Mexican town runs on ice cream TOCUMBO, Mexico  Welcome to ice cream heaven, a tiny Mexican town that spawned an empire of frozen treats with unusual flavors such as tequila or avocado. Storefronts feature huge bags of chocolate sprinkles. Giant coolers stuffed with buckets of sweet cream open onto the street. People walk by licking frozen pops. Tocumbo is the home of "Michoacan" ice cream, named after the state where the town is located. The frozen treat, known for its distinct texture and flavors, is sold in hundreds of shops bearing the Michoacan name, from Guatemala City to Portland, Ore. Sales in U.S. neighborhoods are rising as Mexican migrants spread to new areas and take the Michoacan brand with them, says Alejandro Andrade, who sells ice cream makers in this town of 1,500 people. Michoacan ice cream differs from what most Americans eat. Each shop makes its own, churning the frozen treat into a frothy texture with unique Mexican flavors such as corn, sweet cheese curd, cantaloupe and pine nut. Paletas, or Mexican-style Popsicles, can have chunks of kiwi, pistachio, orange papaya or homemade peanut butter. "We're showing the world what good ice cream is," says Norma Barragan, who manages one of four ice cream shops near the main plaza. About 90% of the families in Tocumbo are part of the ice cream business, says town administrator German Espinoza. People make ice cream, sell it, provide ingredients or manufacture the machines. "When you think of how many jobs this town has created, it's truly impressive," Espinoza says. "It's a simple product, a simple name, but it has (become) an international phenomenon." The Michoacan brand is not registered in Mexico, and anyone with an ice cream maker and a storefront is free to use it. The town makes money by selling equipment, ingredients and know-how to small entrepreneurs. The result is thousands of jobs that keep people in Michoacan, traditionally one of the biggest sources of U.S. migrants, Espinoza says. Another result is two nearby stores can have the same name. Barragan, who manages one of two Flower of Tocumbo Ice Cream shops within a block of each other, says imitation is part of the game. As Barragan scoops out a sample of avocado ice cream, a visitor asks what's in it. "Cream, sugar and fresh avocados," she says. "What, you were expecting something artificial? This is the original stuff here." Tocumbo's rise began in the mid-1940s, when brothers Ignacio and Luis Alcazar, along with their cousin Agustin Andrade, headed to Mexico City in search of work, Espinoza says. The men opened a pair of shops, both called La Michoacana, to sell ice cream and frozen pops. The treats caught on, and soon others from Tocumbo opened shops. In Alejandro Andrade's workshop in the center of Tocumbo, customers can buy an entire ice cream shop for $30,000: machinery, tables, chairs, menus and signs saying "La Michoacana." He sells four packages a month; 12 went to the USA last year. Another equipment shop has a sign spelling out the town's ambitions: "Tocumbo is the ice-cream capital of the world and a branch office of heaven." Hawley is Latin America correspondent for USA TODAY and The Arizona Republic. Guidelines: You share in the USA TODAY community, so please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally, and keep your language decent. Use the "Report Abuse" button to make a difference. You share in the USA TODAY community, so please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally, and keep your language decent. Use the "Report Abuse" button to make a difference. Read more