Many Americans and Mexicans alike enjoy frozen treats during the hot summer months, and treats such as ice cream, popsicles, and paletas are among the most common today. The idea of paletas and ice cream is decades old, and today, countless parlors (most of them small and local) offer these treats for just about everyone. In fact, wholesale gourmet popsicles may be found too, and some customers may prefer them and their better flavors than regular popsicles. Looking for wholesale gourmet popsicles may involve a simple Internet search for someone who doesn’t already know a place, and some wholesale gourmet popsicles may be served at parlors or from mobile carts with a freezer in them. The same is true of Mexican paletas, which may be included in wholesale gourmet popsicles supplies for a parlor. The same is true for ice cream and its variants, which are as popular as ever.
Popsicles and Paletas
These are frozen treats on thin wooden sticks, and they are convenient to eat and carry around with just one hand, and they do not even require forks or spoons to eat. Better yet, these treats come in a wide variety of flavors, and for American consumers, paletas in particular may have a dazzling variety of novelty flavors to them. Native to Mexico, paletas are gourmet popsicles that have found their way into mainstream American cuisine, and many paleta stand and mobile carts can be found across the United States, both near and far from the U.S.-Mexico border. These treats include many flavors that may be exotic but appealing to American consumers, ranging from tangerines to goat milk to eggnog, rum raisin, passion fruit, coffee, and even blackberry cheesecake. Someone who wants a frozen treat, but who is also tired of conventional flavors, may find something delicious and new with paletas.
Ice Cream
For nearly a century or so, ice cream has been a staple frozen dessert in the United States, and it’s not alone; related treats such as gelato, frozen custard or yogurt, and sherbet prove widely popular, too. Many statistics are being kept in the United States to track what people like to eat and drink, and this includes ice cream, too. NDP Group, for example, found that in any given two-week period, nearly 40% of Americans will eat ice cream, and around 90% of all American households indulge in frozen treats of some kind or other. Nearly 8% of all American dairy is dedicated to making ice cream, and 1.5 billion gallons of it is made every year (with June being the top month for ice cream production). Ice cream can be soft or hard serve, depending on temperature and air content, and it can be eaten in more than one way.
An ice cream parlor may offer both ice cream cones and cups. Ice cream cones are edible and crunchy, and they’re stylish and often considered the “classic” ice cream look. They’re popular on image-sharing apps and sites such as Instagram, though eater should be careful about how messy they can sometimes be. Other consumers might prefer ice cream cups instead, laminated cups that can hold ice cream without a mess and also act as good leftovers containers. Consumers can have their ice cream in cups like these with plastic spoons, letting them mix around flavors and condiments mess-free. Ice cream may also come in taller cups with a lid and straw, or similar desserts such as frozen custard.
Gelato is a similar treat that is usually served in cups with spoons, and it has less milkfat and more cream, and tends to be thicker and creamier than ice cream. Frozen yogurt, in particular, has live and harmless bacteria cultures in it to boost flavor. Desserts like these are usually served in cups or bowls, though small servings of gelato may be possible in a waffle cone, too, depending on the customer’s preference.
Meanwhile, most ice cream is sold locally rather than marketed internationally, and many ice cream parlors are small, local shops rather than huge chains (though there are exceptions). A good parlor will be fully stocked not only with ice cream and gelato, but mixing machines, freezers, and supplies like waffle cones, paper cups, and plastic spoons and straws, too.
