The uber list of ice creams and owning an ice cream truck

If you want to know every type of ice cream that’s notable around the world and put them in an ice cream truck, you made it.

I will also explain in this article:

You don’t know it yet but you’re going to be an Ice Cream Guru and it’s going to look something like this in your dreams.

Sit back and relax so we can jump right in.

The history of Ice Cream and Trucks

The reason you want an ice cream truck is that it goes where the customer is, or to increase your footprint and brand awareness.

Back in the 80’s and 90’s trucks would cruise street by street with monotone music blaring found where children would play outside schools, in residential areas, and playgrounds.

The truck has a large sliding window that is used as a serving hatch.

The hatch or side of the truck has a menu covered with small pictures of the available products, with their associated prices. 

But when did it all begin?

According to the IFDA ice cream’s can be dated as far back as the second century B.C.

To no specific date of origin, Alexander the Great is known to have enjoyed the snow and ice flavoring with honey and nectar.

But what about modern times?

The first account of ice cream in recent history comes from a letter written in 1744 by a guest of Maryland’s Governor William Bladen.

The first advertisement for ice cream in the USA appeared in the New York Gazette on May 12, 1777 when confectioner Philip Lenzi announced that ice cream was available “almost every day.”

Records kept by a Chatham Street, New York, merchant show that President George Washington spent approximately $200 for ice cream during the summer of 1790. 

No one may know who was the first inventor of the Ice Cream Truck in the modern world but in 1920 Harry Burt of Youngstown Ohio developed frozen ice cream on a stick and called it Good Humor bar which is now owned by Unilever. 

To promote his dessert he used trucks with drivers in white uniforms which became an EPIC hit. 

By the 1950’s trucks became a craze in the United States and became used by companies and private businesses to promote not only ice cream but other products by various entrepreneurs.

How to find the right ice cream truck

These are the types of Mobile Operations you can Run:

• Cart
• Kiosk
• Trailer
• Truck

A Cart is for a small operation, usually on wheels and placed within an existing venue.

Venue Types can  include:

• Beach Resort
• Mall
• Cinema
• Park

Starting out with a food cart has fewer cost implications and may be easier to manage.

Be sure that you’ll be comfortable serving from a small space. 

Food carts also cost less to maintain and may require less cleaning and care.

A Kiosk has the same genre as a cart except is usually fixed, larger and stays in one location for a period of time.

It will be costlier than the cart.

Kiosks include decoration around equipment that is purchased.

A Kiosk can have a wider menu.

Types of Kiosks are limitless, depending on any food or beverage theme.

A Trailer is towed by a car.

Pretty Much the same concept as a food truck but a trailer needs to be towed and does not include the driver’s cabin and engine within the structure.

With trailers, costs decrease vs a truck because you don’t have to worry about:

• Motor Maintenance
• Transmission
• Permit
• Parking Space
• Insurance

A Truck is ideal for mobile operations, it’s a vehicle and serving point (with or without small prep) in one space.

If you’re looking to purchase a truck check out these places online:

Roaming Hunger https://roaminghunger.com

Food Truck Empire https://foodtruckempire.com/buy/

Buy Biz Sell https://www.bizbuysell.com/food-trucks-for-sale/

Now, read on to learn about choosing the right equipment.

Ice Cream Making Equipment

Depending on the type of ice cream you sell, you may need a satellite kitchen for preparation and storage before it arrives to the truck.

Some types are easier, some others not.

Merry Cream for example may only need to be refilled in the truck with packed and pre-mix solutions be it including water or milk only.

There are companies that sell premix solutions, and depending on your local regulations you can simply get it ready on the truck.

These solutions can come with up to a 50% overrun but you will be limited to the flavor in the premix.

Overrun is the % increase in the volume of ice cream greater than the amount of mix used to produce that ice cream.

In other words, if you start off with 1 litre of mix and you make 1.5 litres of ice cream, you have increased the volume by 50% (i.e., the overrun is 50%). 

Other types of ice cream like Gelato will need specialized equipment that I will share below (especially if you use natural fruits) and need a dedicated space with temperature controlled environment according to food safe regulations in your area.

Here is a list of every type of machine to make ice cream.

Batch Freezer

A batch freezer is used to produce gelato, sorbet, frozen custard, and sherbet. 

The product mix (also called the base) is frozen and whipped simultaneously to create a smooth consistency in the frozen desserts we eat today.

Ice cream usually comes out of the batch freezer at -12 degrees C.

Pop Freezer

A pop freezer will usually contain a plexi stand within the display area to keep the pops upright.

Shock Freezer

A shock freezer is meant to be used directly after the batch freezer to lower the temperature to -18 degrees C without forming crystals which can deteriorate taste.

Shock freezers have other applications such as expanding the life of food, but we will only focus on ice cream here.

Vertical Static Display

4 sides glass this display has the greatest exposure if your ice cream truck is a 2 sided operation.

