Our Story

“We make our own” says it all for this Chico icon! It all began in 1938 when Leonard C. Shubert left Montana, at age 54, to find a location in California for an ice cream shop. As he drove down the tree-lined Esplanade, Shubert was very impressed with Chico and decided this was where his business would thrive. His nephew, Charles Pulliam, Sr., joined him three years later and eventually bought the business from Shubert’s wife in 1951.

Not only is Shubert’s Ice Cream and Candy in the same building in downtown Chico, but it also uses Mr. Shubert’s original ice cream making machines. The business is owned and operated by the fourth generation of Pulliams who are currently making ice cream, rolling out candies and dipping chocolates right on the premises.

The unbroken connection to Chico’s history and to traditional entrepreneurship is reflected in the family’s dedication to maintaining the highest quality in their products. All the candy and ice cream are still handmade using many local ingredients: the butter, cream, honey and nuts are just some of the delicious ingredients purchased from surrounding local farms. Even the seasonal treats such as boysenberry sundaes in the spring, watermelon sherbet in the summer, and pumpkin ice cream in the fall, contain locally grown produce to give them that distinctive homemade taste.

Over the last 80 years Shubert’s has received many prestigious awards and recognition. In the Spring of 2008, as Shubert’s celebrated 70 years of success, appreciative customers sent letters of praise to ABC’s “Good Morning America”. Those letters, subsequent voting and tasting resulted in Shubert’s being named second best ice cream in the nation. That is what Shubert’s is really all about: tradition, high quality, and distinctive homemade taste. Come in to the shop and enjoy a scoop of Chico history. 

Photo: Nate Pulliam & Kasey Pulliam-Reynolds, 4th generation owners

Awards & Recognition