Iconic ice cream and lolly shop turns 10

By Samantha Elley

It is said, there are two reasons people come to Evans Head.

Obviously, the beach is the first but secondly would be to visit Muzza’s Milkbar in Oak Street.

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Owned by Evans Head resident Caroline Powell, the iconic ice cream and lolly shop is turning 10 years old and they are planning a huge party.

The shop first opened on 3rd December, 2013 by Caroline’s mum, Petria Powell after the death of her husband Murray.

“It was a way of dealing with the grief but not have to go into a workplace,” said Petria.

“It was a place for me to go more than anything else, a place to make memories.

“To see children enjoying ice cream and sweets, families coming in, it was everything Murray and I stood for.”

Sergeant Murray Powell of Byron Bay police station was a police officer for 39 years, 25 of those in Byron Bay.

“Unfortunately, he got pancreatic cancer,” said Caroline.

“He died on 28^th December, 2011.”

Petria started to expand by opening a Muzza’s store in Lismore, followed by a shoe store.

“I was 20 when we opened the shop and I worked part-time for mum on and off,” said Caroline.

“In the last year before I took over I was working for mum full-time.”

With the three stores, Petria knew it was too much for her and Caroline put her hand up to take over the Evans Head store.

“At the age of 25 I took on the shop,” said Caroline.

“I loved the ice cream and the lollies, and we just continued the same business model, affordable prices so that families can come in and make memories.”

Then Covid hit and Caroline’s business was closed and her plans turned upside down.

“I was actually overseas when Covid hit,” said Caroline.

“I came home and had to do two weeks home quarantine, and I was not able to leave the confines of my tiny little unit.

“I was jotting down ideas into a notebook and I thought ‘Why don’t we just deliver?’”

And so Muzza’s started delivering.

Caroline Powell of Muzzas Milk Bar

With a freezer in her car and a will to make her business succeed, Caroline was delivering ice cream and lollies as far as Casino and Lismore.

“Customers can’t come to me but I can come to a customer if I have to,” Caroline said.

“Some people were literally buying five kilos of lollies.

“We worked out for families, it was a way of treating their kids was with sweets; they were homeschooling so they needed something to bribe their kids.”

They were so successful, not only did the business survive 2-3 years of Covid but they also didn’t take any government covid payments.

Now on the eve of celebrating 10 years of the business, Caroline said it has grown ten-fold.

“We offer ice cream, lollies, milk shakes, thick shakes, in winter we supply donuts,” she said.

“We do ice cream cakes. Give me an idea and I will try and make it work.

“Gift boxes and lolly jars are working well.”

The biggest seller, of course, is the ice cream, then thick shakes but the range of lollies is international.

“I get stuff out of the US, stuff from the Netherlands, Germany,” Caroline said.

“We’ve got Dutch liquorice in at the moment, we’ve got Barnett’s sour lollies out of the UK which claim to be the most sour lolly in the world.”

There is also a great range of nostalgic lollies that many parents of the children who come to Muzzas, remember from their own childhood.

“I’ve got suppliers who still stock them,” Caroline said.

“I am hoping to get more of the ‘Old Favourites’, I am calling it.”

The popularity of the shop is reflected in the amount of ice cream they are able to sell.

“The company we buy our ice cream from, Everest ice cream, we are their largest customer in Queensland,” Caroline said.

“They supply as far south as Newcastle and to as far north as Rockhampton.

“Even their customers, Dreamworld and Australia Zoo, we beat them in ice cream sales.

“At Christmas time we get three weekly deliveries of over 300 tubs in each delivery.”

Caroline has plans to expand and open another Muzza’s store and possibly a warehouse to house all the extra stock they have.

“She has made it what it is today,” said Petria.

“I am as proud as punch. She has looked outside the square especially during covid and found a way to beat it. She has a lot of resilience.

“Whatever she does she will put 120% into it.”

Muzza’s is having a party on December 3, 2023 from midday on, behind Club Evans RSL where there will be live music, food trucks and plenty of ice cream and lollies.

“Bring a rug or a chair and come and sit by the river,” said Caroline.

“It’s our way of giving back to the community for all the support they’ve given us.”

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