A new mobile ice cream business made its mark in McCall this summer.
Fudgie Wudgie is a bicycle-powered, mobile ice cream stand run by a 14-year-old entrepreneur from McCall. The bike is a bright blue trike that has a 100-quart cooler on the back, carrying the ice cream and goodies.
Owner and CEO of Fudgie Wudgie, Marshall Curtin, has lived there his whole life. He created this business as a summer hustle to help fund his passion to play sports, specifically hockey, and to have some “fun money.”“I’ve always had a passion in sales and business, and so that’s kind of how this idea all started up – just me wanting to sell stuff, I guess,” Curtin said.
This was Curtin’s first summer operating Fudgie Wudgie. He pitched his idea in front of McCall City Council and got unanimous approval — earning him his business license. Curtin says council members praised him for wanting to start a business at such a young age.
Curtin was the only approved vendor on the beachfront in McCall.
Ice cream, Snickers & soda
Fudgie Wudgie was stocked with prepackaged ice cream, popsicles, Snickers bars, Twix bars, sodas, and waters. Treats range from about $4 to $6.
“We get (our ice cream) from Shamrock Foods. We have Chipwiches, which are cookie ice cream sandwiches, we have plain ice cream sandwiches and popsicles. It’s all Blue Bunny-based, besides some of the popsicles,” Curtin said.
Curtin began operating Fudgie Wudgie about two months ago and sold through the beginning of the school year, which started this week. If you missed out this season, he said he anticipates an even more successful business next summer.
In addition to helping his parents pay for his hockey career, Curtin says he will also donate some of his profits to youth sports in McCall.
