Just as saltwater taffy is a staple of the New Jersey shore and New Orleans is famous for its sugar sprinkled beignets, the sweet treat most synonymous with Manatee County has to be the Mixon swirl — orange juice swirled into vanilla soft serve ice cream.
The signature ice cream treat was introduced in 1986. In July 2025, Mixon Fruit Farms was sold to Manatee County after it had closed, but the swirl survived.
Janet and Dean Mixon launched a food truck that November and named it after the farm’s most treasured treat, the Mixon Swirl. Now the food truck and the ice cream by the same name are headed to Polk County.
The Mixons sold the truck to Polk Sheriff Charities Inc…