While the recent New Jersey weather has been nothing short of glacial, and a cold treat might juxtapose the endearment of a warm cocoa, the Community column thought it only fit for our first small business feature to be entrepreneur and Hunterdon Central alumni Gabriella Truppi: Owner and founder of Humdoo ice cream.
Gabbie graduated in Central’s class of 2017, and immediately knowing she wanted to open her own business, went ahead and bought a massive pink ice cream truck…dubbing the establishment “Scoops on Wheels”. With the business reeling in a scoop-ton of success –selling over 2,000 pints of ice cream monthly– Gabbie’s vision for her company expanded; what if she opened an ice cream shop? This question was made answerable as she discovered a charming pint-sized log cabin on Stangl road in the Flemington Main Street area. The moment she saw it –the rustic timber frame and the surplus of graceful greenery– she knew the space would fulfill her ambitions for the future. “Everyone around me thought I was nuts and no one could really see the vision, but I did and I was dead set on making it come to life,” states Gabby in an Humdoo Instagram post.
By the summer of 2021, Gabbie and her team cut the ribbons to welcome the neighborhood to Humdoo ice cream, hundreds of people in attendance to devote their support and love for the new addition to the community. One might be wondering, how do you go from the name “Scoops on Wheels” to “Humdoo”? Truppi fondly answers this question by recalling how her younger sister would call ice cream “Humdoo” instead of its original title growing up.
Since its grand opening in 2021, the business has grown to exponential heights, touching not only the Flemington community, but the diverse regions of Jersey with Scoops on Wheels. The ice cream truck caters to events such as weddings, birthday parties, graduations, and school events. Just this past September, Humdoo sold ice cream at Central’s fall sports pep rally as well as served their treats in a short visit after school scheduled by the Junior class council: Bringing students together through unmatched food innovation.
Humdoo is known for its decadent and exquisite flavors. Some include lemon bar and the sumptuous campfire smores. During other weeks the company creates special limited time flavors, and may be season specific. Some of the most celebrated flavors this past summer have been Orange Creamsicle, Wild Blueberry, and New York Cheesecake.
Throughout the Humdoo website and instagram, Gabbie especially emphasizes how Humdoo has given a second family to her. “The love I have for this team, these customers, this business it’s all more love than I could’ve ever imagined,” says Truppi in an instagram post. In another post reflecting on the year, she tags a certain song in the background: “All you really need is the love in this room” – Mt. Joy. Gabbie explains, “these are lyrics we live by at Humdoo and this is why Humdoo feels like home to so many of us”. Gabbie not only creates a sense of community in her small business, but gives back to her roots as she helps judge and supply feedback to students’ entrepreneurial proposals in Central’s business sector classes.
“Document your life and reach for your dreams. It all goes by so fast.” – Gabbie Truppi
