This October, Kiwi ice cream favourite Tip Top celebrated 90 years of serving little moments of ice cream happiness to New Zealand.
From a humble Wellington milk bar in 1935 to its national presence today, Tip Top has successfully navigated the years by manufacturing delicious sweet treats, continually delivering innovation, and in doing so, creating many happy memories across New Zealand and around the world.
Tip Top CEO Ben Schurr said the enduring presence of Tip Top across New Zealand won't be lost on many people.
"So many of us will remember the happy feeling of enjoying an ice cream on a hot summer’s day, very likely eating a Trumpet, a Choc Bar, a Jelly Tip, or even just a scoop of creamy Tip Top hokey pokey,” said Schurr.
"Ice cream is a big part of who we are as a nation - we're globally recognised as consuming the most ice cream per person in the world. And Tip Top continues to play a big part in that, bringing delicious, quality ice cream products to New Zealanders for 90 years.”
On the 10th of October 1935, Albert Hayman and Leonard Malaghan opened their first Tip Top Milk Bar on Manners Street in Wellington. While the exact origins of the name vary, a widely accepted story is that "Tip Top" was inspired by overhearing diners in Wellington describe their meals as "tip top."
A successful and indeed, tip-top venture, the duo soon opened a second shop on Lambton Quay, and by the end of 1937, there were six Tip Top Milk Bars across central Wellington.
The company's Auckland presence was established in 1938 with the opening of a Tip Top Milk Bar at 53 Queen Street and an Epsom factory, both managed by Hayman. By the 1940s, Tip Top ice cream volumes had skyrocketed as home freezers became more common, alongside a rapidly growing demand for quality ice cream among Kiwi consumers.
In 1962, Tip Top cemented its future with the opening of a state-of-the-art factory in Mount Wellington. Costing NZD 700,000, the factory was the largest and most advanced ice cream production facility in the Southern Hemisphere at the time. Then-Prime Minister Keith Holyoake attended the opening ceremony.
Overlooking the Southern Motorway, the 20-acre plot quickly became an Auckland landmark, known to many as "Tip Top Corner," or affectionately as "Jip Jop Corner" by children who misread the distinctive cursive 'T' in the iconic logo. Tip Top Corner would symbolise the start of the holidays for many Aucklanders as families drove South past the iconic factory.
As Tip Top looks back on 90 years of history, it is not only celebrating a business milestone, but also its role in creating many sweet and happy memories for generations of New Zealanders.
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