Yoga for Houston's Furry Friends

After Hurricane Harvey, many pets had to be left behind in efforts to get to safety. This created a huge burden for many of the animal shelters in Houston. With help from our friends at Indigo Yoga, MELT led an afternoon of roof top yoga, for which all proceeds went to benefit the Houston SPCA. 

We saw an amazing turn-out to help our fellow Texans. The generous yogis were soothed with the sounds of a live guitarist while they practiced "bridge pose," "child's pose," and of course, "downward dog" for the benefit of Houston's dogs. After yoga, everyone was able to enjoy a delicious scoop of MELT ice cream.

It is events like these that remind us here at MELT how awesome the community we live in is. Thank you to everyone who came out to help our furry friends during this time of need! For those of you who would still like to help, Houston SPCA accepts donations on their website.

Harry Potter Extravaganza Week

What's a better way to celebrate Halloween than to dress up as a wizard, eat chocolate frogs, and surround yourself with all things magical?

For a week up until Halloween, our shop was completely themed out with floating candles, flying keys, and Hogwarts letters. We introduced four new Harry Potter inspired flavors, a wizard seasonal sundae, and a charcoal activated Cone That Must Not Be Named.

We were impressed with how many people participated and came dressed in Hogwarts robes and wands! Day by day the line was out of the store, but customers remained so patient and excited to get their scoop.

Although we had to say goodbye to our Harry Potter Extravaganza week, Dumbledore better puts it, "It's not really goodbye, after all." Stick around for next year's Halloween surprises!

Customer Story: Amanda Willis

Some people are born in Fort Worth. Some people move here for work. And others decide to make Cowtown their home because they’ve heard how great it is. Amanda Willis is lucky enough to be in the last group.

Amanda grew up in Flower Mound, attended the University of Oklahoma, and then lived in Florida for a few years before settling in Fort Worth. She currently works as an Executive Assistant at American Airlines and commutes to and from south Fort Worth.

“I work kind of far but I love Fort Worth. I don’t want to move,” Amanda said.

After a Mavericks game a few years ago, Amanda and her dad, Bill, googled for ice cream and discovered MELT.

Not long after, Amanda also introduced her mom, Susan. “Of all the crazy flavors she fell in love with Beans!” Amanda said. 

When Amanda says her mom fell in love with Beans, she’s not exaggerating. “Every time I would go visit my parents after work, since it was on the way, she'd make me stop and get a pint of Beans. "‘Get one for yourself, too. Use your dad’s card.’”

Amanda even offered to let Susan try our Snowflake flavor one winter — a white chocolate ice cream with house-made peppermint candy pieces — since her mom loves mint ice cream. No go. She only wanted Beans!

Susan is not alone. Beans is also one of Amanda’s favorites, along with Take Me Out to the Ballgame, Snowflake, and “of course, Salt Lick."

Last year, Bill and Susan retired to Spokane, Washington. They are visiting Ft. Worth at the end of September and already have plans to visit MELT.

If it’s “bean” a while since you tried Beans, swing by and let us sling you a scoop.  We 100% agree with Amanda’s assessment: “it’s probably the vanilla-est vanilla around.”

Plus, 5% of the sales from every scoop of Beans go directly to The Net FW, our 2017 nonprofit partner. 

Cheers to Amanda for such commitment to her adopted hometown and Beans, the vanilla ice cream that gives back.

Change the world and have some fun.

You’ve asked and envied and the moment has finally come: thanks to our upstairs neighbors, Evangalist, you can join us on the rooftop for a Giving Day Party this Thursday!

What’s a Giving Day Party? Our 2017 nonprofit partner, The Net FW, is hosting a party to celebrate donations on North Texas Giving Day. We’ll have ice cream, DJ WayGOOD, drinks, food, and all the good vibes you can handle.

If you can’t make the party, you can give online here. Just select “The Net FW” as your organization. Don’t forget to ask your employer in advance if they will match your donations. Bonus: everything The Net receives on Thursday will be doubled up to $10,000. The Net’s mission is to be the “safety net” for the local homeless and those in poverty by building relationships and seeking to restore their dignity.

Our partnership with The Net is a triple-scoop cone:

1) A portion of our sales from every scoop of Beans in 2017 goes directly to The Net. 

2) During our birthday month, we asked you to celebrate with us by bringing flashlights and new shoes for the homeless.

