J.P. Licks is an ice cream store chain located in and around the Boston

Boston

Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...

 area. Currently, it has a total of ten stores. Owner, Vince Petryk, started the first store in Jamaica Plain in 1981 and has expanded since. The store has won numerous awards for the quality of ice cream it sells as well as their innovative flavors.

Vince Petryk

Vince Petryk is a Philadelphia native who moved to Boston after college and started J.P. Licks when he was 26 years old. He graduated from Temple University

Temple University

Temple University is a comprehensive public research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Originally founded in 1884 by Dr. Russell Conwell, Temple University is among the nation's largest providers of professional education and prepares the largest body of professional...

 with a degree in psychology. He planned on being a family therapist, but instead was introduced to the world of ice cream. He worked at Hillary’s Homemade Ice Cream store right out of college and as he moved up the ranks he became more and more aware of the emotional ties that comes with ice cream. He stated, “While at Hillary’s, I witnessed daily the power and magic of ice cream. I realized that ice cream connects you to some of the fondest memories of your childhood”. He later got married and moved to Jamaica Plain which he would later call his “true emotional hometown”. He worked at Wendy’s Hamburger Chain as a manager and there he learned essentially all he needed to know before starting his own store. He started the business in Jamaica Plain with his partner Michael Herbert. They both invested 25,000 dollars to start the store, but Michael only remained part of the company for a couple years before Vince bought him out for 100,000.

Coffee

In 1999 J.P. Licks began roasting their own coffee in the headquarters in Jamaica Plain. They have a wide selection of fair trade organic coffee and over twenty different coffee blends. They personally support a community in Guatemala called the Trapichitos Community that handpick and hand sort the coffee. The growers decide the price and are paid directly to eliminate middlemen manipulation that often comes with growing coffee. The initial decision to make coffee was made by Vince when Starbucks bought Coffee Connection and he was unimpressed by the quality of coffee in the Boston Area. He describes his coffee as “down the middle…dark enough for a hearty brew but not so dark that every bean tastes burnt”. Also, depending on the store, J.P. Licks also offers breakfast goods such as croissants, muffins, cookies, cupcakes, scones, and bagels. These are all made in the J.P. Licks headquarters.

Flavors

J.P. Licks uses ingredients that can be found in a typical household kitchen and incorporates them in innovative ways to create exotic flavors. As an example, the peach ice cream is made with fresh peaches grown in the United States, brown sugar, cream, milk and sugar. In total J.P. Licks has over 300 recipes including lactose free ice cream, sorbet, sherbet, low-fat yogurt and non-fat soft yogurt. J.P. Licks is known for their ambitious flavors of the month that if anything simply draw attention for being outrageous. Examples are Cucumber, Tomato Basil, Noodle Kugel, Avocado, Disco Inferno (Tabasco flavored), Turning Japanese (wasabi flavored) and Leprechaun Brew (a green ice cream with Sam Adams). They have signature flavors of the month that emphasize and embellish the flavors and tastes of that season. For example for fall they integrate the flavors of Pumpkin and Apple. These flavors resulted from extensive experimentation by Vince himself; as he labeled himself a “mad scientist”.

Community service

J.P. Licks is known to donate to local charities, organizations and schools. Not only does it give its food for various events but it also sets up in-store charitable incentives. They recently supported the Starlight foundation by giving a “J.P. Licks” dollar to anyone who donated one dollar to Starlight. They also set up a one-day special for Veterans Day where all proceeds from one-dollar coffees went to the New England Shelter for Homeless Veterans. They recently made a long-term partnership with the Home for Little Wanderers and are encouraging donations through once again offering “J.P. Licks dollars” in all their stores.

Awards

J.P. Licks has received over 300 awards, ranging from big time honors, to small magazine recognitions. Past awards include “Best of Boston” by Boston Magazine, “Best Location- Jamaica Plain” by Boston Magazine, WBZ’s “A-List”, and Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce’s “Small Business of the Year”.

More awards

• Boston Phoenix Reader’s Poll, Best Ice Cream 2006
• Boston Globe Sunday Magazine's "Best of the New Awards", in 2005, for "Best

New Idea" "Hot Spicy Ice Cream"

• Improper Bostonian “Boston’s Best 2005 – Ice Cream”
• Five Boston Magazine’s Best of Boston for ice cream and frozen yogurt
• Boston Phoenix Reader’s Poll, Best Ice Cream 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000, 1999 & 1998
• Best of City Search in 2003