A New Destination for Ice Cream in Shoreline: Meet Mammatus Creamery in Ridgecrest

The Ice Cream Ridgecrest Was Waiting For: Meet Mammatus Creamery

For years, people in Ridgecrest have been saying the same thing: "We need an ice cream shop." This summer, a few local heroes answered the call with a shiny silver ice cream truck! Now parked next to Drumlin in Downtown Ridgecrest Thursday - Sunday 3 PM - 8 PM, Mammatus Creamery is serving artisan soft serve, creative sundaes, and fresh gluten-free waffle cones, creating another gathering place where neighbors can connect, families can celebrate, and everyone can enjoy a little sweet treat close to home.

Q & A with Mammatus Creamery

Q: What inspired you to start your business?
A: Everyone in our neighborhood kept saying the same thing: "We need an ice cream shop." So we built one on wheels. Shoreline was in desperate need of ice cream and places for families to hang out, we built this business to make Ridgecrest even more amazing. We also both enjoy making things, being creative and projects. Since Brent is a public school teacher, summers were already a great opportunity to build a seasonal business. But the real answer is simple, we just love making really good ice cream.

Q: What service does your business provide for our community?
A: Soft serve ice cream! But really, we wanted to create another reason to walk to Downtown Ridgecrest, run into your neighbors, and hang out for a while. We serve rotating artisan soft serve flavors, sundaes and fresh made gluten-free waffle cones Thursday through Saturday from our shiny silver truck in Ridgecrest.

Q: Why is your business based in Shoreline?
A: We live here. Our kids go to school here. Brent teaches here. We walk these streets, shop at these businesses, and know the people in our neighborhood. Shoreline has all these little pockets with their own personality, and Ridgecrest is ours.

We didn't want to open a business just anywhere...we wanted to open one here because we know how awesome it is to walk down the street to check out the book store, get a drink at the pub, check out the daily food truck or see a movie at the theater. Soft serve ice cream seemed like the one thing this neighborhood was missing.

Q: What’s one thing you wish your customers knew about you but never ask?
A: We're probably thinking about ice cream way more than is reasonable.

Our menu is small on purpose. We keep vanilla, rotate a second soft serve flavor in each week, and build new sundaes constantly. If you haven't been by in a few weeks, there's probably something new. That's what excites us, something different each week, an opportunity to experiment and try new recipes and be creative.

Q: What has been your proudest moment in business so far?
A: When people walk up to the window clapping and jumping up and down in excitement because there is ice cream in their neighborhood. Truly. That actually happens most days.

It's also fun to meet people who found us and drove far to come try it out. We had a couple come by last week who drove over an hour because they heard about our soft serve. That felt pretty amazing.

Often people say to us that ice cream in Shoreline was their dream, that it's all they ever wished for. It's fun to be that for Ridgecrest.

Q: How do you approach customer service, and what sets you apart?
A: Since everyone in the whole world loves ice cream with their whole heart, so it's pretty simple: we just make amazing ice cream. We've generally found that when you hand someone a big swirl of Pistachio with Vanilla, or a huge sundae with fresh baked brownies, or one of our gluten-free fresh waffle cone... it's a pleasant experience for all. That's what guides our approach to customer service.

Q: What advice would you give to someone starting a business in Shoreline?
A: We made the decision early on to do this for fun, to do it because we love it. To make something that brings joy to kids, families, neighbors, and friends. We also saw a huge need for ice cream in this area, and in Shoreline in general.

For anyone thinking about starting a business, here's our advice: Go to your favorite spot, spin yourself in a circle, and ask yourself, "What's missing?" If it's something you think would make the neighborhood better and you would enjoy sharing with others, then make sure you buy a huge, shiny truck to sell it out of. That seems to be working for us.

Q: What future plans or goals do you have for your business?
A: More unique and interesting ice cream.

We want to build this business around the idea that there's always one more idea. Always something new to try with ice cream and something fun for our customers to enjoy. We've found that with quality ingredients and a thoughtful menu, we can build a really fun and successful business.

More importantly, we want to create a place where families can gather after a game, celebrate something big or small, and simply spend time with good friends and great neighbors.

Q: Where can people find us?
A: Look for the big shiny truck in Downtown Ridgecrest, just next to Drumlin. This is our home base and we are here Thursday-Saturday 3pm-8pm.

Connect with Mammatus Creamery

📍Location: Downtown Ridgecrest, just next to Drumlin, Thursday-Saturday 3 PM - 8 PM.
📸 Instagram: @mammatuscreamery