3) We’ve hosted quarterly service days so our employees can volunteer at The Net: folding clothes, playing with refugee children, and organizing their store.

This last one is super important to us - one of our core values is “Be humble and serve.” To us, service goes beyond customers and extends to our community. For a lot of our employees, scooping at MELT is their first job, and we love being able to show them that working can be about more than a paycheck.

One of our team members, Mary Beavers, said it best, “We serve people every day. But we do it to earn income or because we love ice cream. The best part about volunteering is that not only do I feel I am making an impact on my community, I am also getting to know my fellow employees on a very real level. Plus, I've always wanted to be a part of a company that is involved in the community and gives back.”

Please join us Thursday on the rooftop for our Giving Day Party. We believe treats can change your day and your day change the world. And every time you grab a scoop of Beans or donate to The Net, you’re changing the world for one of your neighbors.

Customer Story: Manzale Dawson

Manzale Dawson has a fever and the only cure is more Crème Brûlée ice cream.

His passion for MELT started with a google search. After his daughter, Brylie, won her first volleyball game this February, Manzale googled “Best ice cream in Fort Worth,” and ended up at MELT. When he and his wife tried our winter seasonal, Crème Brûlée—housemade caramelized sugar pieces in vanilla ice cream—it was love at first bite.

In his scoop, Manzale said he found the biggest piece of candied sugar he had ever seen. “I wanted to go back and show everyone,” Manzale said. “I think I’ve been chasing that piece of candy ever since.”

He did return pretty soon and pretty often after that initial visit. Although the Dawsons live in Lake Worth, MELT is a short drive from the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office, where Manzale is a deputy. He confessed to coming as often as twice in one day, sometimes in the same hour.

So, you can imagine his disappointment when Crème Brûlée’s season ended. Even though it wasn’t on the menu, Manzale kept asking scoopers for it. And when the scoopers started to recognize him, he began advising the customers behind him in line to ask for Crème Brûlée.

“My goal is to have it named after me.” (Surprisingly, Manzale didn’t know that we’ve done that before. Out of this Swirld was officially renamed “Still Out of this Swirld” this spring in honor of Brian Still, who was easily the flavor’s biggest fan.)

Even though Manzale’s beloved Crème Brûlée has not yet made a reappearance, he keeps coming back, most often settling for Chocolate Chocolate. He and his riding partner, Deputy Elijah Silas, come by as often as three times a week, if work allows. When they’re in uniform, other customers will sometimes buy their scoops.

Manzale is originally from Dallas and moved to Fort Worth for his wife, Kristi. “I told her, ‘I’m not moving to Ft. Worth.’” But they now live in Lake Worth, close to where she grew up. Despite the distance, the Dawsons still come often on the weekends.

It’s not an exaggeration to say that discovering MELT changed his life. It changed his driving habits. It’s a frequent topic of conversation—he tells co-workers, Tarrant County Judges, and strangers dining at the same restaurant that they should swing by. And thanks to a Father’s day gift from his daughter, Mikayla, Manzale’s wardrobe now includes a MELT t-shirt.

So, if a police officer taps you on the shoulder while you’re in line at MELT, it’s probably not because you’re breaking the law. He’s just going to tell you to ask for the Crème Brûlée ice cream. He’s not wrong, you will just need to be patient. Crème Brûlée is worth the wait!

Cheers to Manzale Dawson, Crème Brûlée’s biggest fan!

Customer Story: Leah Anderson and Andrew Jones

If you’ve ever had a gym crush and brushed it off thinking it wouldn’t lead anywhere, no one could blame you. But a gym crush in South Carolina brought Leah Anderson to MELT — proof that you can follow your heart to good ice cream.  

Leah was serving in the Marines on Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, South Carolina, when a crush at the gym led to dating and marrying Andrew Jones, also a Marine. A few months into their marriage, Andrew received orders to Naval Air Station, Ft. Worth. In order to stay together, Leah retired.

One year later and they are as in love with Ft. Worth as any native Cowtowner, despite being from Virginia (Leah) and New York (Andrew). “We never want to leave,” Leah said.

“It’s a Texas city, but very progressive, too,” Andrew said. “You can still get a good bowl of pho.”

