After nearly a decade operating out of Snohomish, Redmond residents Sharon and her daughter Melissa “Moonie” Crosetto were finally able to move their business to their hometown last winter.

Moonie Icy Tunes is an ice cream catering business, and though it operates out of a retrofitted 1982 AM General jeep and several vans, their business model is fundamentally different from neighborhood-cruising trucks.

“You don’t have to chase after the ice cream truck anymore, you can just book it online,” Sharon Crosetto said.

The Crosettos have a team of around eight at their business during the busy summer months, with the jeep generally heading out to various events multiple times a day.

Some common events the jeep, or one of the many large ice cream coolers that are also available, can be seen at include weddings, corporate events or construction sites.

Melissa Crosetto said she even catered a memorial event on the state Route 520 bridge while it was under construction.

Sharon Crosetto said she started the business while she was working for Microsoft and after Melissa graduated high school. They also adopted Melissa’s nickname, “Moonie”, for the business name.

She said she hoped to teach her daughter entrepreneurial skills.

“The business evolved rather rapidly,” Sharon Crosetto said.

When they won a 2010 “Best of” award from Seattle Magazine, Sharon Crosetto said it convinced her to quit her job at Microsoft and focus on Moonie Icy Tunes full time.

The company has at least doubled their business year-over-year for as long as they’ve been in business, she said. They’re currently booked through October.

But that doesn’t mean it’s always been a smooth ride for the family. Before Sharon Crosetto’s husband installed a real-time monitor for their refrigeration devices, they suffered blown fuses twice.

One of those outages resulted in their business losing around $20,000 of product.

Still, the duo credited their success to their unique business model, which brings Blue Bunny ice cream to customers.

“I like the business itself, because it’s different and unique and everyone is happy to see you when you get there,” Sharon Crosetto said.

All their product is individually wrapped instead of scooped, and Sharon Crosetto said Blue Bunny products have only become available in Washington state over the past few years.

They switched to the new provider when it became available because of the higher quality of the ice cream, they said.

“We really focus on the quality of our product,” Melissa Crosetto said.

They’re also planning on expanding to a larger freezer soon. Due to the high demand of their services, even with multiple mobile freezers and a walk-in, they only have space for three days worth of product at their Redmond location.

The jeep itself is a big attraction too. Sharon Crosetto has extensive experience working with vehicles, and replaced the V-4 engine of the former mail carrier with a V-8, along with other modifications like a temperature monitoring system and ice cream freezers.

All these factors have led their business to its current level of success.

“It’s not only ice cream, but it’s how we’re distributing,” Sharon Crosetto said.

Moonie Icy Tunes is located at 14950 N.E. 95th St. Suite D and serves Seattle, the Eastside, Tacoma and surrounding areas. For information, visit www.moonieicytunes.com.