A water ice brand founded in Los Angeles is now scooping treats in the shadow of Sleeping Beauty Castle. Happy Ice, founded by 34-year-old Lemeir Mitchell, opened a permanent location at Downtown Disney District on Juneteenth 2026, making it Disneyland's first Black-owned dessert shop.
Mitchell grew up along the 52nd Street corridor in West Philadelphia, a neighborhood he has described as rough, and told 6abc Philadelphia that he always wanted to be an entrepreneur. What began as a single food truck has grown into a brand now serving traditional Philadelphia-style water ice and its signature Joy-Lati treats, made with Italian ice, sweet cream and fresh fruit, at one of the most scrutinized retail environments in the country.
From Tattoo Dreams to a Juneteenth Debut
Mitchell once planned to become a tattoo artist, a path he shifted away from after the birth of his two daughters, according to the station's report. The route from that decision to a Disneyland storefront wasn't a straight line — Happy Ice first tested the waters with a pop-up at Disneyland in 2021 that performed well, laying groundwork for the permanent shop that opened five years later.
Behind that slow build was a deliberate strategy. Beginning in 2021, Mitchell began studying Disney's corporate hospitality standards through texts tied to the Disney Institute and former CEO Bob Iger, according to the Los Angeles Times, setting an explicit goal of making Happy Ice the “Disney of ice cream.”
Reformulating a Philly Classic for Disney Standards
Opening inside Disney property meant reworking the product itself. Happy Ice introduced its first fully all-natural menu for the Downtown Disney launch, eliminating high-fructose corn syrup and artificial dyes in favor of real fruit and pure cane sugar, per PR Newswire. The launch menu features real fruit and pure cane sugar.
Mitchell's path to Southern California traces back to a return trip to Philadelphia, where he studied water ice production under Fred Cooper, owner of Fred's Water Ice, arguably one of Philadelphia's most respected water ice institutions, according to the Long Beach Post. That mentorship came before he launched Happy Ice in Los Angeles in September 2017, carrying a hometown tradition west.
Tragedy, Reinvention and a Growing Fanbase
The move west followed severe family tragedy. Mitchell's father was sentenced to life in prison and his older brother died in a motorcycle accident, according to Food Truck Operator, circumstances that pushed him to relocate from West Philadelphia to California, where he initially intended to pursue tattoo artistry rather than food. His tattoo ambitions preceded his work building Happy Ice.
That exposure coincided with rapid cultural traction in Los Angeles. Happy Ice attracted celebrity patrons including Heidi Klum and Post Malone, as the Long Beach Post reported. The brand also developed a large Instagram following. The brand's footprint expanded to a Melrose Avenue flagship in West Hollywood by June 2020. Mitchell also opened a second Southern California storefront on Nordhoff Street in Northridge, according to Food Truck Operator.
Beyond Disney: Coachella and a National Water Ice Boom
Happy Ice's visibility has extended beyond its own storefronts. The brand was selected as a featured vendor in the Indio Central Market food program for the 25th anniversary Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in April 2026, as Hoodline previously reported, part of a festival vendor program that grew to more than 75 regional food purveyors.
Happy Ice's rise also fits into a broader national surge for Philadelphia-style water ice, a dairy-free frozen dessert tradition with deep East Coast roots. Philadelphia-born chain Rita's Italian Ice had grown past 600 locations across 30 states by mid-2026, recording $182 million in systemwide sales in 2023, Hoodline has reported. Mitchell's version of that tradition now exists at the opposite end of the spectrum from a neighborhood corner shop, inside one of the most heavily managed retail corridors in American entertainment.
Exceeding Projections and Eyeing More Partnerships
Since opening at Disneyland, Happy Ice has surpassed its own projections, according to Mitchell. He told 6abc Philadelphia that his broader goal is to make partnerships between companies like his and Disney more common, normalizing the kind of deal that took him years of study and relationship-building to land.
Mitchell said he hopes his success offers a different example for young people, particularly those from neighborhoods like the one he grew up in. For a founder who once pictured himself holding a tattoo needle rather than a water ice scoop, the Downtown Disney shop stands as evidence of how far a 52nd Street upbringing and a Philadelphia recipe can travel.