They found out about MELT on Yelp. While they love our quality and unique flavors, for Leah and Andrew, it’s also about the atmosphere. MELT is a treat reserved for times when Andrew is in town. Even during a four-month training in the spring, Leah refrained until he was back.

 “We spend a lot of time away from each other due to deployments and training and exercises, but when we are together, we make it a priority to grab Melt every Sunday after we take our dogs to the park,” Leah said. “It's our little family event!”

And when the dogs come to MELT, they usually get ice cream. “We try to do it so people don’t see us,” Andrew said. “So they don’t think we’re that crazy.”

Leah was in the Marine Corps for 5 years and Andrew has been in for 13 years and counting.

Cheers and thanks to Leah and Andrew for serving our country!

Customer Story: Neha Sharma

Of all the reasons MELT was dreamed up, one of our favorites is the simplest: we wanted a local ice cream shop. We love the Near Southside! And we believe no one should have to go far for good ice cream. So, we’re always excited to hear from our neighbors, whether they live or office in Fairmount.

One of those neighbors is Neha Sharma. She’s as Fort Worth as it gets—she grew up here, graduated from TCU, and knows the best places for outdoor yoga (Waterside and Trailhead, if you’ve been looking).

Her favorite MELT flavor is Nuts for Rosie. “I love the mix of earthy flavor + sweetness + crunch from the nuts,” Neha says.

 Neha is a digital strategist at Social Factor, a digital marketing agency with offices in Fort Worth and Austin. If working in social media sounds like a dream job, keep reading. One way Neha and her coworkers celebrate birthdays is by walking down the street from their office to MELT!

 “We toast with our ice creams to the birthday boy or gal, and thank them for being born since it's an excuse for us to go on an outing for a treat.”

 
Since she has such a sweet gig, we asked Neha what advice she has for others wanting to work on Magnolia … or wherever your dream job might be.

 Neha has two recommendations: 1. Get an internship and  2. Seek out informational interviews. “Find the person who has your dream job and ask them all the questions that you have.”

 
Both of these tips have worked for Neha. She started at Social Factor as an intern three years ago. And interviewing a food stylist led to a freelance production assistant role on a D magazine photo shoot

Cheers to Neha for living the dream and pointing the rest of us in the right direction. And cheers to the Social Factor crew for knowing how to celebrate birthdays!

Customer Story: The Moughons

Maybe you've noticed the neon word floating subtly above our heads while we scoop ice cream: happy. It's our goal, not just for ourselves, but for our ice cream.

We don’t want to stop at scooping a cool, chilly dessert. We want to hand you a cone of cheer.

And most of the time, our ice cream is itself a celebration: marking a birthday or the end of a long week, or bringing together an entire family for graduation. But sometimes, ice cream is more convenient than celebratory. And we know how close we are to the hospital. How convenient.  It’s a challenge we will always accept: to scoop cheer to the patients, loved ones, doctors, and nurses of our neighbors, whenever we can.

A few months ago, some of those loved ones waiting at a hospital were part of our MELT family: Jane and Dan Moughon. Jane had read about MELT before it opened, and “we were hooked from the first time,” Dan said.
 
They’ve been coming about once a week since, according to Jane, and when they’re sick, Dan still makes the trip and brings it home. With such consistency, they’ve probably tried every flavor, but their favorites are classics: Velvet Vegan (Jane) and Beans (Dan).

When they came in for their weekly scoop in February, it was not an ordinary trip. They were taking a break from spending the entire day at Harris Hospital while Jane's mom, Polly Webb, had surgery.

When they were in line, MELT’s manager,  Mary Beavers, heard Jane and Dan discussing the surgery. Mary could have ignored their conversation. Jane could easily have downplayed the difficulty of the day. But Mary heard their story and decided to buy their ice cream.

“It was such a treat,” Jane said later. “It really brightened our very long day of sitting in the hospital waiting room.”
Polly’s brain surgery was followed by some time in intensive care, but afterward, she was able to stand up and eventually start walking again. Jane said the two-year ordeal has taught her mom to accept help, a lot of it coming from her husband, Mayes. Polly and Mayes have been married 60 years on May 31st and we call that a three-scoop celebration!

Cheers to modern medicine, the Moughons, and Mary for spreading happiness!

