New Ankeny Ice Cream Business Is On A Roll

ANKENY, IA — A business idea that began with a YouTube video on street foods in Thailand has evolved since July from serving a seasonal product based out of a trailer to being the newest permanent shop in Uptown Ankeny. That means the owners of Sweet Swirls Rolled Ice Cream can bring their frozen treats to customers year round while working on expanding the business with new dessert ideas.

The ice cream store opened just before Thanksgiving, but Spencer Quick and Brandon Archer got their start with rolled ice cream in July, serving at the Ankeny Market Pavilion during farmers markets and outside Porch Light Coffeehouse. Their quick popularity with the unique treat also got them a gig at Terrace Hill, where they served Gov. Kim Reynolds and guests at the inaugural Fall Festival & BBQ fundraiser.

Quick initially learned about rolled ice cream when he saw it online. When he discovered it had spread to the U.S. and was trending on the East Coast and West Coast, the Ankeny business idea was put into motion. “I thought it was something we needed to jump on ASAP to bring it to the middle of the country," he said.

The summer business was a hit and Sweet Swirls quickly gained regulars. The duo decided they didn't want their business to end when colder weather hit, so they sought a permanent site and found a nearby storefront in Uptown, where they wanted to remain because they like the hometown feeling.

Their vanilla ice cream base — enough to make 100 servings on weekdays and 200 on weekends — is prepared daily. The recipe, Quick said with a smile, is a secret.

The rolled ice cream is prepared with each individual order by adding chocolate, peanut butter or cocoa if a customer wants a different base flavor. The customer next chooses “mix ins” such as fresh fruit, candy bars, cereals, nuts, sauces or toppings like caramel or white chocolate. It’s all stirred together on a cold plate and chopped, blended and spread into a thin layer while customers watch.

The cold plate freezes the liquid to a temperature between 0 and -18 degrees. When the blend is spread nearly paper thin and formed into a square, it freezes rapidly and can be scraped up in rolls. The quick freeze is similar to ice cream makers that use nitrogen to speed the freezing process, which helps keep rolls from melting for up to 20 minutes.

“The faster we can freeze it, the better it does” as far as presentation and retaining its shape and texture, Quick said as he chopped raspberries and almonds into a customer's chocolate ice cream blend. “The fresh mix, I think, is what really sets us apart.”

Four rolls make a cup of Sweet Swirls that is topped with more of the mixed-in ingredients and finished, if desired, with whipped cream and a cherry. Aside from customer creations, the most popular flavors so far have been s’mores, very berry, brownie bites and cookie, Quick said.

Dave Wall, who owns Crimson Anchor Coffee Roasters in Indianola, visited the shop last week to see how his Ethiopian and Brazilian blends would taste as ice cream rolls. In two short minutes he was savoring the flavor of the frozen treat and envisioning a partnership between the two companies.

The ice cream shop isn’t the first business venture for Quick and Archer, who formerly worked together as managers at a restaurant. With a third partner they opened another Uptown business, The SweatShop, and sold hot sauces, salsas and wing sauces. In that business, however, they were retailers for products others created. With Sweet Swirls, the product is unique to them and it adds an excitement to the business and the ability to bring new things to the market as they experiment with new flavors and varieties, Quick said.

Two additional cold plates already are on order. One will be used to expand the shop's ability to make the creations more quickly and a second will be used for catering events such as weddings and graduation parties.

For now Sweet Swirls sells rolled ice cream in a cup: a child’s size with one mixed-in ingredient is $4 or an adult portion of two mix-ins is $6. They also make custom ice cream cakes and Quick said the next offering will be "waffle taco Tuesdays” with a folded waffle “cone” available instead of serving the ice cream rolls in a cup.

Sweet Swirls Rolled Ice Cream

Owners: Brandon Archer, Spencer Quick

Location: 303 S.W. School St., Ankeny

Hours: Noon to 10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, noon to 11 p.m. Friday-Saturday, noon to 9 p.m. Sunday.

Employees: Four part time

Available: Gift cards and T-shirts

Learn about it: Call 515-964-2111, www.sweetswirlsrolledicecream.com, or follow Sweet Swirls on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram

Main photo: Spencer Quick finishes blending serving of homemade coffee ice cream for a guest at Sweet Swirls Rolled Ice Cream in Ankeny last week./Patch photos by Melissa Myers