In 1920 Bristol-born Alfred Tarr ran a small general store in St Philip’s Marsh in Bristol. He bought his bananas from an Italian family in Old Market who made and sold ice cream. Because their English was poor, he did their paperwork and while doing this he saw the traditional way ice cream was made. Being a canny businessman he set about making his own and selling it from his shop. The Italians were not impressed and sent a tricycle down to sit in front of the shop giving away their own ice cream for free! But Alfred knew free ice cream would not last, and after three weeks they gave up and so Tarr’s was set up, the only English family to make ice cream in the area at that time.
In 1945 Alfred moved to the dairy in Brislington where the business is still based today. He was way ahead of his time in buying machinery which proved to greatly help efficiency, and in the 1950s had five ice cream vans and Tarr’s own freezers in many corner shops throughout the city.
Colin has now passed the reins over to his son and daughter, Mike and Deana. They are helped by Mike’s wife Marilyn and in turn by their son and daughter, Bradley and Stacey and her husband Colin.
