Jacksonville Food Trucks: 3Moms Ice Cream Truck

Talking Ice Cream and Happiness with Jeff and Sophia Olson from 3Moms Ice Cream

1. Tell us about 3Moms Ice Cream.

3Moms Ice Cream is an ice cream company. We took our inspiration from the ice cream trucks that we all knew and loved in our youth - the old school, family-friendly ice cream trucks. Our truck is a registered antique, an original 1972 Good Humor ice cream truck that we've completely refurbished, rebuilt, and made our own. We're about good times and happiness and being able to have fun in an organic, healthy way. We started this because we felt that the options for ice cream trucks around here were pretty scary and they didn't offer food for people who wanted to eat in a healthier way. We have a child and we wanted to do something really fun and family-friendly.

We started out wanting to be a neighborhood ice cream truck. We tried and we tried and we found that kids just don't hang out in their front yards in the way they used to. Nowadays they're busy and in a lot more organized events. As a result, we've moved to serving more private events and functions. We're doing them non-stop now. People can request us at seven in the morning or eleven at night. We have bookings every single day of the week, and sometimes two, three, or even four times in a day.



2. When did 3Moms start?

We started in April of 2012.

3. Can you tell us about what you sell?

We sell traditional ice cream treats like Bomb Pops, Italian ices, Sno Cones, Strawberry Shortcakes, and Ice Cream Sandwiches. We also have some newer items like Ben & Jerry's bars and Magnum bars. What really sets us apart, though, is our wide selection of treats that appeal to people looking for healthier or specialty options like gluten free, vegan, dairy-free, organic, or even kosher. We carry Organic Ice Cream Sandwiches, Yogurt Ice Cream Bars dipped in carob chocolate, Ice Cream Sandwiches made with rice milk and almond milk, Organic Strawberry and Coconut bars, and the list goes on and on. We have about 40 kinds of treats that are kosher, which is just not normal for an ice cream truck. Our selection of specialty items is huge because parents are a lot more cautious about what they're giving their kids and they want them to have something healthier rather than something that's just chock full of sugar.  

What may be surprising to some people is just how delicious some of the healthier products are. It's interesting how many products are gluten-free, for example. A lot of people shy away from gluten free products because they think they'll taste bad, or boring. But that's not the case at all. We have some really amazing, gluten-free products. You'd probably not even know they were gluten-free unless we told you.


Rice Milk Mint Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie
Chocolate Chip Cookie Sandwich

4. How does the popularity of the more healthy items compare to the more traditional treats?

When people think about ice cream trucks they tend to think about kids first. And if a child is ordering something on their own they'll tend towards the traditional products. They love anything with sourness in it. For parents who are concerned about what their children are eating, they'll usually go for the fruit bars, organic items, and things that are lower in sugar or dairy-free.

For people in their 20s and 30s, it's more of a mix. More and more these people are coming to us with very sophisticated tastes and they're looking for things like a Key Lime Sandwich, Salted Caramel, and the Rice Crispy treat with ice cream inside. They want to try things they haven't had before.


Rice Crispy Treat stuffed with ice cream and Cherry Garcia Bar

5. For the ice cream, do you serve it scooped or is it in packaged form?

We're based out of Jacksonville Beach and the rules require that a food truck sells pre-packaged items, so that's what we've focused on for now.

6. Who's your main audience?

We have kids who are 2-3 and we've had one person who is 97! It's really across the board in terms of gender, age, ethnicity... everything. We like to say that we serve happiness because everyone loves ice cream.

What surprised us the most is just how great we do at corporate events and how much adults go crazy for an ice cream truck. A lot of people really love the truck because it's modern and hip while also being old school. I think it just touches on the child in anybody. Kids love our truck too but the biggest surprise has been how much adults really, really do as well.


Jeff Olson of 3Moms Ice Cream

7. What would you recommend to someone coming to your truck for the first time?

Jeff: It all depends. The Salted Caramel Sandwiches and Key Lime Sandwiches are really good. They're also my favorites because they just taste fantastic. I love key lime pie so anything that tastes like that gets two thumbs up from me. I also have a really guilty pleasure for a Strawberry Shortcake which is a very old school, traditional item. For kids I'll recommend a fruit bar such as the Organic Strawberry or Coconut - they're really refreshing.


Strawberry Shortcake Bar

8. Are there any particular trends in ice cream treats?

The biggest trend we've seen is the move towards healthier options. We focus on finding really delicious items that are also healthy. We get a lot of people who want something healthier but don't want to give up on the fun so they're excited to try out some of the different things we carry.

9. What's the most popular item you have?

The most popular items are the Key Lime Ice Cream Sandwich and the Coconut Fruit Bar.

10. Have any items surprised you by their popularity?

The Greek Yogurt Bars have been a real surprise. We started carrying a Blueberry Greek Yogurt Ice Cream Bar. Because of the popularity of that we've added a Peach Greek Yogurt Ice Cream Bar. A lot of people have started eating Greek yogurt on its own for taste and health reasons so these bars are very appealing to them.

11. Are there any items that you think are really good that people may not think to try right away, but they should?

We have a vegan Dark Chocolate Ice Cream Bar that is insane. For anyone who wants a fudge bar that is cool, organic and vegan, that thing is amazing. It's been a real hit even if a lot of people might not think of it, especially if they weren't looking for a vegan option.

12. Is your daughter one of your testers?

She's definitely a tester - she tries everything! She doesn't have have a singular favorite, although she loves the organic Strawberry Fruit Bar.