Kiwi Kones: New Zealand ice cream in Sacramento. What makes it different?
On hot Saturday afternoons within the bustling Midtown Farmers Market, you might find yourself seeking relief from the heat underneath one purple tent in particular.
It’s the tent with the banner displaying an adorable cartoon bird with an ice cream cone as its beak. Kiwi Kones, named after New Zealand’s national symbol, the kiwi bird, has landed in Sacramento to offer New Zealand-inspired frozen treats.
Max and Tessa Moncur, owners of Kiwi Kones, have been serving the Sacramento area for almost a year.
What was once viewed as only a dream became reality for the Moncur family. After getting laid off from his corporate job, Max Moncur decided to take the leap and open Kiwi Kones with his wife Tessa.
“People, [often ask], ‘why ice cream?’ I just love ice cream,” Moncur said. “I’m an ice cream connoisseur myself. I think that any day is better when you have ice cream. It’s a good treat to share with friends and family.”
But what makes Kiwi Kones different from traditional ice cream?
According to Moncur, who first sampled the ice cream during visits to Hawaii and New Zealand, the fruit-forward treat provides a refreshing and not too sweet take on the frozen dessert genre.
Moncur begins with a base of vanilla ice cream before adding a customer’s frozen fruits of choice. A big silver churn mixes them together for a colorful and fruity swirl of ice cream.
“The color and the flavor comes from the berries or whatever fruits mixed into it, so you get a true fruit taste instead of an artificial super-over-sweetened ice cream,” said Moncur. “To New Zealanders, that’s what’s unique about it, and that’s what we really liked about when we tried it over there.”
Moncur describes it as the “perfect farm-to-fork ice cream.”
Customers can choose between vanilla or dairy-free vanilla ice cream as the base, with options of blueberry, raspberry, strawberry or mixed berry. Ice cream served in a waffle cone costs $9 or $8 in a cup.
The eatery also sells half pints of select flavors for customers who want to share the treat at home.
Since opening in August, Tessa Moncur said they have been embraced by the community as she and her husband navigate being first-time business owners.
“It’s very fun and rewarding. It’s definitely a little stressful, but I think for me one of the best parts is being able to meet so many members of the community. We’re newer to the Sacramento area, and neither of us grew up here, so we’ve been able to establish ourselves and get some roots here.”
The pair can be found on Saturday mornings at the Midtown Farmers Market as well as at the Orangevale Farmers Market.