Pasteurizer

This is the process of treating liquid base of ice cream with mild heat (cooking) usually less than 100 °C (212 °F) to eliminate pathogens and extend shelf life.

Cooking Range

Before the pasteurizer was invented the traditional way to heat liquid base was with a cooking range.

Some people today still prefer this method, but it cannot be used in larger production houses while keeping consistency.

Mixer

The mixer can be used to prep any types of food which will be blended into the ice cream liquid mix.

Immersion Blender

The immersion blender blends ingredients rapidly rather then traditionally by hand.

Merry Cream Machine

Merry Cream or Soft Serve Machines have a tank to cool the ice cream solution and another tank (or cylinder) to freeze a portion of the water that whips air into the frozen mixture coming out at -4 degrees Celsius.

Toppings & Cone Dispenser

You will need a cone dispenser or plastic (or other) spoon dispenser for your guests to eat.

Dual Pasteurizer and Batch Freezer

Many modern machines and operations love the application of a dual machine.

The dual machine is both the pasteurizer and freezer which is programmed to work in tandem.

Once the pasteurization process is finished, by means of a butterfly valve in the machine the liquid is dispersed into the batch freezer without any manual labor and starts the freezing process.

When using this machine it’s recommended to start off with vanilla and end the day off with chocolate to avoid having discoloration.

Hot sauce dispenser (server)

Hot sauce dispensers are meant to keep chocolate, caramel or other sauces in a warm liquid state to be used as toppings for the ice cream.

Hawaiian Shaved Ice

Manual hand-cranked, electric standard, and professional electric. Depending on the quantity of ice your looking to shave you can learn more here. (https://www.hawaiianshavedice.com/buyers-guide-the-difference-between-shaved-ice-and-snow-cone-machines.html)

Table top refrigerator (with an opening for toppings)

Rather then a vertical reach-in refrigerator this one is horizontal making it useful as a table top with a refrigerated base below. 

The different types of ice cream

You thought you knew what types of ice cream there are didn’t you?

Here it is, the biggest list of ice creams and where you can find them all around the globe.

Merry Cream or Soft Serve Ice Cream

Softer and less dense than ordinary ice cream such as gelato which is a result of introducing air during freezing.

Soft serve ice cream must be held at a cooled temperature before freezing to achieve the “soft” result.

Gelato

Gelato is made with a greater portion of whole milk to cream.

Gelato does not contain any egg base.

Usually contains no more than 7% fatGelato is churned at a slow speed with denser consistency and less air which is whipped into the mixture.

Gelato contains about 25% to 30% air.

Ice Milk or Ice Cream

Ice Cream contains more cream than milk.

Ice cream can contain eggs.

Minimum 10% fat

Ice cream can contain as much as 50 percent air.

Spumoni

A traditional Italian dessert that’s actually a milk sherbet.

Italian Spumoni

A dessert consisting of a light mousse with candy, almonds and pieces of chocolate covered by a layer of ice cream.

American Spumoni

Three-layered Neapolitan-style American ice cream with a chocolate layer being replaced by a green layer which is pistachio flavored.

Kulfi

Kulfi is a traditional Indian ice cream made with boiled milk, sugar, saffron, pista and cardamom.

Denser and thicker on account of it not being churned.

Instead the ingredients are often boiled like a custard before freezing.

Philadephia Ice Cream

The process of making Philadelphia style ice cream is churning the milk, cream, sugar and flavorings vs the french way which doesn’t require making custard.

Midwestern Frozen Custard

The main difference between custard and ice cream is that it is denser, creamier and smoother

The amount of ingredients (eggs mostly, maybe a little butter for some) differ vs traditional ice cream to give it the texture.

Though it’s living it up in the midwest right now, it was initially invented by the Kohr brothers in New York 1919.

New England Ice Cream

Bostonians and New Englanders, however cold it mayt be have a special love affair with ice cream.

With a thick and dense body, the new england ice cream style is more chewy and has 5 elements to make it what it is, here they are:

• Butterfat
• Protein
• Sugar
• Stabilizers
• Churn
• Freezing

Here is everything you want to know about it.

Sherbert

Sherbet is not quite ice cream and not quite sorbet and has the addition of dairy — usually milk or buttermilk.

This gives it a slightly creamier texture than sorbet, as well as a lighter, pastel color.

By law, sherbet must contain less than 2% fat.

Halfway between sorbet and ice cream, sherbet is basically sorbet with a bit of milk added.

And it is always fruit-based.

Sorbet

Sorbet is made from water and fruit puree or juice.

It contains no milk, cream or eggs.

Restaurants use sorbet as a palette cleanser during multi-course meals because its intense fruit flavor is extra refreshing.

Semifreddo

The principal ingredients are eggs, sugar and cream.

It has the texture of frozen mousse.

A cream-custard dessert.

It doesn’t freeze hard, like ice, it freezes soft, like ice cream because of its churn.

