GREEN VALLEY, Ariz. (AP) – Kristel and Dominic Johnson say there’s nothing a scoop of ice cream can’t fix.
And the Sahuarita, Ariz., couple are betting a lot of hard work and money on it.
What began as a post-athletic career for Dominic – a three-time Olympian for St. Lucia and a three-time NCAA All-American who still holds pole vault records at the University of Arizona – is taking off in directions the couple never foresaw.
The pair met in college, got married, started a family and moved to Sahuarita in 2004 while Dominic continued as a professional pole-vaulter. He retired in 2009, a year after competing in the Beijing Olympics, because he knew serious athletics were behind him because most coaching and training opportunities are in colleges.
With two growing daughters and a home in the ’burbs, selling ice cream at movie nights and parties seemed a perfect fit. So Kristel, a public relations major, became the dairy queen, and Dominic, the truck builder. She tests and refines all-natural creamery and sorbet formulas, and found space in a shared commercial kitchen where her mouth-watering concoctions are hand-mixed. He focuses on delivery.
Seeking a “noncreepy” truck appealing to all ages, he settled on a Ford Model T from eBay, got a friend to help him customize it, then added vintage signage, ragtime music and solar panels. Sporting recycled gym boards and the name Isabella’s, after their oldest daughter, the truck generates enough energy to power freezer and lights.
“We’re ‘frozen by the sun,’” Dominic says.
A rechargeable electric motor fuels short trips; for longer ones, a trailer is used. The front end creates the look the Johnsons wanted; the rest is new parts and fabrication.
Model T hoods still are readily available, tying in nicely with plans to franchise the business.
But Isabella’s first Model T and another added since haven’t seen many neighborhood runs. Kristel’s ice cream, produced in the small Tucson kitchen (now with two assistants), began selling at local markets and as gluten-free restaurant offerings. The couple recently signed a contract with Whole Foods to stock the treats.
In addition to vanilla, chocolate and strawberry, Kristel always is discovering new flavors, pairing seasonal fruits with herbs, spices and even veggies – strawberry basil, lemoncello mint, watermelon cucumber, honey lavender and kale ginger. Isabella’s trucks also cater weddings, private parties, festivals and corporate events, at times six per weekend and more on weekdays. On request, Kristel also creates flavor bases for margarita cocktails, and expects her mix-mastering – the fun part – to yield new blends all the time.
Growing the business is a ton of effort but “happy work,” she said. Although fall and spring are busiest, the schedule allows the couple flex-time for family.
Isabella’s next priority: more space for what Kristel calls the “Willy Wonka machine” – higher production, packaging conveyors, freezers and truck storage to fill orders and supply franchises throughout Arizona, then maybe the West, possibly opening this summer. They’ve lined up a 17th Street warehouse requiring minimal improvements, enlisted an architect and haven’t encountered any permitting obstacles. Already in it with $70,000 of their own money, the Johnsons are banking on a proposal they’ve launched on KickStarter, an online crowd-funding source for fledgling projects, for the $15,000 they say is needed to achieve their goal.
The ultimate end? Raising efficiency, lowering overhead and someday securing a big-league investor with long-term goals, Dominic said.
Could he have imagined it all five years ago?
“I actually wish I’d thought of this while still competing,” he says. “It would have given some flexibility, travel opportunities.”
