Truck cranks out tunes and treats

For most people, the sound of an ice cream truck elicits instant stimulus-response behavior.

First there's the music, then there's the race for the screen door, and, finally, at the end of the road there's that sweet, summer reward.

Heather Fern dreamed of having her own ice cream truck for years. Today, at 46, she is the happy owner of Montana Mom's ice cream and espresso business, which she started last November.

"It was a deep plunge for me," Fern said. "For five years I had been a phlebotomist at North Valley Hospital and everyone would cry when they saw me coming. Then both of my younger sisters got cancer and I told myself it was time to quit dreaming and just go do it."

The plunge into the world of treats and java wasn't cheap. Her initial investment was $80,000.

This covered her business license, truck, Italian espresso machine, freezer, grinder and the heated garage she had to build for her truck because a $5,000 espresso machine cannot, under any circumstances, be allowed to freeze.

So far, Fern has just about been making it financially.

"In winter, I was starting to break even, even with having to make my loan payments," she said. "But so far everything extra I've earned this summer has gone into truck repairs.

"You know, though, it's OK. I make so many people smile, it's worth it."

A wet June made early summer ice cream sales "pitiful." July and August, Fern said, were better.

In summer, she estimates that her ice cream and espresso sales are pretty much even. In winter that balance shifts to 80 percent espresso and 20 percent ice cream.

Her ice cream routes includes an afternoon in Columbia Falls, a morning and afternoon in Whitefish and an afternoon parked at the Whitefish Farmers Market.

"I always try to be consistent with my routes," Fern said. "I never hit a neighborhood more than once a week, so that the parents don't get tired of me."

On her regular daily espresso routes, North Valley Hospital is a major customer, as are a variety of local Whitefish businesses, such as pharmacies and nursing homes.

"I just run in and ask each individual what they want," she said. "People are really busy and they really appreciate my delivering right to their desks.

When customers order "the usual," Fern knows exactly what they want. She pretty much has the whole town memorized, she said.

She originally set her coffee prices 25 cents higher than those of Montana Coffee Traders, her mentors in the business. Today, Fern said, her prices and theirs are identical. She also uses their coffee.

Her most popular drinks are mocha and anything involving chocolate. Regular lattes are also a consistent seller.

"I haven't invented any drinks," she said. "People are very specific about what they want - very coffee-savvy."

The work is surprisingly physical and Fern spends a minimum of two hours a day in preparation and cleanup. Her family, she said, has been nonstop supportive, but so far she has been unable to afford any hired help on her rounds.

"My arms get tired," she said. "And I'm running in and out of places all day long. I probably get in and out of the truck 50 times a day."

Music is an important part of her business, though only on the ice cream side. Fern found her "really cool" tunes at a mom-and-pop grocery store in New York City's Chinatown .

"I heard this music in there and asked the owners if they had a cassette of it. When I got home, I had to transfer it from cassette to CD. I get so many compliments on it."

But does having to listen to nonstop tinkly tunes drive her mad?

The answer, apparently, is no.

There are 20 different melodies on her CD and Fern said that's enough to keep her from getting bored.

Fern said she has no plans to expand.

Her ice cream route will end when school starts and the farmer's market will probably wind down in mid-September.

She'll continue to stop at Whitefish schools during the winter, but admits that ice cream sales at that time are far from robust.

Her coffee rounds, she said, are a 12-month commitment.

Good sounds, ice cream treats that are a time machine ride back to childhood and a Montana mom who loves her job - could there possibly be more to life than that?

But wait. What about the coffee?

Reporter George Kingson may be reached at 758-4438 or by e-mail at gkingson@dailyinterlake.com