What is Philadelphia Water Ice, and is it different than Italian Ice?
Philadelphia Water Ice is a super premium Italian ice. It has a smoother consistency than Italian ice and a more natural flavor. It is fat free, cholesterol free, dairy free and is enjoyed by both kids and adults as a cold, refreshing treat. The closest description we can give it is that it's like a hand-scooped smoothie. Shaved ice and snow cones are of a lesser quality because you are pouring a flavor over those products. Philadelphia Water Ice is produced in a manufacturing plant where the ingredients are blended in vats, produced in ice cream machines and flash frozen to return to a smooth consistency when you serve it.
Our water ice has NO HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP and is Fat Free*, Dairy Free, Cholesterol Free, Soy Free, Gluten Free, Certified O-U Kosher and is produced in a Peanut Free plant.
*Coconut contains fat
How can I sell Philadelphia Water Ice?
You can search for your nearest wholesale location here. Our $895 Freezer Deal is available at many locations throughout the U.S. and will get you up and running as fast as possible! Feel free to call us at 215-533-0400 for more detailed information.
Kids 7 oz. Serving
| Servings | 50 | 50 | 50 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retail | $1.50 | $1.75 | $2.00 |
| $ Gross | $75.00 | $87.50 | $100.00 |
Regular 10 oz. Serving
| Servings | 35 | 35 | 35 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retail | $2.00 | $2.50 | $3.00 |
| $ Gross | $70.00 | $87.50 | $105.00 |
Large 16 oz. Serving
| Servings | 24 | 24 | 24 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retail | $3.00 | $3.50 | $4.00 |
| $ Gross | $72.00 | $84.00 | $96.00 |
Where can I buy Philadelphia Water Ice?
You can use our Store Locator to find a retail or wholesale location near you. Philadelphia Water Ice is also offered at Richman's Ice Cream restaurant locations!
Do you have any marketing and selling tips?
We offer a variety of point of sale items such as custom umbrellas, flavor boards and outdoor banners. Please see our Point of Sale page for more information. You can also find our point of sale items on page 1 of our Product Guide.
How is Philadelphia Water Ice sold?
Philadelphia Water Ice can be sold in ice cream stores, restaurants, by street vendors or at other establishments as a bolt-on business.
It has been successfully sold in many business environments such as theme parks, beaches, marinas, stadiums, special events, arcades and corner stores.
When sold at an ice cream store, Philadelphia Water Ice should be offered in a freezer that is not necessarily in the customer's view. Eight to sixteen flavors should be offered and sold in three sizes.
If you sell soft serve ice cream, you can offer Gelatis by layering ice cream and water ice.
If you sell hand dipped ice cream, you can sell old fashioned Radio Balls (any flavor of hard ice cream on the bottom topped off with any flavor of water ice).
Philadelphia Water Ice also makes the best Smoothies you've ever tasted, and they’re fast and easy to make!
Restaurants can sell our Lemon, Mango, Coconut and Pina Colada water ice as a sorbet.
What are the top selling flavors? Which flavors should I offer?
We offer a favorite flavor for everyone - Philadelphia Water Ice is offered in over 40 flavors! Age, ethnic background and geographic region dictate which flavors will be most popular.
Cherry, Lemon, Blueberry, Mango, Cotton Candy, Pina Colada, Strawberry Kiwi, and Rainbow are our eight top sellers.
Candy Fish, Bubble Gum, Sour Cherry, Sour Apple, Watermelon and Grape are additional favorite kid's flavors.
Margarita, Banana Daiquiri, Strawberry Lemonade, Pineapple, Orange Cream, Mint Chocolate Chip, Cappuccino, Vanilla and Root Beer are targeted more towards the adult crowd.
We have a great Hispanic line of flavors that include Tamarind (a very popular Hispanic fruit), Coconut, Passion Fruit, Papaya and Guava. Our Sugar Free Flavors are sweetened with sucralose and maltitol, and are available in Cherry and Lemon.
Am I required to use your cups or to advertise the name Philadelphia Water Ice?
The original Philadelphia Water Ice is named after a city's tradition. Philadelphia Water Ice, Cheese Steaks, Pretzels, Cream Cheese, etc. Our water ice is not named after someone's first or last name. Philadelphia Water Ice is a product and a brand, so if your store is called Mike's, Joe's, Ann's, etc., you can still advertise that you sell Philadelphia Water Ice! We want you to succeed and sell more water ice, and that's why we created a printed logo cup in three sizes that we'll sell to you at our cost along with professional point of sale.
The final decision is yours. We are not a franchise and cannot tell you what to do. We just want to point you in the right direction!
How do I store Philadelphia Water Ice?
Philadelphia Water Ice should be kept in its own freezer. At 0° or colder, the shelf life is one year. Dipping temperatures should be 10-15° for low volume stores and 15-20° degrees for all others.
How do I serve Philadelphia Water Ice?
Always keep the tub level when scooping. Try not to dig holes. We recommend using a #12 or #16 mechanical scooper.
RECIPES
Gelatis
A Gelati is a combination of soft serve ice cream and Philadelphia Water Ice. It's best to offer it in two sizes (Regular 10 oz. and Large 16 oz.) and serve it in the same cup you use for your water ice. A Gelati should sell for about 50 cents more than water ice.
Fill the cup ½ way with either vanilla or chocolate soft serve ice cream or yogurt. Add any flavor of Philadelphia Water Ice to just above the top of the cup. Finish off with 1 swirl of soft serve ice cream or yogurt. It's that easy, and your customers will absolutely love it!
Old Fashioned Radio Balls
On the streets of Philadelphia in the mid 1900's, a street vendor used to push his cart up and down the neighborhood streets to sell his water ice and ice cream. One day a customer asked for a scoop of each, and it tasted so good that it became his most popular item! He used to play a radio very loud while pushing his cart, so not knowing what to call his new best seller, it took on the name 'Radio Ball'.
A Radio Ball is one scoop of any flavor hand dipped ice cream on the bottom and one scoop of any flavor of Philadelphia Water Ice on top. Serve in two sizes (Regular and Large). Serve it in the same bowls you use for your ice cream. A Radio Ball should sell for about 25 cents less than the same size hand dipped ice cream.
Smoothies
A smoothie is easy to make using Philadelphia Water Ice!
Start with a milkshake tin. Fill the bottom with 3 ounces of liquid 10% vanilla soft ice cream mix. Add 2-3 scoops of Philadelphia Water Ice (approx. 10 oz.) Add approx. 3 oz. of fruit toppings if required. Blend for approx. 15 seconds.
Download our Smoothie Recipes!