Winter Texans are a big reason many ice cream shops in the Rio Grande Valley stay busy after summer ends. While shops up north cut their hours, Valley shops get a fresh wave of customers who stay for months and come back week after week.
That wave does not show up all at once, and it does not stay forever. If you plan your supplies, staff, and menu around it, you can turn a slow time of year into one of your best.
This guide shows how to get your shop ready, from the first arrivals in the fall to the last goodbyes in the spring.
In This Guide
1. Who Winter Texans Are
Winter Texans are seasonal visitors, many of them retirees from colder states and Canada, who spend the winter in South Texas. Most head to the Rio Grande Valley, where RV parks and mobile home parks fill up from fall to spring.
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley has surveyed Winter Texans every two years since 2006. Its survey estimated about 106,000 Winter Texans in the Valley during the 2017 to 2018 season. Welcome Home RGV, a local group, estimated in 2021 that they spend about 1.2 billion dollars each season.
Many come back to the same park, in the same town, every year. They settle into routines, and a good ice cream shop can become part of that routine.
2. Your Season Timeline
Use this as a starting point, then adjust it to your own sales.
| When | What to Do |
|---|---|
| September | Look at last season's sales by week. Note your busiest weeks and top flavors. Place any custom-printed packaging orders. |
| October | The first Winter Texans start arriving. Hire and train seasonal staff, service your freezers, and place your first supply order. |
| November to December | Parks fill up and park events start. Push take-home pints for holiday gatherings. |
| January to March | For many Valley shops, this is the steadiest stretch of the season. Check stock every week and reorder before you run low. |
| April | Most Winter Texans head home. Order smaller amounts so you are not left with extra stock. |
| May to August | Local families carry the summer. Use slower weeks to plan for next winter. |
3. Go Where Winter Texans Stay
Winter Texans do not just walk past your shop. Many of them live in RV and mobile home parks with full calendars of dances, potlucks, games, and club meetings. Mission, which has more RV parks than any other Valley city, calls itself the Valley city that caters most to Winter Texans.
Ways to Reach Park Residents
- Offer a sundae social. Pitch an ice cream night to park activity directors. It puts your flavors in front of a whole park at once.
- Cater park events. Bring tubs of ice cream to potlucks, holiday parties, and end-of-season dinners.
- Advertise where they read. Park newsletters, bulletin boards, and local Winter Texan publications reach people who are new in town each fall.
- Give a park discount. A small discount for showing a park ID gives residents a reason to choose you.
Catering and park events use more tubs than walk-in traffic. Plan for them when you set your supply order.
4. Stock Up Before the Parks Fill
Running out of tubs in January is one of the easiest problems to avoid.
How to Figure Out How Much You Need
- Count how many tubs you went through in a typical week last winter.
- Multiply that by the number of weeks in your busy season.
- Add extra for park events, catering, and new flavors.
- Divide by 50, since Rapamar boxes come 50 to a case with lids.
Order in Rounds
Winter Texan numbers can change from year to year as parks open, close, or change owners. Instead of ordering the whole season at once, place one order for October through December. Check your sales in December, then order for January through March.
Not sure which size fits your dipping cabinet? Order a sample pack first, then see all stock sizes in our ice cream box collection.
5. Keep Product Cold in a Warm Winter
Valley winters are mild, and some are downright warm. The National Weather Service ranked the winter of 2022 to 2023 as the third warmest on record in McAllen. That is good for ice cream sales, but it is hard on supplies.
- Move deliveries inside fast. Do not leave cases on a hot truck or loading dock.
- Store flat boxes in a cool, dry room. Keep them off the floor and away from the back door.
- Keep boxes in their cartons until you need them. This protects them from humidity.
- Use insulated carriers for park events. Keep tubs frozen until the last minute.
Need to fold a lot of boxes before a big park event? Our assembly videos show every size step by step.
6. Flavors and Take-Home Pints
Winter Texans want to try something they cannot get back home. Your menu can give them a reason to come back every week.
Flavor Ideas
- Valley flavors like Texas grapefruit, pecan, and tres leches
- Holiday flavors like peppermint, eggnog, and pumpkin
- A weekly special so regulars always have something new to try
Sell More Take-Home Ice Cream
RV freezers are small, so pints and quarts fit better than half gallons. Keep take-home sizes near the register, and push them before holidays and park events.
If you want your logo on take-home packaging, now is the time to plan it. Learn more about our custom printed boxes.
7. Set Your Staff and Hours
- Post seasonal jobs in September, before other Valley businesses start hiring for winter.
- Train new staff in October, before the parks fill up.
- Check last winter's sales by hour. Your winter crowd may come in at different times than your summer crowd, so staff for the hours that were busiest.
- Think about hiring Winter Texans themselves. Some want part-time work while they are in town.
8. Plan for Locals Too
Winter Texans are a big boost, but they are not your whole business. The Valley has a large year-round population, and local families are the ones who carry you through the summer.
Local news has reported fewer Winter Texans in some recent seasons, as some RV parks closed or changed hands. Build your plan around your own sales numbers, not just the size of the crowd. Keep your regulars happy all year, and treat the winter season as a boost on top of a steady base.
Final Thoughts
Winter Texans can make fall and winter some of the best months of the year for a Valley ice cream shop. Order supplies early and in rounds, reach people where they live, staff up before the parks fill, and keep your local regulars coming back too.
Rapamar makes freezer-grade corrugated tubs and boxes in Tennessee and ships them across the state. See our ice cream boxes in Texas, read our snowbird season checklist, or learn how to start an ice cream business in Texas.
9. Frequently Asked Questions
Who are Winter Texans?
Winter Texans are seasonal visitors, many of them retirees from colder states and Canada, who spend the winter in South Texas. Most stay in the Rio Grande Valley, often in RV and mobile home parks.
When do Winter Texans arrive in the Rio Grande Valley?
The first Winter Texans usually start arriving in October, and parks fill up through November and December. Most head home in the spring, around April.
How should an ice cream shop get ready for Winter Texan season?
Hire and train staff in September and October, order supplies before the parks fill, and reach out to RV and mobile home parks about events and catering. Offer take-home pints and quarts, since many Winter Texans have their own freezers.
How many ice cream tubs should I order for the winter season?
Take the number of tubs you used in a typical week last winter and multiply it by the number of weeks in your busy season. Add extra for park events and catering, then divide by 50 to get the number of Rapamar cases.