Early access. Pre-enrollment is open. Pre-enrolled students get first access as soon as the English edition opens, and keep the early-access price. Full refund on request at any time before your access opens.
Online · Self-paced · English edition
Master Ice Cream Maker Program – Flex The professional artisan ice cream & gelato maker course, online and at your own pace
Become a professional artisan ice cream maker from anywhere in the world. IFHA’s complete 14-unit program, in English: technique and business, from raw ingredients to the opening plan for your own shop, with a QR-verifiable certificate.
USD 1,570 early-access price · USD 1,745 list price · one payment
14 units in 3 stagesTechnique + businessSelf-paced, from any countryQR-verifiable certificate
Since 1950
three generations of ice cream makers
3,500+
students
50+
countries
★ 4.9
on Google (90+ reviews)
The program
What is the Master Ice Cream Maker Program – Flex?
It is IFHA’s professional training in artisan ice cream, in a self-paced English edition. Its 14 units take you from raw ingredients and recipe balancing to costs, pricing and the opening plan for your own ice cream shop.
Great ice cream is where it starts. A profitable shop also needs balanced recipes, the right equipment for your scale, a real cost per kilo and a clear opening plan. The program covers all of it, in the order you will need it, with one idea throughout: in ice cream, decisions are made with data and method, not by intuition alone.
It follows the same 14-unit syllabus as IFHA’s live Master Ice Cream Maker Program, in a recorded edition you take at your own pace, from any country. No previous experience needed: you start at unit 1.
Who it’s for
Made for people who want to do it right
Future shop owners
You plan to open your own ice cream shop and want to start with a method, not with guesswork.
Working ice cream makers
You already make ice cream and want to run production and management like a professional.
Chefs and pastry pros
You want to add artisan ice cream to your kitchen as a specialty.
Career changers
You want a craft of your own, with recipes you can create and adjust yourself.
Why method matters
Three decisions that shape a profitable ice cream shop
You make them once, at the start, and they shape the years that follow. The program prepares you for each one.
Before you sign a lease
You score each location with a scorecard and a competitive matrix. It is the biggest commitment you make, so you make it with data.
Before you buy the machine
You choose the batch freezer and the refrigeration that fit your scale and your business model.
Before you set your prices
You know your cost per kilo, your break-even point and your annual budget, so every price has a reason.
Syllabus
14 units, from the ingredient to the point of sale
Three stages, in the order a real project needs them. Each unit comes with a practical tool you complete with the data of your own project.
Stage 1 · Foundations and raw ingredients · Units 1–4
What defines artisan ice cream, how its quality is measured and what each ingredient does in the mix.
- 1What defines artisan ice cream
What makes ice cream artisan, the three pillars of the craft and today’s formats: packaged, dark kitchen and online sales. - 2Ice cream quality, end to end
The three dimensions of quality, raw ingredient traceability, the regulatory framework and how to analyze the most common defects. - 3Raw ingredients
Dairy, water, sugars (POD/PAC), stabilizer bases, chocolate and semi-finished products; air in ice cream and overrun. - 4How ingredients behave in the mix
The six forces at work in every mix, and which ingredient is behind each texture or flavor defect.
Stage 2 · Production and formulation · Units 5–11
The full process, refrigeration, equipment, balancing your own recipes and the hygiene that supports it all.
- 5Mix preparation
The full workflow, station by station: production systems, pasteurization, adding ingredients at each temperature stage, and aging. - 6Refrigeration basics
The physics of cold, the complete refrigeration cycle and a checklist for buying equipment. - 7Machinery and equipment
Batch freezers and the business model each one enables; the mix circuit, display and storage freezing, and a compact production plant. - 8Recipe balancing
The universal balancing table, POD and PAC in practice, the master ice cream maker’s working formulas and hands-on work with IFHA’s formulation spreadsheet. - 9Special lines
No added sugar, vegan, gluten-free, high-protein, soft serve, ice pops and granitas: balancing, legal labeling and which lines to add. - 10Sauces, ripples and toppings
Frozen desserts as a high-ticket line: ice cream cakes, sundaes, semifreddos and made-to-order sales through WhatsApp and social media. - 11Hygiene and food safety
GMP, SSOPs, simplified HACCP, cold chain, pest control and records, taught through universal principles.
