Nobody Doesn’t Like Ice Cream

Bringing sweet moments of joy to people is the mission of Wit Family Ice Cream. It’s a business that’s as familial as it gets, with each family member contributing their unique flavor and texture to their recipe for success. 

Sam and Sha Wit and their 4 children reside in Rancho Penasquitos, a suburban community in north-inland San Diego where families juggle school routines, sports schedules and professional demands. Their eldest son, Caleb, is a senior at Westview HS, active in ROTC and planning for a career in the armed forces.The younger kids, aged 10, 9, and 6, bring a whirlwind of energy to the household.

The Wits, like many, were cruising through life, glancing toward the future, enjoying shared milestones of kids’ birthdays and watching them advancing through grades and seasons. Then came 2020 – the era of Covid, marked by isolation, face masks, remote work, and remote school. We all have our stories of the disruption that was the pandemic, but for kids and teenagers and families on “lock-down” it was an especially tricky time.

Some families found that the experiment of “home-schooling” suited them well, while others discovered that virtual contact and virtual learning had its limits. Without warning, parents were now working at home sorting out new routines. Some became their kids’ teachers and found that tutoring multiple kids in different grade levels was not easy. Before long, almost everyone began to miss the face-to-face camaraderie of in-person interaction.

The Wits wondered how long could these restrictions last and felt the urge to do something extraordinary to rally their family for the sake of everyone’s well being. They decided it was time to explore an idea that had been floating around in past conversations, sharpen their pencils, and make a plan.

Sam, on his way to becoming a software architect, worked as an ice cream truck operator during his college days when he was home for the summer. Being “the Ice Cream Man” was the perfect flexible side gig, and he noticed that people were always happy to see an ice cream truck. As the saying goes, “Nobody doesn’t like ice cream!” From this experience, Sam had the inside scoop on the business model and saw its potential for adaptation.

Sha, with a creative background in graphic design and marketing, conceptualized a spot-on logo design, imagined their overall aesthetic, and envisioned all of the different opportunities possible with a novelty ice cream cart. From there, Sha and Sam proposed the concept of an ice cream BIKE with a freezer cart to Caleb who perfectly fit the job description to become the kid on the (ice cream) bike!

(Dan Christensen, Sha Wit, Deb Christensen & Caleb Wit at the 2023 Movie in the Park sponsored by the Christensen Realty Group)

The Wit family smartly crafted a recipe for how to launch a business in an uncertain time. Pre-packaged product? Check. Contactless transactions? Check. Workable from home? Check. Flexible schedule? Check. Blending all of their experience, and seasoning with the love, enthusiasm and energy of a household with 4 kids, they stirred up their first batch of business in Summer of 2021. They began to taste that Wit Family Ice Cream was the right recipe at the right time! 

With a beautiful smile and cheerful countenance, Caleb quickly became the face of the business. In a time of separation, he adapted and rose above the uncertainty we were all going through. He developed his natural skills in communication and customer relations through valuable face-to-face interaction with ice cream enthusiasts of all ages. Caleb became known as #thekidonthebike, as he pedaled around the neighborhood playing The New Ice Cream Trunk Jingle by RZA over a speaker, letting everyone know that frosty, creamy moments of joy were available just outside their door! 

Cute and Instagrammable, the ice cream bike developed a fan base and people looked for it throughout the neighborhood. Within a few months, the bike and Wit Family Ice Cream were being invited to birthday parties, weekend sports fields, school fairs, porch pop-ups and even made a cameo at Christmas Card Lane – in December!. In San Diego, ice cream knows no season. What started as a summer sensation melted throughout the calendar, with invitations pouring in for appearances at special occasions all year round.

As with any recipe for success, each individual contributes something unique and has a particular purpose. Sam handles the business, Sha manages the bookings, calendar, and social media and Caleb is the front man, managing sales, staying alert to customer tastes and trends and dispensing smiles and positivity. Caleb is also in charge of bike maintenance, ensuring it is mechanically sound and Instagram-ready for its next event. The younger kids are an important part of the special sauce too! They love sprinkling their family brand of joy by talking up Wit Family Ice Cream at school, church and in their sport leagues.

The Christensen Realty Group is delighted to have partnered with Wit Family Ice Cream for our Movie in the Park (Village) special events, in 2022 and 2023. Nobody doesn’t like ice cream on a summer night at the park with friends and family. Thank you Wit Family Ice Cream for sharing your joy with all of us!  Best wishes for continued success! 

For booking information and more: witfamilyicecream@gmail.com, On Facebook & Instagram: @witfamilyicecream