Ice cream lovers across the city can rejoice knowing a cool new version of the popular ice cream cart could be coming to their neighbourhood this summer, courtesy of two Barrie teens.
Nathan Glahn and Zach Hoffer, who have known each other since the first grade, were looking for a way to bust through the boredom brought on by nearly a year and a half of lockdown and, with the help of family, are launching their new business - Popcycle Barrie - this week.
The idea for the mobile ice cream cart, Hoffer told BarrieToday, came from his mother.
“We were just sitting on the couch one day and she just said ‘why don’t you and Nathan do something?’ because we were a little bored. My mom came up with a few ideas for us to do a new job,” he said.
After tossing around a few ideas, the pair settled on the ice cream cart idea and set about turning it into a reality.
“Lots of people are posting on Facebook asking where the ice cream carts and ice cream trucks are, so I thought maybe it would be filling a gap. From what I understand from (City of Barrie Bylaw enforcement) there are only two ice cream carts in the whole city of Barrie, so it might prove to be a really cool venture for them,” said Shelley Hofer.
Starting their own business has included quite a bit of work and a pretty steep learning curve for the young entrepreneurs.
Along with researching where to get the best pricing for their products, they also had to apply for vendor and zoning permits and obtain insurance. They also had to pass a health and safety inspection - which they did with flying colours earlier this week.
“I didn’t even know those were things,” admitted Hofer.
While Glahn said their pricing may be slightly higher than what you’d find at a convenience store - they will have a variety of items ranging in price from $1 to $5 - the convenience of Popcycle Barrie bringing delicious summer treats right to your feet is what he hopes will help set them apart.
They intend on taking turns riding the bike that will tow the cart with the freezer, which was built by their dad and step-dad and designed in a way to ensure it was light and easy to pull with the bike.
“It’s actually pretty light,” said Hofer. “I sat in it (the freezer) to make sure he could pull it.”
Glahn and Hofer have already booked their first event: Thursday at The (East End) Shop Local Market, which is scheduled to take place from 6 to 9 p.m. at Sonder Studio + Events as well as a birthday party on the weekend.
They also plan to try to make it to as many Barrie neighbourhoods as possible throughout the summer..
“We definitely want to move around quite a bit so that we can get to everybody,” said Hofer.
Added Glahn, “we are just looking forward to just seeing where it goes… and being our own boss.”
