It is a Swansea institution which has been beloved by the people of the city for generations. And this month, Joe's Ice Cream parlour is officially marking its 100th birthday. The origins of Joe’s Ice Cream can be traced back more than 100 years – to 1898 when Luigi Cascarini travelled from Italy to Swansea in search of work. Surprised by the lack of cafés around the docks, he started his own, serving coffee dawn until dusk.
His eldest son, Joe Cascarini followed him to Wales and in 1922, he set up his own café and quickly diversified and started serving homemade ice cream at 85 St Helen’s Road – still the site of the company’s landmark premises today. Since then, the business has grown, diversified and its now in its fourth familial generation, becoming an increasingly recognisable brand in Wales and further afield, with strong community links.
To coincide with the landmark anniversary, Joe's re-opened its signature parlour at St Helen's Road after a rebrand and renovation, giving away free ice cream on the day to all of its customers as a special thank you. It also launched a new Centenary Sundae - an Italian-style Tiramisu flavoured dessert, specially designed to celebrate its anniversary and Italian heritage. Inside the parlour, there's new panels documenting its history, old photos and newspaper cuttings. You can get more Swansea news and other story updates by subscribing to our newsletters here.