Cookouts and Serve Days

One of the best things about the MELT team is their genuine love of hanging out with each other. No matter whether it's just another busy Saturday night in the shop, a post-closing time dance party, or an outside of MELT celebration, these guys and gals know how to have a good time together. And that was incredibly evident earlier this week, when we had our quarterly staff party and serve day. 

We started at the NET (our non-profit partner for the year), and spent some time helping in any way we could! We sorted donations, hoisted trash bags, and organized rooms with all our might. Watching our team cheerfully give back to the community together may be our very favorite thing to do, so needless to say, it was an amazing time. 

After the last shirt had been folded and the last hanger hung, we headed over to a local park for a good old fashioned cookout, complete with frisbees and Pellegrino and all the laughter we could manage. 

There's something about the late nights and sweet work that comes with staffing an ice cream shop that turns people who could just be coworkers into genuine friends. Friends that go on runs together (like Mary and Hedy), go to prom together (like Abby and Marissa), and definitely, totally, eat hot dogs and paletas in a park together under the Fort Worth sun. We'll party with these guys anytime, anywhere. It's the MELT fam way. 

Year 3 Highlights

MELT turns three today! A lot has happened since we last celebrated a birthday for this little sunshine shop of ours, and we wanted to reflect on some of the high points. So here's a round up of just a few of our favorite moments from MELT's third year.

The Move

On July 1st, we finally made the finishing touches to MELT 2.0, and made  the move from our tiny Rosedale space to the Magnolia beauty we now call home. We had an amazing weekend of parties to commemorate the occasion, complete with appearances from The Photo Wagon and HD Vinyl and HiFi. We had record crowds, incredible new flavors, and more fun than we had ever dreamed possible. 

Christmas in July

Christmas in July is a MELT staple. Every year, we deck ourselves and our shop out in Christmas cheer, blast carols, and make our favorite festive ice creams. But this year, we got everyone else to join in too. So many Southside businesses joined in, from Bentley's to Funkytown to Ellerbe. We get so excited watching this tradition grow every year! 

Cocoa and Carols

If Christmas in July is our long standing, out of season Christmas celebration, then Cocoa and Carols is our newly created, well timed Christmas celebration. For the first time but definitely not the last, we made a ton of hot chocolate, got some friends to bring their instruments, and invited you all to join us to sing Christmas carols. It just happened to be the coldest day of the year, but it didn't stop us from partying, or you from packing our patio. You're all welcome back next year! 

TV Stars

December also saw MELT featured on the Cooking Channel, and our taco sundaes and happy faces were seen by ice cream lovers all over the country. It was a huge honor and a big moment and we're still pretty happy about it. Hit this link to see the full episode! 

The Boozy Series

Through the months of January and February, we partnered with some of our favorite craft beverage friends to make a stellar lineup of alcohol inspired ice creams. We joined forces with Rahr & Sons, Collective Brewing Project, Firestone & Robertson's, Kent & Co, and Hopfusion AleWorks to make mind blowing Saturday specials. 

Non-Profit Partners

We've partnered up with our friends at the NET for this whole year, and we are loving getting to join them for serve days and contribute all we can to their cause of loving Fort Worth friends who are experiencing homelessness. As a bonus, if you want to get in the action, we are currently taking donations of bug spray, flashlights, and new adult shoes to send to them! Just bring them by our shop! 

MELT's third year was a non stop adventure, and we could not be more proud of all that's happened. Every scoop served and every smile created has been an absolute joy. Can't wait to see what's next! 

Christmas in July Year 3

Christmas in July is a MELT staple. Whether or not anyone joins us, no matter how hot it gets or how busy we are, come snow or sleet, you can count on a very merry MELT holiday. But this year's was definitely a new level of awesome. We sent out a call to the businesses of the Near Southside, inviting one and all to join in the festivities, and they resoundingly answered, contributing awesome products and their own unique flair to the celebrations. All the way up and down Magnolia, our friends were serving and enjoying Christmas treats and jamming to holiday tunes. With a high of 102 degrees, some may have felt like the weather outside was frightful, but no one could deny that the day itself was nothing short of delightful.

Bentley's, Fairmount's brand new purveyor of craft hot dogs and crepes, created some special menu items for the day.

Ellerbe's Fine Foods and The Grand Cru both had special wines available. Neither Grand Cru's rosemary, cranberry sangria nor Ellerbe's dessert wine disappointed.

