Get ready for a sweet post-dip and post-cycle snack when the popular Kuld Creamery heads to Wadjemup / Rottnest Island for the Summer. 

Ice cream enthusiasts and owners of Kuld, Mati and Kaitlyn Kuld, have opened a pop-up store on the shores of the island getaway’s iconic snorkelling beach, the Basin. 

“[Being on Rotto has] always literally been our dream. Once we came over and went to Rotto we were like what a beautiful spot,” Mati Kuld told So Perth. 

“We’d written our proposal and not heard anything for ages. We assumed no, so kept on trucking and doing our thing. We got the call and were absolutely over the moon. It’s truly a dream come true — so, so exciting.”

The adorable vintage-looking van, painted white and yellow, will take prime spot in front of the Basin and dish out a new Rottnest-inspired flavour, Quokka Traxx – a vanilla bean ice cream with homemade peanut butter cup and fudge swirl. 

All the classics — chocolate fudgy brownie, carrot cake, and lemon butter — will also be available, served atop freshly-made waffle cones or sandwiched between homemade cookies.

Humble Beginnings 

Hailing from Toronto, Mati and Kaitlyn always wanted to open a business and, after spying an opportunity in the market, they decided to open Kuld Creamery.

“Kaitlyn and I were travelling and then we just fell in love with Perth which was actually our first pit stop and then we just kept pushing the date back further and further and the next thing we knew we saw a little hole in the ice cream market,” Kuld said. 

“We’ve always looked at wanting to open a business and from there we sort of spent a year making ice cream just out of the granny flat we were staying in and then we started doing some small pop-up events.”

Now, Mati and Kaitlyn make everything from their Fremantle shop – which, with the volumes they’re producing, they’re quickly outgrowing. 

In a quest to make the best quality ice cream, the Kulds use locally-sourced ethical dairy and a combination of cashew cream and organic coconut milk for their vegan options. 

“Everything was so traditional and not unique. Craft ice cream has been a thing that’s been growing and was a few years ahead over here, and I think we had a step on it in that regard,” Kuld said. 

“We had these flavours we grew up with that just weren’t common here. Peanut butter is very underutilised. [So is] putting full baked goods in there, and just thinking outside of the box.”

Flavours are changed up monthly to keep regulars on their toes, with the most popular combinations coming back for encores throughout the year. 

Kuld Creamery Northbridge 

Later this month, their Northbridge venue will open on the bustling corner of Roe and William Street. Alongside Kuld’s classic ice cream offering will be a broader range of desserts including cookies, brownies, and take-home pints. 

“We’d been looking for a few years at Northbridge locations and there’s just never been the right spot and it never felt like it clicked,” Kuld said. 

“The new development was happening and we came across the old barbershop looking onto the city – just the perfect location. It’s the main artery into Northbridge and through the city.”

At this point in time, Mati and Kaitlyn remain tight-lipped about their future plans beyond Wadjemup and Northbridge, but it’s sure to be something grand. 

“We’re gonna see how we do this year and we have some ideas of what to do in the future. But we’ll keep that under wraps until we’re ready,” Kuld concluded. 

The Wadjemup / Rottnest store is open daily from 10:30 am to 5:00 pm and will trade until late April 2023.

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Lead image: supplied