Steve Manning at Lick This ice cream parlour on Marine Parade.
Lick This owner Steve Manning is enjoying the firm's new premises on Marine Parade. He tells Mark Story the flavours are geared towards the local palate.
Was it a bumper summer season for the parlour this year?
We have been operating Lick This! for 12 years. We had to close in May 2016 because our old shop was demolished.
We didn't reopen in our new site until December 19 so we missed out on the Spring trading period but the summer we have had has been fantastic.
Sunshine and icecreams definitely go together and Hawke's Bay has had a great summer with not a lot of rain (until recently).
I found it interesting this year that lots of Kiwi families from other parts of the country mentioned that they were holidaying in Napier because they were sick of the weather they were having at home.
We were also probably busier because all our old customers came flooding back - It was great to catch up with them again - many congratulated us on the new store and said that they were so pleased to see us open again. So yes it was a bumper summer season.
What are your top three selling flavours?
We make our own Gelato Ice Cream and Sorbet on site, using our own recipes. In the busy season we have to make it every day to keep up with demand.
We have 43 flavours out at any one time but we make 70+ different flavours and are inventing new ones all the time. I would say that the most popular are More Oh (Moro Bar), Chocolate (made with Whittakers Chocolate bars), Peanut Butter Choc Chip and Forest Berry Sorbet. We also have Rush Munro Ice Cream in store - which is popular for locals.
Have you noticed a difference in what foreigners prefer, to Kiwis?
Our aim has always been to make icecreams and sorbets for Kiwis - to suit our tastes. We don't generally make gelato or sorbet in the Italian Style.
So foreigners are faced with having to choose from typical Kiwi flavours we offer - Feijoa, Pineapple Lump, Mint Choc chip, Toffee Pop, Hokey Pokey, Passionfruit, Coconut Bounty, Milo etc.
I think that our customers (locals and visitors) like that about our store. We do get a number of tourists asking specifically for Hokey Pokey because they have been told that they must try it. With so many flavours available there is generally something that suits everyone.
Is the cruise ship industry a windfall for your business?
The majority of cruise ship passengers generally don't walk down as far as our store. Or they are collected by buses from the ships and returned back again.
We do get a few of the more adventurous ones so it does help but we are not dependent on it. We are very aware that our success is dependent on repeat business from locals.
Is it tough to sell a frozen product in winter?
Yes it can be, although in Hawke's Bay we do get those beautiful clear sunny days in Winter and they can be as busy for us as the Summer.
In our early days the winter was really hard to get through financially, but it has become easier now that more people know about us and our icecreams.
Colder temperatures aren't really a factor - it is the sunshine that is more important. At least in the winter you have longer to eat your icecream as it doesn't melt as fast!