Stage 3 · The business · Units 12–14
Costs, pricing, value proposition and opening your point of sale with a master plan.
- 12Business management and numbers
The Business Model Canvas for ice cream, cost per kilo, pricing, break-even point, annual budget and dashboards. - 13Marketing and value proposition
Market analysis, strategy tools (SWOT, Ansoff, Blue Ocean), product mix and perceived value. - 14Your point of sale
Scoring locations with a scorecard, designing your physical and online shop, and the master opening plan, phase by phase.
Outcomes
What you will be able to do
Formulate and balance
Create and balance your own milk-based and water-based recipes with IFHA’s formulation spreadsheet, using the ingredients you can buy where you live.
Produce consistently
Run a safe, repeatable process from raw ingredients to storage, and control overrun and texture so every batch comes out the same.
Fix defects with method
Diagnose any defect by its symptoms and correct it in the recipe.
Grow your menu
Develop no-added-sugar, vegan and gluten-free lines, plus frozen desserts that raise your average ticket.
Run the numbers
Calculate your cost per kilo, set prices, find your break-even point and choose equipment that fits your scale.
Plan your opening
Define your value proposition, build your menu by turnover and margin, score locations and follow a master opening plan.
How it works
Study on your schedule, build your own plan
Self-paced
Watch each unit whenever it suits you. Pause, rewind and review as often as you need.
Your own project
Each unit comes with a practical tool you complete with your numbers, your products and your location. You finish with a plan, not just notes.
From any country
Study online from anywhere, in your own time zone, and pay in USD with international payment methods.
QR-verifiable certificate
Complete the program and get your IFHA certificate, verifiable by QR and ready to add to LinkedIn.
Compare
Flex Intensive Course or Master program?
Two self-paced programs for two different moments. The Flex Intensive Course is a fast start that includes a 1-on-1 live session with an instructor. This program is the complete path through the craft and the business.
| Flex Intensive Course | Master Ice Cream Maker Program – Flex | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | A fast start on the technical and business foundations | Mastering the full craft and planning your own shop |
| Content | 10 recorded modules | 14 recorded units in three stages |
| Format | Online and self-paced, with 1-year access | Online and self-paced, with 1-year access |
| 1-on-1 live session | 1 session with an instructor, up to 60 min | Not included |
| Hands-on class | 1 optional class at IFHA Labs, Buenos Aires | Not included |
| Business and opening plan | The essentials | Units 12–14: costs, pricing, marketing, location and opening plan |
| Certificate | Expert in Artisan Ice Cream Production and Commercialization, QR-verifiable | IFHA certificate, QR-verifiable |
| Early-access price | USD 719 (list USD 799), one payment | USD 1,570 (list USD 1,745), one payment |
Your instructors
Who teaches you
Lucas and Franco Alfonsin are the third generation of a family of artisan ice cream makers since 1950. Franco combines technical experience with a business view of the ice cream industry. Lucas works as a consultant and trainer in artisan ice cream for clients around the world.
In 2024 they founded IFHA – Artisan Ice Cream Training Institute, in San Fernando, Buenos Aires, to teach the craft with method. They are also the authors of The Artisanal Ice Cream Business, the book that lays out the same approach as this program: product and business in a single system of decisions. See the book on Amazon · About IFHA
One program, one payment
Early-access price
USD 1,570 USD 1,745 list price · one payment
- ✓ The 14 units of the program, in English
- ✓ Self-paced study, from any country, with 1-year access counted from the day your access opens
- ✓ A practical tool in every unit, applied to your own project
- ✓ IFHA certificate, verifiable by QR
- ✓ First access as soon as the English edition opens
- ✓ The early-access price, kept for you
Full refund on request at any time before your access opens. International payments from any country, in USD: PayPal, Wise, international bank transfer (SWIFT), Binance Pay and Western Union.
