Italian ice, or more commonly known as water ice, is the must-have summer treat in the greater Philadelphia area.

Certainly, Rita’s dominates locally and nationally. There’s also local favorite John’s Water Ice. Did you know that supermarket brand Rosati Ice is also local?

Rosati Ice was founded in 1912 by Sam Rosati, an Italian immigrant who made his first Italian ices cranked by hand in the basement of his West Philadelphia home. The company grew and Sam soon became known as “The King of Water Ice,” having his popular ices sold from horse drawn wagons throughout the city and at the New Jersey shore.

In the mid 50’s, the company moved to its current headquarters in Clifton Heights, PA and management was taken over by Sam’s daughter Rosemary and her husband Jim Salomone. In 1997, the company was sold to their son-in-law, Dave Schumacher and Rich Trotter, its current owner. The company is arguably the oldest operating company in the United States marketing Italian Ices today. Cool, huh?

They sent me some samples of their popular mango flavor to sample. Who am I to turn down a couple pails of water ice? 🙂

Superb mango flavor. Tangy, sweet and smooth. This is probably the most fruit-forward water ice I’ve had in a while. It’s as if you’re eating a frozen mango! So good! No wonder they’ve been around over 100 years.

Rosati ices are available at local ACME Markets, Weis Markets, and Whole Foods. Click here to find out where you can buy some!

What’s your favorite flavor water ice? Let me know in the comments!

Marilyn Johnson

Food enthusiast. Travel lover. Social media maven.
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