May 24, 2024

A Sioux Falls couple has started a mobile ice cream business this spring to give their kids a summer job.

Vanilla Gorilla Frozen Treats serves ice cream from Stensland Family Farms and toppings from two small carts that can be booked for public or private events. The operation can be set up indoors or outdoors.

“We basically started it to give our two teen-agers a flexible summer job that would work around their activities,” said Heidi Furth, who owns Vanilla Gorilla with her husband, Alfred.

“The few events we’ve done so far, they’ve been really excited and are picking up the details really quickly,” she said of Marcus and Georgia. The couple’s college-age son, Mason, will help some too.

The freezer on wheels can hold up to six ice cream flavors, and a second cart has room for two dozen toppings.

For private events, pricing is based on how many people will be served, Furth said.

For public events, customers can buy one or two scoops of ice cream in a dish, and they pay an additional dollar for each topping — although sprinkles are free.

Each 4-ounce scoop is $3.50.

“After school starts, we’ll primarily do indoor events – birthday parties, weddings, business events, gender reveals, that kind of thing,” Furth said.

Find locations for public events on Facebook, Instagram at @vanillagorilla_sf or the Street Food Finder app, which you also can access online.

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