You may be surprised to find out that Del’s Frozen Lemonade actually began in
Naples, Italy when a man with the last name, DeLucia combined snow, sugar, and
the ripest local lemons he could harvest to make an extraordinarily refreshing
drink. The process started in the winter of 1840, when DeLucia began to gather
armfuls of snow and brought it to caves where he could insulate the snow with
straw. Once summer had arrived he harvested ripe lemons and used the juice to
mix with the snow he had set aside. The combination of snow, fresh lemon juice,
and the right amount of sugar created a flavorful frozen drink that he could
sell at the local market.
Nearly a century later the concept was brought to America and Angelo DeLucia,
who is one of the great-grandsons, began working on a machine that would
consistently produce Del’s Frozen Lemonade with the same refreshing, lemony, and
sweet flavor. Angelo was successful in his attempt and the name “Del’s Frozen
Lemonade” was officially acquired in 1948. The family business sold its products
from a little stand in Cranston, Rhode Island. Years later Angelo developed the
first mobile units to dispense frozen lemonade anywhere there were thirsty
people. Today Del’s operates over fifty franchises!