Owner of Rollickin Gelato Cafe, Jed Joyce, started selling gelato when he was fundraising for a high school trip to Cambodia. Sourcing gelato from his friends at Gelissimo Gelateria in Wellington, he opened up a mobile gelato truck in Christchurch CBD. Shortly after, Joyce was inspired to open his own gelato store, which kicked off Rollickin Gelato’s first location on Christchurch’s New Regent Street. Since then, it has expanded to two cafes, an online store and multiple mobile cart offerings, run by a team of 40 staff.
Rollickin Gelato specialises in serving creative gelato, sorbet and desserts made from high-quality and house-made ingredients. Their gelato is handmade in-store every morning using organic milk and cream. Rollickin also provides a range of desserts that are dog-friendly and suitable for various dietary requirements.
Joyce’s current favourite flavour is “On Show”, a vegan coconut raspberry gelato topped with marshmallows created specifically for Canterbury’s Cup and Show week. His all-time favourite is “Yogi Bear”, a yoghurt gelato that comes with thick swirls of caramel. Its flavours are developed using customer feedback and ideas from staff, who conduct numerous test batches before the gelato is placed in the display cabinets.
“Involving everyone, and having fun with flavour creation, is our business mantra”.
Despite Covid-19’s challenges, Joyce is proud that his team were able to use the lockdown to refine Rollickin’s business concept and create new products, like dessert boxes, which allowed customers to enjoy the Rollickin experience at home.
In the future, Rollickin hopes to establish a nationwide delivery service for its products. A third cafe in Christchurch’s suburbs is currently underway.
“We are ready to accelerate our plans for growth”.
