You’ll know when this new ice cream truck begins rolling through Richmond neighborhoods.
It will be the one ice cream truck that isn’t playing that traditional jingle on repeat.
Richmond native Darrell Russell (Doc Dolla) and his cousin Eric Harris, the CEO of Brand New Money Entertainment, funded the creation of a new business featuring an ice cream truck retrofitted to feature 12 speakers, six in the back and six out front of the top window that will play local hip hop rather than the usual jingle.
The truck, named “You want it, I got it,” won’t just be an ice cream truck: it’ll be a mobile party truck that will feature fun equipment for children like jumpers and can be rented for various events. The truck is also intended to be used for youth entrepreneurship education opportunities.
The pair got the ice cream truck from a Santa Cruz woman who wanted to launch a mobile tea business but didn’t recognize the work and permit costs for such a business.
Doc Dolla says an ice cream business selling only pre-packaged products requires less red tape than one selling prepped foods.
So they were happy to claim the truck, which was unsightly and corroded, and they sanded and painted the inside. Custom wood panel floors were added in the back portion and carpet in the front. Art added to the truck was done by @Toon_tha_profit, while the actual paint was done by an artist out of Santa Cruz, @Mr.Stitch_.
At the start, all ice cream items will cost $1 apiece to ensure affordable prices for low-income neighborhoods, Doc Dolla said.
“A big part of why I created this business was teach my youth around me (my kids, nephews, nieces) and also kids in the neighborhood entrepreneurship with ride alongs that they can keep a portion of the proceeds that day,” he said. “Teaching them social skills and work skills like keeping count of inventory and money management.”
A Go Fund Me launched to support the truck’s retrofit offered images showing how far it has come.
See the flyer below to learn more about how to utilize and support this new local business. Also, follow its Instagram page for updates @wegot_icecream.
