Back in 2011, three Wilton girls who were heading off to college came up with the smart idea to buy an ice cream truck for their summer job and to make money for college. Thus College Creamery was born, which shot to local fame quickly. The brightly painted ice cream truck became a fixture on sidelines at Wilton playing fields, at Merwin Meadows, at town events like July 4th and even at private parties around town.
But as college kids do, College Creamery’s owners grew up and moved on to more ‘professional’ pursuits, and the two owners who had continued the business, Lindsay Wheeler and Taylor Toll started looking for someone else to take over the successful business. Thankfully, the business will stay in Wilton, as just this past spring, they handed over the truck to new owners, two brothers and a sister from the same family–Julia, Jack and Justin Lewis.
“My mom and Lindsay got real close when they were training for the NY marathon and the sale of the truck casually came up in conversation,” Julia explains. After asking a lot of questions, mom Jenn Lewis realized that it would be a good fit for the Lewis family. “The timing was perfect being that I need to make money for college,” Julia adds.
The proceeds will go towards the college expenses and a portion will be donated to support education in the community–something the original founders started. Julia, a WHS senior who will attend the University of Miami in the fall, is very excited to carry on the tradition that Lindsay and Taylor created. “They have made this an amazing business and we are thrilled to keep it in our community.”
The Lewis family plans to keep the business primarily the same, after all the hard work Lindsay and the other girls did to figure out what worked and what didn’t. “We might tweak things here and there but we aren’t rushing into that,” Julia explains, adding that as this is only their first year in the ice cream truck business, so they definitely expect a learning curve and are certainly open to customer suggestions.
Julia plans to be the primary driver of the truck, while Jack and Justin handle the business side. She says everyone in the family is looking forward to the new dimension it will bring to family closeness and togetherness, given everyone’s busy schedules.
“When they aren’t around my friends will be working with me,” Julia says. “If I’m not available my parents will help out.”
In addition to the branded ice cream items, College Creamery also will offer shaved ice, something most other trucks don’t have. To go along with the vintage theme of the truck, they will also carry vintage candy, including Pop Rocks, Fun Dip and Pixie Sticks.
The Lewises are ecstatic to carry on the tradition that Lindsay and Taylor created, and are happy they are able to keep it in the community. “Who wouldn’t want a fun summer job selling ice cream and being around kids and make money doing it?” Julia says.
College Creamery can be hired for private parties such as birthdays, communions, graduations, office parties, team dinners, and summer club events. They will also be out and about town selling at Merwin Meadows and all the athletic fields through the end of September. Fans can find them on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, and online.