Few things say summer quite like an ice cream.

Whether it’s children queuing eagerly at the hatch, grandparents treating their grandchildren on a sunny afternoon, or families enjoying a cone together in the park, ice cream has a unique way of creating memories.

For 100 years, Joe’s Ices has been part of those summer memories.

This year, the Beighton family business celebrates a remarkable centenary, marking a journey that began in 1926 with one Italian immigrant, a horse and cart, and a determination to build a new life in a city he would eventually call home.

Back in 1926, Joe Molinari arrived in Sheffield from the Parma area of northern Italy. He had been born in Chesterfield in 1898 but his Italian parents took him back over there when he was just a babe in arms.

Joe’s parents moved around a lot and he spent his childhood at various places in Europe including Paris. But much of his teens and early adulthood was spent in Setterone in Parma, where he met his wife, Florinda.

Joe was a grafter but became trapped by the First World War. After being conscripted to the Italian army, a rise in post-war unemployment saw Joe and his wife leave Italy behind for a new life in England.

Finding work was difficult, particularly as he spoke no English. Family folklore recalls that many Italian immigrants of the era often found themselves entering one of two trades – fish and chips or ice cream.

Joe chose ice cream.

He started in a small house on Queen’s Road in Beighton where he made his traditional vanilla ice cream.

Unable to drive but determined to make a living, Joe took to the streets with his ice cream loaded onto a horse and cart, selling his frozen treats to local families. With refrigeration still in its infancy, he’d make it and sell it the same day.

As money came in, he bought a plot of land half a mile away on Woodhouse Lane where he built a house and a dairy.

Little could he have imagined that a century and four generations later his name would still be synonymous with summer across South Yorkshire.

If Joe created the recipe, his daughter Florence and her husband Geoffrey McNeil were the ones who churned it into a business built to last.

Working side by side, they modernised and commercialised the operation while staying true to the original recipe, introducing ice cream vans alongside the Beighton shop.

Their eldest son John still smiles when he remembers the partnership that powered the business forward.

“They were a very strong couple. Mum boiled the milk and Dad froze it,” he says. “Grandad Joe didn’t start it with the intention of lasting this long. He started it to make money. My dad was a very clever man and he was the one who really built it up to what it is now. The most satisfying part for me is having continued after we lost my mum as I never thought we would.”

Flo sadly died in 2013 and Geoffrey passed away the following February.

Many people will remember Flo as the small but mighty matriarch of Joe’s Ices. Generations of kids grew up waiting to hear the bell on her van to announce she was on her way. She knew all the kids by name who’d been sent out by their mothers with Pyrex dishes ready to be filled with ice cream.

Flo and Geoffrey’s own children, John, Paul and Andrew, grew up with the dairy as their playground and even as kids were lending a hand, learning the trade and helping to shape the next chapter of the family story.

Today, two of those brothers, John and Andrew are still actively involved in the business: John is a mechanic who fixes the machinery and vans, while Andrew manages the diary.

They both have sons who work alongside them to steer the company forward, whether that’s making their traditional scooped ice cream in the dairy, serving customers in the shop, managing their fleet of ‘whippy’ vans or working with the many vendors who use Joe’s milk in their own ice cream vans.

The fifth generation is already getting a taste of the business, with John’s teenage grandchildren helping out in the shop during weekends and school holidays.

In an era when many family firms struggle to survive beyond a generation or two, Joe’s Ices is proof that the recipe for success remains remarkably simple: hard work, quality ingredients and sticking together.

Of course, while the generations have changed, one thing hasn’t. Vanilla remains king.

The flavour that Joe first sold from his horse and cart is still their most popular ice cream – with sprinkles on top, of course.

But alongside the traditional favourite sits a tempting range of almost 30 flavours, all produced using the same trusted base mix that has helped earn Joe’s Ices an enviable reputation.

Flo and Geoffrey first introduced flavoured ice cream in the 1970s, starting with six popular flavours including their famous chocolate. Today, the family have developed a delectable range of flavours that would leave you hard pressed to choose a favourite.

Coconut, honeycomb, lemon and coffee sit alongside modern favourites like salted caramel, cookies and cream, and Lotus Biscoff. Last year they even made a charcoal black vanilla flavour!

I tried the white chocolate and Amarena cherry flavour which was undoubtedly the creamiest ice cream I’d ever had, with the tartness of proper Italian cherries running through it. One taste and I could see why people say it’s the best.

While modern machinery and technology has transformed production – they now make their ice cream in blocks which has significantly reduced waste and improved efficiency – the original recipe developed a century ago is still used today.

Ingredients and suppliers may have evolved over the decades, but the method and flavour profile remain faithful to Joe’s vision.

“If it’s not broke then why fix it?” says John. “It’s hard to try and keep everyone happy but we always want to leave our customers laughing.”

Their dedication to quality has also brought industry recognition, with endless awards from the Ice Cream Alliance, acknowledging the craftsmanship behind every scoop.

They are a founder member of the alliance which was formed in 1952 and take part in the annual show and competition every year, showcasing everything from their traditional vanilla to their ice cream cakes. They’ve won almost 150 diplomas, 22 medals, 11 Silver Challenge Cups, and the Champion of Champions shield for best ice cream in the UK.

Not bad for a business that started with a horse, a cart and a scoop of vanilla.

The centenary year is already proving to be one of the busiest in the company’s history.

Their ‘whippy’ vans have secured contracts at both Rother Valley Country Park and Clifton Park, introducing a new generation of visitors to a much-loved local brand. They also supply gallons of milk to other ice cream vendors, so chances are your local van uses Joe’s milk, too.

Meanwhile, John’s dedicated scooped ice cream van continues to travel across Sheffield and Derbyshire, bringing traditional ice cream to customers throughout the summer months.

And of course they still have the shop at Beighton with it’s bell on the door and a freezer stocked full of flavours. You can even buy a tub to take home and enjoy after your tea.

So as another Yorkshire summer arrives, there seems no better way to celebrate than with an ice cream in hand and a century of sweet memories to savour.

Visit their shop at 107 Woodhouse Lane, Beighton, Sheffield S20 1AD which is open 7 days 10am until 6pm.

Or find out more at www.joes-ices.co.uk