Cannon's Chinese Kitchen and Shinjuku Station brought some multicultural sweets to the day and served this strawberry cake, which is a staple of Chinese Christmas celebrations.

Other awesome sweets came at the hands of FunkyTown Donuts, Hot Damn Tamales, and Stir Crazy Baked Goods.

The Bearded Lady and Cat City Grill also offered some seasonal drink options. Bearded Lady offered a Ginger Stout and a Martin House Brewing Company beer, aptly named Christmas in July. Cat City ran a special on wine and even had a full turkey dinner!

And then, of course, there was MELT. As usual, we did an entire menu overhaul, adding beloved Christmas flavors such as Santa's Little Helper (kahlua), and Rudolph's Dreams (vegan dark chocolate and cranberry). We also created an unbelievable Christmas Sundae that included three scoops of ice cream topped with house made Mexican hot chocolate fudge sauce. 

Christmas in July 2016 showcased all that we love about our neighborhood. Fairmount businesses know how to support each other and party together like no other, and every single time we get to experience this community, it's magical. Our street was overflowing with Christmas cheer and we are still feeling that glow. Stay beautiful, Southside, and until next year, may there be peace on earth and goodwill towards Magnolia. 

Grand Opening Extravaganza

On July 1st and 2nd, there was a celebration of almost mythical proportions in the Near Southside of Fort Worth. Massive crowds descended on one yellow, black, and white all over building, faces full of smiles, bellies hungry for ice cream.

What drew these massive, ice cream loving crowds?!?!? What could possibly engender this level of enthusiasm?! One thing and one thing only. On those very days, #MELTNolia was making its first steps into the world. That's right folks, our brand new shop started rolling out scoops and cones like there was no tomorrow, and the people of Fort Worth began gobbling them up as soon as we could make them.  And with good cause.

Our new place looks gorgeous, inside and out,

Our new menu is insanely delicious,

And our team is full of happy people just waiting to make friends!

But all that is just business as usual for Ye Olde MELT...On these days specifically, we had some awesome pals stop by: The Photo Wagon and HD Vinyl & Hifi. One to take and print photos of our beautiful patrons, and one to spin some groovy records on our brand new patio. 

(Photos belong to respective businesses)

So we planned this magical party in this magical place for you guys, and, as stated before, a lot of y'all showed up. Our lines were perpetually out the door and down the street, and we were shocked by just how much love we were shown. You guys rock our world every day, but on these specific days it was almost too much to handle. We can't believe how awesome y'all are, but we'll work every day to provide the best ice cream we possibly can, just to say thanks. 

If you haven't gotten the chance to see our new place yet, come by and let us give you the tour!! We are now rocking longer days with our summer hours! Open 12-10PM Sunday and Tuesday-Thursday, and 12-11PM Friday and Saturday

Moving MELT

For any of y'all who've been paying close attention lately, you know about MELT 2.0. You know we've been creating murals, filling up windows, and painting things yellow (along with some other less fun, less pretty jobs) in our new building for six months now. It's been a hard, complicated journey. We've learned more about permits and codes and power tools than we ever knew would be necessary, but none of that stress or frustration has been enough to dim our enthusiasm. We knew it would more than some sweat and a few bruises to make us stop believing in this little shop of ours. In fact, with every hour we put in, it just became more and more apparent how incredible this place was bound to be. 

So with all of that, you can only imagine how much joy we are experiencing RIGHT THIS SECOND about announcing that the day we've been dreaming of and working towards for so long is so, SO close. Sunday at 9 PM, our Rosedale shop served its last customer and made its last cone. Sure, that's a cause for some mourning and nostalgia. Our Rosedale shop has been nothing short of amazing, in all its quirky, fragile smallness, and we've had some epic parties there. But don't dwell on that for too long, because THE BEST IS YET TO COME. We will be closed from the 27th through the 30th. Don't be fooled into thinking the MELT team will be getting any more sleep than usual during those days. On the contrary, our closed doors will hide a joyful scurry of preparation, making sure that every little thing is set up and ready to go in the new building, before, at 12:00 PM on July first (The very first day of National Ice Cream month), we will open up our Magnolia building for its big debut. 

