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Margot’s Ice Cream Parlor has been an anchor business in San Juan Bautista for more than 29 years. Never just an ordinary shop, owner Margot Tankersley also sets trends with gluten-free and vegan items.And, through her dedication to recycling and cutting waste, Margot’s has been honored as the 2025 Green Business of the Year by the San Benito County Chamber of Commerce.
“I started the process of being a certified green business in 2018,” she said. “This opened my eyes to ways to reduce, reuse, and recycle. I am very passionate about this, and I encourage all businesses to implement changes to be more sustainable.”
As Tankersley learned about approaches to making her business more environmentally friendly, she began implementing significant changes, such as moving from plastic spoons to wooden ones.
“We switched everything that we could,” she said. “We had used Popsicle sticks for samples, and changed to stainless spoons. We switched to compostable clear cups and made sure our coffee cups were plain, not insulated.”
For Tankersley, the transition was easy because, as a self-described “big recycler,” she was already aware of many of the issues. However, having been told that 30% of the garbage going to landfills is actually food waste, being trained on how to separate compostables was a significant turning point.
It used to be ‘reduce, reuse, and recycle,’” she said.”Now it’s ‘refuse, reduce, reuse, repurpose or repair, and recycle.’ And now we can add ‘rot.’”
Just the simple action of sorting organics from the rest of the garbage, down to her compostable ice cream tubs, Tankersley said, had a significant impact on her disposal bill.
“Every week,” Tankersley said, “I had two 96-gallon garbage bins, two 96-gallon recycle bins and one 96-gallon organics bin. Within four months, I decreased the garbage to only one 32-gallon bin.”
Being heralded for her efforts prompted Tankersley to double down on her commitment to becoming more environmentally aware, both in her business and personal life.
“I am still trying to get better at this,” she said. “I recently bought a box of Costco paper. When I got it home, I noticed it was not made with recycled materials. So I took it back and got the recyclable one. I’ve got to make sure I pay attention.”
Working with green supplies, Tankersley said, has pricing advantages and disadvantages. Switching from white bleached paper towels and napkins to brown, natural ones turned out to be cheaper in the long run. On the other hand, certain compostable items, such as wooden spoons, are more expensive than the plastic versions.
“The difference might be a few cents each,” she said, which can add up over time. But you’re saving money on other things so, it kind of balances out. And you are not sending as much to the landfill.”
Taking the first steps toward a greener lifestyle, Tankersley said, can be as easy as unplugging machines at closing that didn’t need to be on all night and using eco-friendly cleaners. But, she said, even taking simple steps is important.
“I’m just a small business,” Tankersley said, “and I’m doing only a small part. Yet, if all the small businesses did their small parts, it would end up making a huge difference. The steps that we all take will have an impact on our earth for generations to come.”
The Ice Creams of Margot’s
Dole Whips – One of the shop’s most popular offerings, these are made with whipped fruit puree. Margot’s has the original pineapple in stock at all times and cycles through other flavors throughout the year. Currently, the shop is offering the strawberry version, but will be getting Dole’s latest flavor, peach, next month. “These are dairy-free, kosher and vegan,” Tankersley said. “They’re so refreshing, and people get really excited about them.”
The Dole Whip can also be made into a “Margotnada,” which is the pineapple flavor served ringed with Tajín and chamoy, a new combination that debuted a few months ago.
Oat Milk Ice Creams – Margot’s currently carries two of these naturally lactose-free and vegan ice creams: Mint Chip, made with dark chocolate chips, and Coco Loco, made with toasted coconut. “They are surprisingly good,” Tankersley said. I mean, I’m not vegan. I usually want the fully loaded regular milk versions, but our ice cream maker, Lappert’s, did a good job.”
I have to agree, all down the line. The oat milk version does not have the same body as “real” ice cream—think “slightly melted”—but it has all the richness. I particularly enjoyed the Mint Chip, which had an almost explosive flavor.
Seasonal Milk Shakes – Margot’s is introducing a new flavor, Lavender, and bringing back two seasonal milkshake flavors, Caramel Apple, which is made with vanilla ice cream, apple juice and caramel flavoring and Pumpkin Pie, made with pumpkin pie ice cream, which is mixed with shortbread pieces. The latter comes with complimentary house-made whipped cream, served from refillable dispensers, another green idea.
Pure Pumpkin Pie Craziness – Customers can order any milkshake “pumpkin style,” mixing one scoop of pumpkin ice cream with another scoop of any other flavor. (Tankersley suggests peanut butter ice cream,, which I will have to trust her on.) There is also “Falliday Coffee,” which is coffee served with a small scoop of pumpkin ice cream and topped with whipped cream, and Pumpkin Granita, which is half pumpkin pie and half Kona Coffee ice creams, blended with milk, espresso, and pumpkin spice syrup.
A few of the more exotic flavors – One popular choice is the Blueberry Lemon Cookie Ice Cream, made with lemon Oreo pieces, a truly great flavor combination. This one gets switched out with the Blueberry Cheesecake, made with yogurt mix, blueberry puree, and a cheesecake base. I also enjoyed the Banana Cream Pie, made with fresh bananas, custard and butter pie crust pieces, and the Coconut Pineapple, made with coconut ice cream and packed with chunks of pineapple.
Of the newer flavors I tried, the Rose Water and Honey ice cream was by far my favorite. The aroma is lightly perfumy, as expected, and the rose flavor comes through nicely, but the overall taste is more fruity than flowery and the honey gives it a nice depth.
Not sure what to get? You can pick any six flavors for an ice cream “flight,” which is equivalent to about three scoops. It is just enough to share and allows you to be indulgent without being excessive. Be sure to make one of the flavors the “Udderly Pure,” a sweet ice cream made with organic milk with no additives or other flavors.
Green businesses in San Juan Bautista:
- Bliss Blendz
- Body Mechanics Massage Studio
- Cultiva
- Dalia’s Accessories & Valencia Floors
- Fool’s Gold Antiques
- Jan’s Top Rock Shop
- Jardines de San Juan
- Lolla
- Margot’s Ice Cream Parlor
- Mrs. B’s Z-Place
- Notably Noble Co.
- Noviembre 84
- San Benito Agricultural Land Trust
- Thankful Co
- Timeless Treasures Conference & Event Center
Margot’s Ice Cream Parlor
211 Third St, San Juan Bautista
(831) 623-9262
Hours:
Monday – 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Tuesday – 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Wednesday- 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Thursday- 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Friday – 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Saturday – 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Sunday – 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Margot’s on Instagram and Facebook,
Recommendations for future Eat, Drink, Savor articles can be emailed to roberteliason@benitolink.com.
BenitoLink thanks our underwriters, Hollister Super and Windmill Market, for helping to expand the Eat, Drink, Savor series and give our readers the stories that interest them. Hollister Super (two stores in Hollister) and Windmill Market (in San Juan Bautista) support reporting on the inspired and creative people behind the many delicious food and drink products made in San Benito County. All editorial decisions are made by BenitoLink.
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