Payments
Pay from any country
International payments from any country, in USD: PayPal, Wise, international bank transfer (SWIFT), Binance Pay and Western Union.
- PayPal · card or PayPal balance, confirmed automatically (11% processing fee)
- Wise · 3.5% fee
- International bank transfer · SWIFT, in USD
- Binance Pay · USDT or USDC
- Western Union · from the app or an agent location
Paying from Argentina? Our Spanish site lists local payment options.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What is the Master Ice Cream Maker Program – Flex?
It is IFHA’s professional program in artisan ice cream, in a self-paced English edition. Its 14 units go from raw ingredients and recipe balancing to costs, pricing and the opening plan for your own ice cream shop, with a QR-verifiable certificate.
When does the program start?
Pre-enrollment is open. Pre-enrolled students get first access as soon as the English edition opens, and keep the early-access price. We will email you as soon as your access is ready.
Is the program in English?
Yes. It is the English edition of IFHA’s program: our instructors' original classes, narrated in English with AI voice technology.
How long do I have access?
1 year, counted from the day your access opens. During that year every unit is always available in your campus: watch, pause and review it as often as you like, on any device.
Do I need previous experience?
No. You start at unit 1, with what defines artisan ice cream, and build step by step up to recipe balancing and the business. You don’t need to have worked in food service.
How is it different from the Flex Intensive Course?
The Flex Intensive Course is a fast start: 10 recorded modules, a 1-on-1 live session with an instructor and an optional hands-on class in Buenos Aires. The Master Ice Cream Maker Program – Flex is the complete path: 14 recorded units that cover the whole craft and the business, up to your opening plan.
Does it include live classes or hands-on practice?
This edition is fully recorded and self-paced, so it fits around your work and your season. It does not include live classes or hands-on sessions. If you would like a 1-on-1 live session with an instructor, the Flex Intensive Course includes one.
How much does it cost?
The list price is USD 1,745. Pre-enroll and you pay the early-access price of USD 1,570, in one payment. The early-access discount does not combine with other offers: the larger one applies.
How does pre-enrollment work?
Fill in your details on the enrollment page and the early-access price is kept for you. If you’d like to get it out of the way, you can also pay right away from any country. Either way, you get first access as soon as the English edition opens.
How can I pay?
From any country, in USD: PayPal (card or PayPal balance, 11% processing fee), Wise (3.5% fee), international bank transfer (SWIFT), Binance Pay and Western Union. Paying from Argentina? Our Spanish site lists local payment options.
Can I get a refund?
Yes. Full refund on request at any time before your access opens. After that, the refund policy in our terms and conditions applies.
What certificate do I get?
A QR-verifiable certificate from IFHA – Artisan Ice Cream Training Institute, issued as a digital badge you can add to your LinkedIn profile in one click.
Will what I learn apply in my country?
Yes. You learn to formulate with the raw ingredients you can buy where you live, and food safety is taught through universal principles (GMP, SSOPs and HACCP). Always check the local rules that apply to your shop.
Do I need to buy machines or ingredients to study?
No. The program teaches you which equipment and supplies to buy for your scale and budget, so you invest with a plan when you are ready.
Who is behind IFHA?
Lucas and Franco Alfonsin, the third generation of a family of artisan ice cream makers since 1950 and authors of The Artisanal Ice Cream Business. IFHA has trained 3,500+ students from 50+ countries and holds a 4.9 rating on Google (90+ reviews).
Pre-enroll and keep the early-access price
Be among the first to study the English edition. USD 1,570 instead of USD 1,745, in one payment. Full refund on request at any time before your access opens.