We hope you will all join us promptly as we open, so we can introduce MELT 2.0 to as many smiling faces as we can as quickly as possible. That night we'll be joined by The Photo Wagon  from 6pm-10pm, and on Saturday night our friends at HD Vinyl & HiFi will come hang to spin some sweet tunes from 6pm-10pm. It'll be a celebration that you won't want to miss. Please join us in our newest adventure!! It's a big day, and we can't think of anyone we'd rather share it with than all of our faithful party people.

Birthday Surprises, Part 2

As we said in our last post, our second birthday was celebrated in standard MELT fashion, with cake and joy and all the pretty yellow things. But we wanted to make sure you guys were a part of the party too. MELT is just as much about y'all as it is about us. So we asked if you would be willing to share some of your favorite MELT moments with us, and y'all came through, with heart warming, smile inducing stories of sincerity. Here are a few of our favorites!

From @elenaemcmurry on Instagram:

"Melt served as a very bright spot after our precious son's many visits to the hematology/oncology clinic at Cook Children's last year. We have been coming since you've opened, and he's so happy to be coming again, without a face mask! Blessings on your continued growth and success!"

From Amy Stafford Georgopoulos on Facebook:

 "I absolutely love Melt for a few reasons. I'm allergic to dairy and it is awesome to have such delicious dairy-free/vegan options! Your use of locally sourced ingredients makes me happy. And every single employee of Melt on every visit has always been friendly and greeted me and my loved ones with a smile. Here's to many MANY more years of success for Melt!"

From Carly Jackson on Facebook: 

"My fiancé made a scavenger hunt for our engagement and one of our stops was Melt! We then went back after we'd gotten engaged. Such a special night!! We love Melt!!"

From @thewillwright on Instagram:

"My grandma moved here from OKC because it was time for her to be near her kids and grandkids. She left, however, her best friend and recently widowed sister in law. When here sis in law came to visit they didn't want the night to end after dinner so I took them to MELT and on an old homes tour of Fort Worth. They both sat in the backseat and giggled like little school girls the whole time. Thanks for being a part of our family time."

From Alex Branch on Facebook:

 "I can get my preschooler to do anything if I promise Melt afterward."

From Melissa Jackson on Facebook:

"My boyfriend found Melt and took me there for Valentine's Day 2015. You let me have ice cream again after I had to give up dairy. Even if your vegan flavors get weird at times, I can eat them, and I am so grateful for that."

All these stories, among so many more, motivate every day of work we do. By making us a part of everyday life, holiday celebrations, and family memories, you fill up every cone with love and reinforce our belief that this shop is special. We could never thank you enough for that! Let's create more stories together this year!

Birthday Surprises, Part 1

MELT's second birthday came and went on the 19th, and for anybody who was around for our first birthday, you may have noticed that this year was a bit low key in comparison. We're saving 2016's big, blowout bash for the opening of MELT 2.0, so there were no on-site t-shirt printings or menus full of specials last week. But, if you know anything about the MELT team, you know we love a party. And our scoopers, shift-leads, chefs, and managers couldn't just let this big day slide by without making sure it was properly recognized. So, without the knowledge of our esteemed owners, we started to plan.  All of that culminated when, last Monday night, Kari and Mark were lured to the shop for what they thought was a meeting, but ended up being a party, honoring both them and their newly two year old business. 

In addition to the party, the team also put together a little project called Mark and Kari's Super Cool Coupon Book. We know that running a couple businesses and doing construction on a shop probably takes a just a little bit of time, so we gave them some options of chores we could take off their plate, like dog walking, grocery shopping, car washing, the works. 

Of course, we also had to have some awesome food, so there was homemade cake and hummus, as well as La Croix and mimosas. The shop was decorated, with yellow and white everywhere. We had flowers. It was pretty great, y'all. We had an awesome time just eating and talking, reminiscing over our favorite moments from the last two years and sharing excitement for the future.

We are so grateful to have been a part of each other's lives for the past couple years, and just as grateful to have been a part of our customer's lives! You guys have made every day possible, and added so much joy and community to all that we do! We can't wait to see where Year 3 takes us!! 

Conscious Mother's Day Gifting

MELT is a big fan of making choices that support causes which are bigger than ourselves. It's why we sell products in our shop from companies like The Sparrow Society, and partner with non-profits such as The Birthday Party Project. It's why we source ingredients from local small businesses. We have this belief that each one of us can make a difference, through conscious choices and purchases, and we love to not only live this out ourselves, but empower others to do the same

Mother's Day is coming up, and we are here to help any stuck shoppers with a list of six of our favorite gifting brands. As a bonus, all of these are brands that are working hard to create a better world and using their skills to love on others. 

