Pssst - there’s something going on in Hopkins. Long lines form on Main Street as though for a concert, but this is not for any show. Instead, people move up one by one to a pickup window, then leave with their bag of goods. Or goodies?
I’m referring to A to Z Creamery, a small-batch business built by Zach Vraa through social media. Each week across the metro potential customers are on pins and needles for the next flavor “drop.”
HOW IT WORKS
To stay in the loop, customers subscribe to A to Z’s email list and follow the ice cream makers on Instagram. Subscribed customers get notified via text when flavors are on sale. Texts are sent mere minutes before sales go live and once that happens, hundreds are checking out the flavor and ordering pints through the online platform, Hotplate. At checkout, the lucky ones choose from a few different offered time slots during which they must pick up their orders.
ONE-OF-A-KIND SCOOP
Most of the flavors are never to be seen again, creating a this-is-my-only-chance frame of mind during an already tense situation, where the available numbers of pints are visibly dropping as you decide. A to Z’s website clarifies that they do occasionally re-release a flavor (typically, the four most popular flavors from the year before).
A to Z Creamery makes their own base from scratch and tailors the recipe for each new flavor. The goal? To make a one-of-a-kind scoop every time. Recent flavors include “The Key to my Heart” made of a key lime pie ice cream, marshmallow fluff, graham cracker crunch, and “Biscoff Airlinez” – biscoff ice cream, brown butter cookie dough, and cream cheese frosting swirl. Other popular flavors included an ice cream made with red velvet ice cream and ooey gooey butter cake, and “Marley’s Pint” – peppermint ice cream, white chocolate caramelized pretzels, and chocolate fudge swirl. Last week’s offerings included a “Shake Ya Money Maker,” a strawberry malted milkshake ice cream, with white chocolate stracciatella and marshmallow fluff.
OUTSTANDING QUESTIONS
A to Z’s devoted fanbase swears by the ice cream, calling Vraa a wizard. But, is the ice cream really that good? $14-a-pint, good? Does cognitive dissonance kick in when you’ve pre-paid and gotten yourself to Hopkins for a 15-minute pick-up window? So many questions and only one way to answer: with your tastebuds. For many in line, you get the sense that ordering from A to Z is not just about eating a treat, but about playing a game. If you make it to the front of the line, and pick up your pint, you’ve already won.
