Holidays: ice cream sticks, flagship products of the summer

On the beaches, many holidaymakers take advantage of the sun to enjoy ice cream sticks. Eskimos are still very popular with the French who associate this sweet with summer. “It’s practical, it’s an ice cream that is easy to eat”says a man. A factory, near Marseille (Bouches-du-Rhone), has made the production of these sticks its main activity with 10,000 popsicles made every day. This form of ice has a long history. Originally from the United States, it settled in France in the 1930s.

Noting during a trip across the Atlantic that the Eskimos no longer found their place in France, a couple decided to bring ice cream sticks back into fashion. First criss-crossing the city of Marseille in a tricycle, their activity then grew. All ice cream aims to be top of the range by choosing fruit, which is the star ingredient of the product, from local producers. The importance of the quality of the fruit is decisive in the taste of this delicacy. They will then be mixed and sold. Almost a million sticks are produced every year. The company has developed well in seven years since there are three stores and 500 points of sale throughout the country.