(All pictures belong to respective businesses)

Tribe Alive

You've probably heard us talk about these guys before. We're a little obsessed. Tribe Alive seeks to "build sustainable partnerships with marginalized groups in developing countries by connecting them to the global marketplace". Translation: they make gorgeous clothes, accessories, and bags by giving jobs to the people who need them most. Tribe Alive partners with artisans in impoverished countries, providing full time jobs for them, and beautiful fashion for us! Extra points given for being Fort Worth based. Extra points given for being girl-boss owned and operated. Extra points given for having created a line just for MELT. 

(P.S.) Use the code FORMOTHERS on their website to get 30% off your purchase! You know you want to.

Pura Vida

Pura Vida employs over one hundred artisans in Costa Rica to create their vibrant, unique bracelets. Each one is handmade, waterproof, and of the highest quality. But they don't stop there. They also have an extensive line of bracelets that are dedicated towards various non-profits and causes, with their sales going to support almost 200 different charities. Over the years, they have been able to donate more than $877,000 to some awesome organizations. They are also a member of 1% For The Planet, meaning that they donate 1% of their net revenue to environmental causes. Pretty cool stuff.

Thistle Farms

Thistle Farms is SO much more than just a business. They provide housing, employment, medical care, therapy, and more to women survivors of trafficking and addiction. They also work hard to create resources and workshops that educate people about the reality of trafficking in America. All of this is funded by their social enterprises, which include a bath and body company, a cafe, and a global market, all united under the motto "Love Heals". Their bath and body company sells products made from natural ingredients, and made by members of their program. Get some yummy smelling body butters and bath salts, and know that they're helping people put their life back on track and get the help they need. SO GREAT, RIGHT?!?

Doma Coffee

Doma is centered around creating coffee that is good for the environment, good for the people drinking it, and good for the people making it. Everything they do is focused on sustainability. They create personal, long term relationships with coffee growers, buying their coffee straight from the people who've farmed it and making sure they are compensated fairly for it. They also employ environmental practices in every aspect of their business, maintaining a low carbon footprint and using 100% recyclable paper. Locally, they invest deeply in their community, partnering with many local programs to make sure they are creating better lives not only for people across the world, but right around them as well. 

Teeki

Environmentally conscious, American made workout clothes, for the mom who is also a fitness junkie. Teeki's products are made using recycled waste such as plastic water bottles, which conserves gasoline and makes use of trash that would otherwise take centuries to biodegrade. They also have a sister non-profit called Save The Mermaids, which is centered on education and activism about ocean preservation.  

MELT

We might be a little biased, but honestly, the products in our online store are sort of amazing. Each of these beauties supports a charitable organization or local business, such as Tribe Alive, Trust Printshop, or The Sparrow Society! These tote bags, t-shirts, gift cards (and more) would make gorgeous gifts. 

We love all of these brands for their principles and their products, but know that there are also SO many other businesses rocking it with socially conscious practices. What are your favorites??

Cone-struction

Things have been happening over at 1201 Magnolia Avenue, AKA MELT 2.0. The world of construction is slightly outside of our area of expertise, and some days are more stressful than others, but lately there have been a lot of moments where we've gotten to look around and see how far we've come. Those moments have made us so excited for the future, and all the happy memories and celebrations that will fill this currently messy but potential filled space!

Our project manager Miranda keeping us on track

One of our favorite moments from the past few weeks was watching the glass get put in on our new front window. So many smiling faces are going to be seen sitting next to that window, and so much light will come through it to fill our shop every morning. We've still got a ways to go before all that starts up, but we wanted something just as happy and special to fill that glass in the meantime. We wanted the magic and joy our customers bring into our lives to be represented at the new space, before it even opened. So we printed off as many of the beautiful photos you've shared with us as we could get our hands on, and we watched the window slowly start to overflow with a sunny celebration of all the memories we've made together. Nothing has made us more excited for this next adventure than looking back on the times we've gotten to enjoy with y'all, and knowing that things are only getting bigger and better from here. 

Before and after

We are continuing to work super hard to prepare our Magnolia location. We can't wait to get the rubble out and the ice cream in and start hanging out with all of you over there! But, (while that day can't come fast enough) thanks to things like our little yellow window, this place is already starting to feel like home.

