Buy an ice cream van & start an ice cream catering business: it's easier than you think
"I'll buy an ice cream van and go self-employed" – more people have this thought than you'd think. The good news: mobile ice cream catering is one of the most accessible business models in the events industry today. The honest news: the ice cream van isn't your biggest problem – finding customers is. This article shows you what getting started really costs, what routes are open to you, and how to get requests from day one.
Why now is a good time to start
Ice cream catering is booming: weddings, corporate parties, summer parties, street festivals – everyone's looking for a way to cool down that leaves more of an impression than a drinks stand. At the same time, the barriers to entry have never been lower. You don't need a shop, an expensive website or a big marketing budget any more.
What does getting started really cost?
Many people assume they need a fully kitted-out ice cream van lorry for €30,000 or more straight away. That's not true – there are much more affordable routes:
- Ice cream bike / cargo bike: the cheapest way in, from around €3,000–7,000. Zero emissions, ideal for smaller events.
- Soft serve machine + mobile stand: from around €2,000–6,000, high throughput, but needs a power supply.
- Ice cream Ape (three-wheeler): compact and photogenic, from around €10,000–18,000 – a real eye-catcher at weddings.
- Second-hand ice cream van / trailer: from around €8,000–20,000, the highest capacity for big events.
On top of that come ongoing costs: ice cream mix and ingredients, hygiene certificates, trade registration and insurance. The trick: you don't have to start with the most expensive vehicle. Starting small keeps your risk low, and you grow as demand grows.
The real hurdle: how do customers find you?
This is where most people struggle. An ice cream van without requests just sits in the garage. In the past that meant: building your own website (several hundred euros a year plus upkeep), running Google Ads, handing out flyers, and hoping for referrals. Expensive, time-consuming and uncertain.
Today it's different. On a specialist platform like eisbuchen.de you can set up a professional profile in a few minutes – with photos, flavours, service area and reviews. Customers in your area find you through search and through the city pages and send you a request directly. No website of your own needed, and we keep 0% commission on your revenue.
Practical tip: Add your eisbuchen.de profile URL as the "Website" on your Google Business Profile – that way you'll also show up on Google Maps without running your own website.
Worked example: is it worth it?
On eisbuchen.de, the typical price per scoop is a median of €1.80, and €1.86 on average. For an event with 100 guests and 2 scoops per person, that works out at around €370 in ice cream revenue – with travel and extras more like €400–500, for roughly 3–4 hours of work. The pure material costs for the ice cream itself are often only 15–25% of the sale price. A good summer weekend can fit in two bookings – the maths adds up fast.
5 steps to your own ice cream catering business
- Choose your vehicle: starting small (ice cream bike, Ape, second-hand trailer) saves capital.
- Sort out the paperwork: register your trade, get a health certificate and food hygiene training, take out public liability insurance.
- Range & pricing: a handful of strong flavours, make sure to include vegan and lactose-free options, and calculate a fair price per scoop.
- Get visible: set up a profile on eisbuchen.de and create a Google Business Profile.
- Respond to requests: reply quickly and warmly, optimise your profile and collect reviews – your reach grows on its own from there.
In summary
Buying an ice cream van is the easy part these days. The difference between an "expensive hobby" and a "running business" is the customers – and that's exactly what a platform gets you, without your own website and without commission. Start for free as a vendor on eisbuchen.de and become visible in your area. Still have questions? Our vendor FAQ can help.
