It’s shortly after 10:00 am on a Friday morning, and already a dozen kids and their moms are lining up for ice cream at Rocky Point Ice Cream in Port Moody. Owner Yvette Cuthbert is behind the counter with nine of her employees, getting ready for what will surely be another 16 hour day.
If it’s busy ten minutes after opening, then what’s it like on summer weekends? “Oh, we have line-ups across the parking lot to the swimming pool. People driving from far away might get discouraged when they see the line, but we’re very efficient,” Cuthbert says.
Looking remarkably fit for someone who spends every day around rather, shall we say, diet-busting temptations, Yvette and her husband Jamie have been selling ice cream in Port Moody since 1997—for many years partnering with well-known Sara’s gourmet ice cream.
In 2013, the Cuthberts secured permission to lease and re-build a former concession stand at Rocky Point Park—hence the name. The added space provided the opportunity to manufacture and control the quality of their product.
And what ice cream it is! Cuthbert leads me into the back of her store where soft, super-creamy Blackberry Sage (yes, there is indeed a hint of the desert in this dessert) is being poured, packaged, and flash-frozen in pint-sized packages for delivery to gourmet food grocers. They also operate two food trucks that are generally hired out for special events, festivals and company outings.
Yvette is obsessed with making the highest quality product and selling it at what she calls a “suburban price,” which means keeping ice cream affordable for the hundreds of families that come from near and far. “We used to be able to buy a tub of ice cream for what it now costs us to make on our own,” she says.
Keeping everyone satisfied can be challenging, too. She would not dare run out of salty caramel, Earl Grey and honey, black licorice, or lemon yogurt cookie. Yvette says, “even though we stock 36 flavours, we only rotate four kinds out at any given time. If you have a favourite flavor, you won’t likely accept any substitutions.”
The next time you’re in the Port Moody area, be sure to check out Rocky Point Ice Cream. 2800 Murray Street.