You can follow us on Snapchat at MeltIceCreams to get behind the scenes updates on our construction!!

Baby Goat Adventures

Every time we get to partner with a local business, it's one of our favorite things. We get the best and freshest ingredients for our flavors, and we also get to make new friends and watch them succeed. It's always pretty inspiring and fun, but when it features adorable baby farm animals...stuff gets even better. 

Latte Da Dairy is a local goat dairy farm in Flower Mound, which sells fresh cheese from award winning Nubian and Lamancha goats. Latte Da was founded in 2005 by Anne Jones, a strong girl boss and trained veterinarian with a passion for producing the best cheese and the happiest goats possible. Goat farming is not an easy job. It has no days off, and often requires nights as well, with mama goats going into labor and needing help in the early hours of the morning. But Anne's passion and hard work has paid off, with her herd winning numerous awards and selling cheese all over the metroplex and beyond. 

Immense care is given to the emotional well being and quality of life of Latte Da Goats. Anne believes that absolutely has an effect on the both the quantity and quality of cheese they provide.  Goats are fed and milked twice a day, and kids are fed milk from herd does who have recently given birth, so they are sure to have all the nutrients they need as babies. Rescued dogs serve as the herd's guardians, keeping away any coyotes or hawks who might prey on the goats.  

Latte Da sells cheese at all of the DFW Central Markets, as well as three local farmer's markets, and one artisan cheese shop in Houston. Fine local restaurants such as Cafe Modern and The Oceanaire use their cheese regularly, and all for good reason. No more than four days after milk is harvested from the goats, soft cheese made from that milk is already on its way to retailers. 

MELT is super excited to be using cheese from Latte Da in our Got Your Goat ice cream! This flavor, dreamed up by our amazing chef Catie, and made possible by Anne and the goats at Latte Da Dairy, consists of a house made strawberry jam, paired with the best goat cheese money can buy! We are so happy to have the opportunity to bring fresh and local ingredients right to you, in the form of delicious and creative ice creams. Got Your Goat is being sold by the scoop and by the pint in our shop right now, be sure to try this goodness and let us know what you think!!

St. Patrick's Day Ice Cream

There's a lot going on in the world at the moment. We've got a presidential election, North Texas tornadoes, Fort Worth's best ice cream shop is getting ready to move...we could all use a little bit of the Luck of the Irish right now to make sure it all stays on track. Thankfully, MELT is here to help.

Lucky Brew is our newest flavor, and it is here to stay throughout St. Patrick's Day. We started by making a Irish whiskey cream base, and then swirled in some dark chocolate ganache. But something was still missing. So we called up our friends at The Collective Brewing Project, and they threw in some of their End of the Weak stout (described on their menu as an "Imperial Dark Chocolate Milk Stout, Dark Roasted with notes of Chocolate, Vanilla and a small amount of Cinnamon"). We stirred that into our ganache, and then it was done. We had created the perfect St. Patrick's Day ice cream. It's surprising and rich with just a hint of whimsy, and we are pretty sure that nothing will get you in the St. Paddy's Day spirit quite like this. If you try it over the next few weeks, please let us know how much you loved it!!

Southside Galentine's Date

Kari here, the founder and owner of this little ice cream shop.  I'm a big fan of our corner of Fort Worth, the Southside.  It's where I live, work, and play.  I don't think that Valentine's has to just be about couples and romance, I'm all for meeting up with my gal pals for some much needed brunch and hang time.  Here's where I would go if I were planning to be hanging with my ladies for this Galentine's weekend: 

First, we would start off with lattes and chicken and waffles at Brewed,  be sure to take your time and soak in the whole atmosphere.  They have created something truly magical throughout their space and service.  If the weather is nice, be sure and check out their patio.

Next, we would walk down to Ephemera to build our own little plant treats.  I mean seriously, you can build your own mini-terrarium with air plants, purple cacti and mini dinosaurs!  How could that not make you smile? 

After building the world's most adorable plants, we would pop into Kent and Co., the neighborhood wine bar, to split a bottle of bubbly!

By the end of our sips we would be ready for a walk over to MELT to close out the night with our must-have scoops. And I highly recommend getting two scoops, because  new flavors will be out this weekend!