What do an ex-pro cyclist and ballerina do when they retire? Open an ice cream shop, of course. Just not like the one you’re probably thinking of. Instead of your usual flavours like chocolate and cookies & cream, at Fluffy Torpedo you’ll instead find Buttered Baguette, Orange and Poppyseed Cake Batter, and Lychee, Lemon, Lime and Bitters Sorbet.
Walking in is a feast for the eyes, nose, and of course mouth. But what stood out even more than the long queues of people out the door is their approach to hospitality. You can tell that owners Cherry Rainflower and Adam Semple care about their customers and community. We spotted Adam popping outside to chat to some of the customers for a good few minutes, as well as the dynamic between him and his staff.
A move across the country
The journey for the duo began back in Perth where they previously ran Stampede Gelato. “I just sort of experimented with ridiculous ice creams for a bunch of years there,” says Semple. But it’s not just trial and error, there was plenty of studying as well. “I bought a book called Ice Cream Science, read every cookbook I could find, and Googled anything else I needed.”
Looking to scale their business, the pair moved to Melbourne and worked on their first store in Fitzroy. The fitout of the store is anything but boring. With the floor covered in sour straps, a bronze hand casted from their daughter’s hand to hold a cone, and a giant nut-and-bolt fixed to the floor, it’s eccentrically colourful and fun, and a reflection of the creativity of Rainflower and Semple.
Cherry and I designed it, and then we built it. We did every single thing other than the plumbing and electrical. I’ve found myself a little bit of an artist, I suppose, in the last few years. And Cherry’s definitely that way inclined as well. So yeah, that’s the most enjoyable part of running this company, spending time and energy and money on executing creative concepts, and having a moral imperative to do it, opposed to just making art at home.”
Adam Semple → Co-owner
Gelato or ice cream?
Australia has a big gelato culture, but not as much of an ice cream culture (outside of the home, that is). “Ice cream gets a terrible rap because in Australia, we buy it for $5 a litre at Coles,” says Semple. “Because of the nature of low-fat gelato, it has to be served at a far warmer temperature and it has to be sort of whipped as they serve it to you. So you can only ever really get a premium product for gelato in a store.”
So why ice cream for the pair then? Purely a preference for the flavours of the higher butterfat. “I like the diversity that a higher fat product provides,” explains Semple. “And I also just genuinely like the flavour more when there’s really high amounts of delicious cultured butter or cream involved. And they also help build out the texture really well in the frozen product.”
Their flavours are truly one of a kind. There’s the Marshmallow, Grape Aeroplane Jelly and Pink Salt, the Mango Spearmint Leaf Tea, and the Iceberg Lettuce and Green Apple Sorbet to name a few. Having tried many, they are truly a delight to taste. All the flavours are made in-house with new ones added frequently, with Semple leading the recipe development as a bit of a creative outlet.
Keeping the lines moving
Behind every scoop served is a seamless operation powered by Square. Fluffy Torpedo uses Square Register and Square Terminal for their orders, both integrated payment and point of sale systems. “What keeps us with Square is a combination of the seamlessness of the whole package,” says Semple. “It never messes up, and it’s minimal enough in its user interface.”
With lengthy queues, reliability and speed are crucial. Square Register gives customers transparency into the order before payment, whilst the portable Square Terminal allows for a second device to process transactions when the till gets backed up. Semple also appreciates the integration with accounting software like Xero, allowing for easy back-end accounting
“We get heckled by other companies all the time, ‘do you want to swap over?’ And I spent a little bit of time thinking about it and they all just failed at something,” says Semple.
A balanced approach to growth
As Fluffy Torpedo continues to grow, Semple and Rainflower have their sights set on expansion. With plans to open more shops and an ice cream truck in the works, they’re navigating the balance between business growth and personal fulfillment. “We are going full gas at the moment, but essentially just to liberate ourselves as quickly as possible to live a far more enriched life,” says Semple.
But despite their sights set on the future, Semple still fondly recalls their first day of business. “The first scoop that we sold in the first ice cream shop,” he reminisces. “We’ve got a photo with the lady that came in. It was such a beautiful moment.”
Fluffy Torpedo is more than just an ice cream shop, it’s a testament to the power of creativity, passion, and partnership. In the heart of Melbourne, Adam and Cherry have created a beautifully inclusive community, and a hot spot for those who love something a bit out of the ordinary.
