Words: Kit Heathcock | Images: Supplied
Made from scratch with pure, locally sourced ingredients, home-made cookies, and lashings of American-style, ice-cream love, Kristen’s KickAss Ice Cream has been rocking Noordhoek Farm Village for the last three years. Owner Kristen Buttress tells us about opening her second store at the new Constantia Uitsig Heritage market.
How did your business start?
After moving to Cape Town from New York with my husband, I started playing around with the little ice-cream maker we received as a wedding gift, concocting weird and wonderful flavours that reminded me of the States. Within six months, I received an email from the Noordhoek Farm Village asking if I could come in for a tasting and was offered my own shop. My learning curve was steep, to say the least! I opened with just me making the ice cream in small batches, my husband manning the till, a dishwasher, and a newly minted ice-cream scooper. Our first month we ran out of ice cream every day. We all laugh about it now, but it was absolute mayhem.
Why did you choose this area to set up shop?
Because it is so overwhelmingly beautiful! The view from my front porch has rolling grapevines, endless green grass, mountain vistas, and a future garden. It makes my little shop more of an experience where you can go for a moment of happiness, with the bonus of hand-crafted ice cream, coffees, or waffles.
How did you find your premises?
Another email! This time from the wonderful folks at Constantia Uitsig, with an invitation to apply for a coveted cottage in the new Heritage Market adjacent to their farm. I had only been open in Noordhoek for a year, but I knew it was the opportunity of a lifetime.
Why are the premises ideally suited to your business?
We are smack dab in the middle of the school run, and wonderful locals who keep us in business throughout the dreaded winter months. The winery is still under construction, but once that is finished I imagine that we will be a tourist destination on the Constantia Wine Route.
Who are your neighbours?
The Heritage Market hosts a family-run deli, a chocolatier, the Uitsig wine-tasting cottage, a sushi restaurant, and there’s a craft beer tap room waiting in the wings.
What are the rental prices like in this area?
I didn’t really shop around before jumping on this opportunity!
How many people visit your business each day?
It really depends on the weather. On a sunny weekend day, we happily serve around 200 customers.
Do you have any expansion plans?
Not currently. I would never say never, but I’d rather have two small shops in perfect settings than expand to locations that don’t fit my little dream box.
Do you operate online as well?
I have a website and a loyal following on Instagram (@kristenskickassicecream) where I celebrate our customers and show behind the scenes action.
What’s your most popular item?
Sweet Cream with Dark Chocolate Flakes and Honeycomb, flecked with bittersweet 71% chocolate and laced with home-made honeycomb, which goes into the ice cream as
brittle candy, “melting” into burnt honey puddles as the ice cream sets. It’s a lovely marriage of flavours and textures.
Kristen’s KickAss Ice Cream
021 204 3134
kristenskickass.co.za
