Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions

Albert George & Thomas J. Thomas were partners in a small grocery store, and the cone business was started as a side business known as the George & Thomas Cone Co.  The story is that a friend of Albert’s knew about some ice cream cone baking machinery that was for sale.  Since he already knew how to run the machinery, he suggested to Albert that if he bought the machinery and gave him a job, he would run the equipment for him.  The equipment was primitive and hand operated, but worked, and the cone business prospered.

Our Cake Cup/Cone products are made using natural vanilla, which contains a small amount of ethyl-alcohol.  However, please know that the ethyl-alcohol is flashed off during the baking process.  No alcohol is contained in our Sugar, Waffle Cone/Bowl, or Pretzel Cone products.

All Joy Cone packaged products declare all major allergenic ingredients in our products in accordance with the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004 (FALCPA). Any food is capable of causing an allergic reaction, only 8 account for 90% of all food-allergic reactions in the US. These foods are identified by FALCPA as:

  • Milk
  • Egg
  • Fish
  • Crustacean shellfish
  • Tree nuts
  • Wheat
  • Peanuts
  • Soybeans

While the list below is not exhaustive, allergic reactions have been reported due to:

  • Corn
  • Gelatin
  • Meat (beef, chicken, mutton, and pork)
  • Seeds (sesame, sunflower, and poppy being the most common) Spices (caraway, coriander, garlic, mustard, etc.)

Joy Cone calls out in the “Contains” statement “Wheat” for all ice cream cups and calls out “Wheat, Soy” for all waffle and sugar cones/bowl. The Chocolaty Dipped Cups “Contains: Wheat, Milk, Soy”. Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA) doesn’t require the “other foods” which individuals may be sensitive to be called out on labels, however, you will find the ingredient utilized in the formulation amongst the ingredient list on a food label which declares each ingredient in descending order of predominance. FDA 21 CFR 101.4(a).

For More Information:

The Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network www.foodallergy.org/
CDC Press Release: Study on Food Allergies in Children www.cdc.gov/media/pressrel/2008/r081022.htm

Our gluten free ice cream cones and cups are produced using a mixer that is dedicated to gluten free batter.  The batter lines to our ovens are thoroughly cleaned to remove any trace of gluten prior to each gluten free production run.
We use test strips that can detect gluten particles as low as 5 parts per million.

The best way to store the cones is in an air-tight container in a cool dry place.
If cake cups lose crispness, preheat oven to 300° then turn off heat. Place cups on baking sheet and place in warm oven for 2 minutes. Unfortunately there is no procedure to restore crispness to sugar or waffle cones. We suggest breaking up sugar cones and waffle cones and using them as a topping.

None of our ice cream cones contain tree-nuts or peanuts. None of our ice cream cones contain ingredients that contain tree-nuts or peanuts. Since we only bake ice cream cones at our two bakeries, there is no chance of any cross-contamination with other products.

Yes. All Joy Cone products are certified kosher by Star-K or Star-D.

We have four facilities. Our eastern facility is located at 3435 Lamor Road in Hermitage, PA 16148. Our western facility is located at 2843 West Shamrell Blvd. in Flagstaff, AZ 86005. Our Iowa cone facility is located at 2375 Industrial Road SW in Le Mars, IA 51031. Our fourth facility is located in Mexico City, Mexico.

Yes.

Hermitage Facility – Tours are given only during the months of August, September, October and November for parties up to 15. Please contact the Human Resource Department-Hermitage if you are interested booking a tour.

Flagstaff Facility – Tours must be scheduled in advance and are given only during the months of September, October, November, December, January and February on most Wednesdays and Thursdays. Our tours are geared towards school and community groups and our season books very quickly. However, at the start of each season we set aside a select number of dates for the general public. Please contact the Administrative Assistant if you are interested in booking a tour.

Food Service

The paper wrapper is held on the cone using a small drop of corn syrup. Corn Syrup is a food product and is safe for consumption. In addition, the paper wrapper and inks used on the wrapper are food grade.

We do not sell our cones directly to the consumer.

Our cones are available through distributors throughout the United States and Canada. If you would like a list of local distributors visit here.

With the ever-increasing concerns about food-borne illness and sanitation, it was only natural that we develop jackets for our cones. Jacketed cones project an image of cleanliness and show your customers that sanitation is a priority. Using jacketed cones will also cut down on the need for cone wraps and extra napkins. It is also a labor saver.

Yes, the minimum is 1,000,000 jackets per size per year. If you are interested in a custom printed jacket please visit here.

Yes, but there are substantial tooling costs involved. If you are interested in a custom cone please contact Cory Hall at cory.hall@joycone.com or (800) 242-2663 x3400.

Contact Us Quality Feedback Faqs

Eastern Facility

3435 Lamor Road
Hermitage, PA 16148
(724) 962-5747



Western Facility

2843 W. Shamrell Blvd.
Flagstaff, AZ 86005
(928) 774-0225



Iowa Facility

2375 Industrial Road SW
Le Mars, IA 51031
(712) 548 4422

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