What started as a local entrepreneur’s “pandemic project” has evolved into a full-time career for Bellwood native Jamey Rimmey, who built his shaved ice business Tropic-O-Ice in what was once a 1989 Ford Econoline motorhome.
Tropic-O-Ice sells over 50 flavors of gourmet shaved ice and has been voted in the top five for Best Food Truck in the Altoona Mirror Hometown Favorites contest three years in a row.
Rimmey has been traveling to events all over Central PA for the past four years, including many Tyrone festivals and events such as Farm-City Day, the Adam Zook Drive-In event, as well as the upcoming Backyard Brawl game in Bellwood this Friday, and has gained quite a following in the area.
Rimmey has been an entrepreneur since middle school, and it has always been his dream to own his own business.
“I started my first business in seventh grade,” said Rimmey, “I sold handmade bracelets and necklaces out of my locker.”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many industries were affected and Rimmey realized that the food/beverage industry could be his calling.
“In 2018, I was in Cocoa Beach, Florida working at the Florida Key Lime Pie Company’s Florida Key Lime Pie Festival and I saw a snow cone hamster wheel that had a line that was long all day,” said Rimmey.
Seeing this contraption at the festival sparked Rimmey’s interest. He struck up a conversation with the owner to see if he could buy his business, but the owner politely declined.
Rimmey thought this could be something profitable, so he went back to his hotel and conducted some research on different types of ice desserts, and that’s when he came across shaved ice.
“I found a shaved ice stand and had my first shaved ice. I loved how fluffy and soft the ice was. How the flavor seemed to stick to the ice and not just melt right to the bottom,” said Rimmey. “I knew at that moment that this was the direction I wanted to go.”
Rimmey first opened Tropic-O-Ice’s (windows) on May 21, 2021, with his first “Special of the Week” combination called “Scaled and Icy,” which got its name after the album released by the band Twenty One Pilots on that same day.
During his first season, Rimmey thought he could run the truck himself. He realized quickly that it was not practical and hired four people that summer.
“Tropic-O-Ice has seen significant growth since we opened in 2021. Each season has brought new opportunities and events,” said Rimmey.
After the first season, Rimmey decided to expand and add another unit. According to Rimmey, season two brought many more opportunities as sales grew.
“We were getting asked to do events, but we were already booked at another event. We didn’t have the capital to build out another truck or trailer, but we had enough to buy a fully branded tent,” Rimmey said.
Adding the tent allowed Rimmey to take up more opportunities for the business. It allowed Tropic-O-Ice to be in more than one place at a time or in places where the truck just wouldn’t work. As the business kept growing, Rimmey brought up the idea of building out a trailer to add to the fleet.
In February 2024, Rimmey’s summer calendar was already filling up. Once again, Tropic-O-Ice was being asked to do events all over the area, including events outside of the local region.
Tropic-O-Ice participated in the Arts Festival in downtown State College, which solidified the decision to add another unit.
With a tremendous amount of help from family and friends, Rimmey was able to finish building the trailer by June. After customizing it and optimizing its workability, the trailer officially opened in July 2024.
Each of the units have gone through a lengthy trial-and-error process, including almost completely rebuilding the truck, to make the procedure of taking, shaving, filling, and handing out orders as fluid as possible.
Tropic-O-Ice offers private event opportunities such as birthday parties, weddings, graduation parties, and more. Tropic-O-Ice also participates in fundraisers by setting up at sporting events, then donating a percentage of the profits back to that sport’s booster committee.
Rimmey also would like readers to know that season five of Tropic-O-Ice will bring more exciting news, and he can’t wait to officially announce it.
He also will be at the Backyard Brawl game this Friday, September 20 in Bellwood. Fans will be able to purchase shaved ice inside the stadium.
Rimmey also encourages everyone to check out the Truck’s social media pages, which can be found with the handle @tropicoicetruck on Instagram, Facebook, and Tiktok. To book an event, use the “Book an Event” tab on Tropic-O-Ice’s website www.tropicoice.com.
