Leroy's Ice Cream sold 17 percent more ice cream last summer than it did in 2008, enabling the nonprofit to give $7,500 back to the very same children who bought a cone at the small stand in the Ketchum Town Plaza.
The desert vendor, operated by Ketchum's Community Development Corp., split the $7,500 contribution equally among the Blaine County Schools Education Foundation, the Ketchum Parks and Recreation Department, Pioneer Montessori School, Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation and The Community School, making it $1,500 for each organization.
That brings contributions, which always go to those five groups, to more than $20,000 in the past four years of the nonprofit.
Jake Peters, founder of the stand, said the $7,500 is "what was left over" after the summer's bills were paid, as is the norm.
And, Peters said, the increase in sales came at the hand of a new ice cream supplier, Toni's Sun Valley Ice Cream, which replaced a national brand used in the previous three summers.
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Peters said the identity of the previous ice cream brand is a "trade secret" but credits Toni's with bringing in more customers.
"We thought a local product would be more alluring," he said.
He said that proved to be true, especially since sales were up during an unusually cool summer.
Leroy's now plans to open for its first winter—from Feb. 10 to March 25—and won't be selling ice cream, but crepes. Time will tell if the practice continues next winter.
"We know people want to sit outside and eat ice cream in the summer," he said. "If people don't want to sit outside in the cold and eat crepes, we won't do it again."
Trevon Milliard: tmilliard@mtexpress.com
