Ice cream trucks are diversifying to stay relevant in an artisanal world
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Jeff Kimball (center left) and his son Caden serve Diltaj Gill and Bavhnoor Gill in Vancouver. Photo: Joseph Gallivan/Axios
Ice cream trucks still drive around the suburbs, playing electronic tunes and selling SpongeBobs on a stick, but they're trying to diversify, owners say.
Why it matters: Portland is an artisanal ice cream town, with Salt & Straw, Kate's Ice Cream and Fifty Licks, but the classic ice cream truck is fighting back.
State of play: Many ice cream trucks make an increasing portion of their income at private parties, such as weddings and corporate events, John Spitulski, who runs Ice Cream Express on Portland's industrial east side, told Axios.
- Spitulski's business offers home delivery ($50 minimum) and catering.
- Those two modes bring more stable income than traditional door-to-door retail, which is weather-dependent.
The big picture: The U.S. ice cream truck market is expected to grow 9.3% from 2023 to 2030, according to a 2022 report by Grand View Research, a market research and consulting firm.
- This is because the number of concerts, festivals and other large-scale events is increasing, offering more places for trucks to serve their sweets.
Zoom in: Driver Jeff Kimball was in an Ice Cream Express truck last Wednesday on a 90-degree day in Vancouver, Washington, improvising the route.
- He avoids driving the same street more than once a week.
- Axios came along as he nosed into subdivisions at 1 mph, playing the classic tune "Turkey in the Straw."
What he's saying: "I love working with children and making them happy," Kimball said.
- He told us his best day was a Sunday, with $470 in sales in five hours, and he took home $185, or $37 an hour before tax.
- Last Wednesday, he was pleased with sales of $300.
Case in point: Before he opened a store in 2013, the founder of Fifty Licks, Chad Draizin, sold flavors such as cornbread honey butter and mango sticky rice at festivals and street fairs from a 1967 Chevrolet P10 step van. Folks at Pickathon and PDX Pop Now! loved its retro look and experimental vibe.
- "Now our summer is a lot of weddings and company barbecues, things at Nike," Draizin told Axios.
In June, Draizin outfitted a second truck after a fire destroyed Fifty Licks' E Burnside store the month prior.
- "If we were driving around neighborhoods, this thing wouldn't make money," said Draizin.
- For catering, they set a price for a minimum number of servings. At weddings, people see the truck coming and start waving and trying to buy ice cream before they've even set up.
Zoom out: Draizin's grateful to Salt & Straw for educating the public that ice cream can be fresh and exciting.
- "Before they knew who we were, people felt it was an ice cream company's responsibility to recreate their childhood experience, down to the price," Draizin said.