating international brands, the PLUS X Award is the world's largest innovation award for technology, sports and lifestyle these days. For the LUNA Freezematic ice cream maker, LUMEN GmbH received the awards for design, high quality, functionality and user comfort.
