ST. GEORGE —Whether you’re taking the family for ice cream or getting late-night sweets after a tipsy bar night, this new ice cream and coffee shop has the scoop.
What once was a historic sheriff’s office next to a jailhouse is now home to Bee Sweet Ice Cream and Coffee, a business owned by 19-year-old Kate Rose. While the shop had a soft opening in June, a grand opening celebration will take place this Saturday, Aug. 12, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Customers can enjoy a free kids’ cone with every purchase.
“When people say they’re full after dinner, I always say, ‘Well, ice cream doesn’t go to the stomach, it goes to the heart. So there’s always room,’” Rose said.
With best-selling ice cream flavors like Coconut Castaway and Huckleberry, all of Bee Sweet’s ice creams are Utah-made in small batches. A variety of vegan and non-dairy ice creams are also available.
Then there’s the coffee. A blend of Colombian and Guatemalan, their coffees include hot or iced cappuccinos, lattes, americanos and affogatos – ice cream with a shot of espresso.
“Think of any sweet coffee,” Rose said about affogatos. “Ice cream is the best form of milk that you could put with your coffee. That’s one of the most special things that we sell, especially since most people have never tried one. That’s super exciting and we love it.”
Their menu continues with gourmet sauces like bittersweet chocolate, hot fudge and creamy caramel — all made from family recipes and available for sale in glass jars. Just like it was made in a home kitchen, no preservatives are used and all the ingredients can be pronounced.
Along with Rose’s love for bumblebees, the name “Bee” Sweet comes from being a Utah-based business in the beehive state and her brother being an active beekeeper. Matching that theme, you’ll find local honey for sale inside the shop.
“It also reminds us to be sweet and kind to one another, and that’s something I’ve said throughout high school and even now,” she said.
But how did the then-18-year-old first start her own business?
By attending Dixie Success Academy she was able to graduate from Utah Tech University (formally Dixie State) with her associate’s degree at the same time she graduated high school, which kickstarted her knowledge of business. Now a full-time student at the University of Utah, Rose said opening the business has been life’s biggest learning experience.
“I originally started on this idea when I was 15,” Rose said. “There’s nothing that quite compares to an ice cream shop where you can smell the fresh waffle cones being made all day long. You just have to try it for yourself.”
Her mother, Lyndi Rose, said she and her husband had owned the vacant building for several years until one day, their daughter approached with a sweet idea – an old-fashioned ice cream shop. She asked if they would be willing to rent the building to her.
“Just knowing who she is, I had absolute confidence she would be able to do something,” Lyndi Rose said. “She’s an amazing young woman, the hardest worker I know, great integrity, very smart. Just determined.”
The pair said the sign for Bee Sweet Ice Cream and Coffee was up for seven months before it officially opened – a tease that happened when the renovations took longer and cost more than expected. They expressed gratitude to the city along with their managers and staff for making it all come together.
But why an ice cream and coffee shop?
Growing up with a sweet-toothed dad, Kate Rose said her childhood was filled with ice cream memories. They always had a freezer full of ice cream, and her dad was the first person to pull out ice cream at any party, offering unlimited amounts of every flavor.
Smelling the fresh waffle cones at her family’s favorite ice cream shop in Laguna Beach is another nostalgic memory. The smell brought people to the shop in droves and created a constant line out the door. She plans to create that same reaction at Bee Sweet.
“I’m so incredibly proud,” Lyndi Rose said. “She’s just someone who handles problems really well and stress in an amazing way. I just feel like she’s going to do great with this business and I’m excited to see her grow.”
As for future plans, Kate Rose said she likes the idea of expanding the business into other historic districts around the country, but for now, she’s thankful to be open and excited to be a part of the local community where she can bring smiles to so many faces.
Bee Sweet Ice Cream and Coffee is open until 10 p.m. on weekdays and 11:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. They often stay open much later on the weekends in order to meet the bar crowd’s demand.
Visit Bee Sweet Ice Cream and Coffee at 2 W. St. George Boulevard #46 next to Spiritual Cocktail Parlor. For more information, visit their website or follow them on Instagram.
Photo Gallery
Utah-made ice cream is available by the scoop at Bee Sweet Ice Cream and Coffee in St. George, Utah, Aug. 6, 2023 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
The sign for Bee Sweet Ice Cream and Coffee can be seen near Spiritual Cocktail Parlor in St. George, Utah, Aug. 6, 2023 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
Bee Sweet Ice Cream and Coffee owner Kate Rose takes a photo outside her shop in St. George, Utah, date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Kate Rose, St. George News
Utah-made ice cream sits inside a homemade waffle cone at Bee Sweet Ice Cream and Coffee in St. George, Utah, Aug. 6, 2023 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
(L-R) Local honey is for sale inside Bee Sweet Ice Cream and Coffee in St. George, Utah, date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Kate Rose, St. George News
Waffle cones are made fresh inside Bee Sweet Ice Cream and Coffee in St. George, Utah, Aug. 6, 2023 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
Fresh-made waffle cones are on display at Bee Sweet Ice Cream and Coffee in St. George, Utah, Aug. 6, 2023 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
Utah-made ice cream is available by the scoop at Bee Sweet Ice Cream and Coffee in St. George, Utah, Aug. 6, 2023 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
The menu for Bee Sweet Ice Cream and Coffee is posted on the wall inside the shop in St. George, Utah, Aug. 6, 2023 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
Utah-made ice cream is available by the scoop at Bee Sweet Ice Cream and Coffee in St. George, Utah, Aug. 6, 2023 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
A historic sheriff's office is renovated into Bee Sweet Ice Cream and Coffee in St. George, Utah, Aug. 6, 2023 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
Bittersweet chocolate sauce is made from a family recipe and available at Bee Sweet Ice Cream and Coffee in St. George, Utah, Aug. 6, 2023 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
An employee makes fresh waffle cones inside Bee Sweet Ice Cream and Coffee in St. George, Utah, Aug. 6, 2023 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
(L-R) Bee Sweet Ice Cream and Coffee owners Kate and Lyndi Rose take a photo outside their shop in St. George, Utah, date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Kate Rose, St. George News
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