A frozen mousse with mix-ins for flavor having more air incorporated it also has a greater fat content.

Liquid Nitrogen Induced

The fastest way to making a frozen dessert.

All you need is the liquid base and liquid nitrogen which is -320F to create the ice cream of your choice.

With liquid nitrogen you wont need ANY of the conventional manufacturing machinery, it is the easiest way to make the ice cream however you have no control on thickness and other variables.

Mini Balls

These are mini ice cream balls frozen made from liquid nitrogen.

The two companies that make them on a global scale are:

minimelts.pl

dippindots.com

Dondurma

Otherwise known as turkish ice cream.

Characteristics: sweet, creamy, stretchy and sticky.

Contains powdered orchid bulbs, known as salep. 

Salep makes dondurma thick and firm enough to cut with a fork and knife, as well as slower to melt.

Frozen Yogurt

Instead of milk or cream, yogurt gives this frozen dairy dessert its creaminess.

This is a mixture of yogurt, milk and cream.

Very popular in American to the brand Pinkberry where there are many flavors served from soft serve machines.

HokeyPokey Ice Cream

Popular in New Zealand this ice cream is creamy vanilla ice cream mixed with crunchy bits of honeycomb toffee.

Mochi

A treat made by Japanese Frances Hashimoto, this is a sticky rice exterior with ice cream filling inside.

This type of ice cream is also very popular in many parts of the world in sushi restaurants.

Spaghetti

Birth Place – Germany

Made to look like a plate of spaghetti.

Ice cream is extruded through a machine to make it look like spaghetti.

Taiyaki Ice Cream

Taiyaki became a craze in Japan.

Taiyaki is made using pancake or waffle batter.

The mix is poured into a fish-shaped waffle mould.

This ice cream focuses more on the cone in the experience then the type of ice cream in itself.

Mantecado

Birth Place – Cuba

The ice cream looks like vanilla but isnt, its flavor is like vanilla but not quite so.

Tim Pad

This originated in Thailand, under thai rolled ice cream and similarly stir fried ice cream.

It is the process of placing your liquid mixture (along with other non-liquid ingredients) on top of a freezing cold ice pan, rolling the mix until it freezes.

Snow Cream

This is one of two different types of delicacies.

Either whipped cream with added flavor, or whipped cream with dairy based liquid to make snow ice cream

Snow Ice

This is a frozen dessert that is like a hybrid of Shaved Ice and Ice Cream.

It is served by shaving thin ribbons from a bigger snow block to create creamy bites.

Served by shaving thin ribbons from snow blocks which create delicate creamy bites.

Shaved Snow is already infused with flavor.

Shaved Ice – Hawaian

This is made by shaving a block of ice.

The ice cream is famous in Hawaii and looks very white due to its small water particles. 

Shaved Ice are finely crushed and then the ice is flavored by pumps of colorful syrup.

Ice Cream Stick

Ah the old ice cream stick, seems almost every generation remembers having an ice cream pop.

There are many variations of the ice cream pop, of course the ice cream pop is put on a stick.

The base can be water, sugar, and coloring or ice cream covered in chocolate.

Trending lately is merry cream pops which are merry cream put in a mold and frozen over.

Bastana Sonnati

This is an Iranian ice cream made from milk, eggs, sugar, rose water, saffron, vanilla, and pistachios. 

In Conclusion

The truck competition can be fierce.

An ice cream business may seem easier to handle than most other business models considering that you’re dealing with a frozen product and longer shelf life.

But to manufacture some of these products can be quite costly, from machine cost to facility and operational costs.

You should also know:

Ice cream trucks aren’t always fuel-efficient and maintenance-friendly:

• If your van or truck is old, it may run on diesel which is known to have a larger appetite for maintenance.
• Depending on weight and size of a truck, the larger the engine has to be makes it less fuel efficient.

Ice cream truck drivers can be independent contractors, budget this into your business plan if it’s not you who is operating the truck.

• You can opt to hire an independent contractor which can save on employment fees or opt to hire someone full time.
• You can find more information on the difference here (https://www.thebalancesmb.com/which-should-i-hire-employee-or-contract-worker-398616)

Sales don’t have to go down in winter!

• Some countries just cant stop eating ice cream even if its freezing outside.
• Germany is very famous for that.

Successful drivers and business owners know their audience.

• Make sure you profile where your target audience is. Learn more about profiling here. (Copywriting for foodservice)
• Try new locations in summer.
• Repeat Customers! Always keep your customers happy. 

It might be easy to add an additional item like waffle’s (check out this company making killer Waffle Pops on a stick) or crepe and even hot chocolate.

These dont take up much space at all in your truck and can make up for lost sales in the winter. 

Adding hot toppings or hot items on the menu on ice cream can help push sales, such as hot chocolate, or waffles.

Just keep the menu short and simple.

Good luck out there.

If you think I missed out on any ice cream out there feel free to leave it in the comments below!