Dead industry? Not for Maricopa’s ice cream truckers

There’s something about hearing the sweet chimes of “Turkey in the Straw” or “La Cucaracha” emanating from a slowly cruising, frozen dessert-filled truck that sends children and adults in a frenzied dash out the door.

“As a kid, we would always go out and it didn’t matter how hot it was,” said The Villages resident Hannah Cano. “We would sometimes just run out without any shoes on just to catch the ice cream man.”

Luckily able to throw on some shoes this time, Cano and her daughter caught up with an ice cream truck riding through their neighborhood on a sizzling June afternoon. She noted it was a rare sight in her neighborhood.

“I would say we see him about once a month,” she said. “It feels kind of like an old-school thing just to be able to see the ice cream truck out and about. But it is nice to be sharing those types of memories with my own kids.”

She’s not the only one who noticed the lack of ice cream trucks riding through town.

That observation, and memories of sprinting out the door with a wad of cash in hand, have driven some Maricopa residents to start up their own trucks, including Zamara Bennett’s new Cosmic Ascent Ice Cream. The Santa Rosa Springs resident hit the neighborhood streets in April.

“I remember ice cream trucks growing up coming into the neighborhood and everybody running out to get a treat,” she said. “I think everybody kind of has those same memories and we didn’t really see many trucks out here. So, we jumped on that.”

The same went for husband-wife duo Isai and Diana Solis, who will celebrate the second year of their Creamyleta truck in September.

“I remember the music and running for the ice cream truck and just getting excited,” Diana Solis said. “You don’t see these trucks often here in Maricopa.”

Not all peaches ‘n cream
While nostalgia for the carefree summer days of old drives an appetite to guzzle frozen milk out of a motor vehicle, the situation isn’t all sweet news.

A 2022 New York Times article blamed inflation for fewer trucks cruising through neighborhoods.

The article cited registration costs, permits, gasoline, maintenance and inventory as contributing factors to ice cream trucks “unfortunately becoming a thing of the past,” according to Steve Christensen, executive director of the North American Ice Cream Association.

But Isai Solis said while those pesky price tags make things more difficult, they haven’t deterred the couple from going full steam ahead with their business.

“Customers usually don’t see how much pricing impacts business,” he said. “Even the price of small things, like the sticker on our products, have gone up.”

Aside from gas and inventory, maintenance is a chief cost for ice cream truck owners.

Chilled Startup, a resource for future ice cream retailers, noted repairs as the “absolute hardest part of running an ice cream truck.” Generators, air conditioning, water leaks and tire replacement are just a few of the more costly fixes for most truck owners.

For example, replacing all six tires on the Creamyleta truck will cost the couple $2,000.

“That can be really hard because not only do we have to pay to get it repaired, but then we’re also losing money because we’re not able to sell,” Bennett said.

Keeping up with the times
Instead of relying solely on traditional melodious advertising, Maricopa’s ice cream trucks have also turned to catering private events and participating in local food truck nights. But that doesn’t mean they don’t still drive down the street blasting those sentimental jingles.

“We try to drive the neighborhoods at least three days a week, but some people just prefer to go to the location we’re parked at,” said Isai Solis.

New technology helps. Social media has given owners new exposure, especially for showcasing the newest popsicle stick-mounted offerings and letting customers know when and where they plan to sell through the week.

“Some people will message they missed us driving through their neighborhood, so we can go back to do deliveries,” Bennet said. “I feel like a lot has opened up from our social media presence. Like even just today, we just got invited through Facebook to do an event at the library.”

Another techie advancement is live location tracking, so customers can track an ice cream truck in real time rather than just hope it will soon roll by. Both Creamyleta and Cosmic Ascent have used tracking apps to their customers’ advantage.

Sugar rush
Even with all the challenges facing ice cream trucks, owners said there is one major reason they continue to do it: watching their customers’ unadulterated joy.

“I love seeing the kids smile and wave,” Diana Solis said. “I like seeing the kids happy and the families gathered together.”

Bennett said she feels she found her place in the city.

“I love selling ice cream,” she said. “I never really thought I would become ‘The ice cream lady,’ but I really enjoy it and I enjoy seeing the smiles on everybody’s faces and the dancing when they get their ice cream. It’s amazing.”

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