Subzero ice cream has closed, bringing an apparent end to the Welsh business which has served customers for decades from parlours in the Rhondda, Caerphilly and Newport.
A farewell message from one of the Subzero teams has confirmed the closure. It said the closure marks "the end of an era" and thanked customers for their support over the years.
Farewell message confirms closure
It read: "Hello Everyone, I would like to say, on behalf of all the subzero team, Thank you to the community and customers old and new, for all of your support over the years.
"Unfortunately today is officially the end of an Era. Subzero ice-cream is no longer active and so we as a team cannot continue our journey of providing locally made ice-cream to you all.
"We have thoroughly enjoyed our time serving you all and seeing everyone young and old take joy from what we did.
"If it wasn't for the loyalty and spirit of the community, we wouldn't have been able to make Subzero what it was, and again for that we will be forever grateful.
"So from all the team, so long friends."
Customers left confused
The message comes days after mass confusion was being expressed online, when customers were turning up to the stores to collect pre-ordered ice-cream cakes and seeing the sites were closed.
Customers noticed that the company's website and social media accounts had disappeared, while its parlours were listed as temporarily closed.
Businesses which stocked Subzero products also reported difficulties contacting the supplier over deliveries.
Customer's birthday order disrupted
Samantha Stevens, from Mountain Ash, ordered an ice cream cake for her daughter Josey's 13th birthday from Subzero's store in Williamstown, near Penygraig. The 41-year-old said she had been buying cakes from the company for the past two years "with no issues at all".
She ordered a £31.99 cake from the store on Friday, September 11, and was told by email on Tuesday, September 22, that it was ready to collect a day early. The message told her not to rush as the cake was safely stored in the freezer.
But after missing a call from the ice cream parlour on Wednesday, September 23, Samantha was unable to get through when she called back.
Later that evening, she and her husband drove to the store to collect the cake as arranged. When they arrived, however, the shutters were down.
Samantha said she spent her daughter's birthday trying to contact Subzero and calling different stores in the hope of finding out what had happened to her order.
That afternoon, she received an email informing her that the order had been refunded. She said the email contained "no explanation, no reason, no apology" and told her the refund could take up to 10 days to appear in her account.
History of the business
Subzero's roots stretch back more than six decades. The business was originally established under the name Mr Creemy, when the Jenkins family opened an ice cream shop in the back streets of Penygraig in 1959.
It later changed its name to Subzero in 2009 following a trademark issue involving the Mr Creemy name.
Over the years, the business grew beyond its original Rhondda base, with parlours serving customers in the Rhondda, Caerphilly and Newport.
Subzero became known for its locally made ice cream, with the business producing dozens of flavours at its operation in the Rhondda.
Its parlours also served waffles and crepes and became particularly well known for its ice cream cakes.
The brand's ice cream was also sold through major supermarkets and stocked by independent businesses.
