Harrogate man, John Taylor from ice cream van business C and M Ices in Harrogate has won one of the most prestigious awards in the ice cream sector – Ice Cream Van 2023. The award was announced at the National Ice Cream Championships Gala Dinner, the ICA Award Night 2023 at the Crowne Plaza hotel in Harrogate last night. The competition is run by the Ice Cream Alliance (ICA), the sector’s UK trade association.
Ice Cream Van 2023 (known as Mobiler of the Year in the trade) is sponsored by Ice Cream Direct in Doncaster.
“We are proud to sponsor the 2023 Mobiler of the Year competition, providing us with the opportunity to support and celebrate the Great British tradition of mobiling and the dedicated people within the industry”.
“Winning this award is the biggest honour of my life,” exclaimed John, Harrogate man. “I am not often lost for words but the moment it was announced I was literally speechless. As an ice cream van operator, you can’t get a much more prestigious award, and it proves to everyone we put our all into our business.”
C and M Ices was established in 1889 and remains a family business. John is the 4th generation and has been working in ice cream vans since he left school (over 25 years ago). John can be found in one of his vans pitched outside the Victoria Shopping Centre in Harrogate most days (April to September), weather permitting. John and his team also cater for events and weddings.
“Congratulations to John,” added Zelica. “There was very stiff competition among the three finalists – so to win is a very big achievement.”
Mobiler of the Year is a fantastic opportunity to market your business and raise your profile but don’t just take it from us, here is what some of our previous winners had to say:
“Since the award I have had more media attention than in the last forty years as a mobiler”
“I’ve noticed new people on the round coming out and congratulating us on winning and then buying an ice cream at the same time”
“We have been getting a lot more bookings from new companies and event organisers”
“Even from just reaching the final you will see the rewards”
Main Sponsor
Soft Ice Cream
We are delighted to announce this year we have a new sponsor for this prestigious mobiling competition Ice Cream Direct.Ice Cream Direct are a well-established company providing national coverage for Kelly’s Dairy Soft Ice Cream Mix, their own Softee Whip brands and other ice cream mixes and have been a supporter of Ice Cream Alliance for many years.
“We are proud to sponsor the 2023 Mobiler of the Year competition, providing us with the opportunity to support and celebrate the Great British tradition of mobiling and the dedicated people within the industry”.
Rules
You have to be an ICA member
You must be available for an interview at the Expo, should you reach the finals
Last year’s winner and anyone from the same company cannot enter
How to Enter
Please contact Kashif via email at kashif@ice-cream.org or call on 01332 203333 to register your interest and arrange to pay your entry fee which is £99.00 plus VAT. Once you have paid your fee, a link to a SharePoint folder will be given for you to send your entry form and supporting documents to us.
Contact Details
Name
Business Name
Membership Number
Address
Telephone Number
Email
Entrant’s trading history (For example how you began and how long you have been running)
Usual round worked by entrant (You can include specific venues)
Brief description of Vehicle used
What are the entrant’s thoughts on mobiling?
How does the entrant promote themselves and the UK industry?
Please include a maximum of 20 photos (especially of you in/with your vehicle/s) and any evidence of activities (such as news articles, charity events etc).
Your application must be submitted to the ICA’s SharePoint folder account by 4.00p.m onFriday 25th November 2022. The link will be sent to you in due course.
How does the judging process work?
All applications will be reviewed and narrowed down to three finalists by the ICA Board of Directors during the December Board Meeting. The finalists will be notified of their entry into the final stage of the competition in mid-December.
All three finalists will attend an interview at the Ice Cream & Artisan Food Show on Wednesday 8th February 2023 in Harrogate. During this interview you will be asked to present your portfolio and several relevant questions regarding your role, which will be sent to you in advance.
What will I gain from winning this competition?
The winner will be announced at the ICA Award Night Dinner on Wednesday 8th February at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Harrogate. You will be awarded a silver trophy and certificate
Given valuable publicity in regional and national press through our PR partners
Standard ICA membership (worth £242)
£1000 of product from our main sponsor Ice Cream Direct
Opportunity to write four articles in our ‘Ice Cream’ magazine
Runner up and 3rd place winners will also be awarded at the ICA Award Night with a trophy and certificate.
*All finalists receive digital artwork*
Please note, due to COVID 19 – dates and judging location indicated are subject to change. The ICA reserves the right to delay judging and therefore amend the dates associated with it, according to Government advice.
A massive congratulations to Jimmy Robinson, Mobiler of the Year 2021.
“I still remember my first day out in the van how much I loved it, being my own boss, I even remember, my takings of £76, & thinking this was great. I put my heart, soul, and drive into my ice cream business.
Through a lot of hard work and a lot of ups and downs over the years, with fantastic family support me through them. I am very proud to have the biggest operation in N.I. I am in my thirty-fifth year selling ice cream and am still thinking about how we can make improvements to our business”.
