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Sno Biz® Shave Ice Flavors Fire Up The Treat Trend
Minneapolis, Minnesota -- Shaved ice topped in deliciously sweet syrup once again has become a trendy treat. Usually called “shave ice,” it’s more refreshing than ice cream— without the fat. And it’s smooth and flaky, not chunky like snow cones.
Shave ice has been popular in Southeast Asia and China for centuries. One 10th-century Japanese book refers to its elegance. From street vendors in New York City to fancy restaurants in Malaysia, today’s entrepreneurs and chefs have revived the shave ice concept with an array of gourmet recipes that call for premium flavors.
Minnesota-based Sno Biz® is ready for international popularity.
Crystal Fresh, Inc., first introduced its Sno Biz brand of proprietary dry-mix flavors for shave ice in 1989. Now Sno Biz features 35 unique flavors, such as Passion Fruit and Mango. Standard favorites range from Strawberry to Root Beer. The company also offers ice shaving equipment, carts and trailers, and everything else needed to set up a Sno Biz dealership.
Sno Biz dealers creatively blend Sno Biz flavors to create sensational desserts. For example, the Apple Pie A La Mode calls for a mix of Apple flavor and Vanilla flavor to douse the shave ice, finished with Sno Biz Crème, a thick, sweet topping similar to condensed milk but oh-so-much better.
Sno Biz dealers prefer dry mixes, in part, for the convenience, according to Tom Novetzke, a Crystal Fresh principal.
“Dealers simply add water to mix the Sno Biz flavors as they need them. They pay less for shipping, too. If they purchase from a competitor, they’re paying to ship sugar water in a gallon jug that outweighs our small pouches—that’s a big concern overseas,” said Novetzke.
Sno Biz vendors operate in more than twenty countries in addition to the U.S., including Columbia, Ecuador, Lebanon and Kuwait.
“It’s the taste of our flavors that sets Sno Biz apart. It’s not unusual for a customer to taste one Sno Biz shave ice treat at an amusement park or mall, and call us to ask about opening a Sno Biz dealership,” Novetzke said.
Crystal Fresh works exclusively through distributors, who sell Sno Biz equipment, dry-mix flavors and branded supplies to dealers. There are no franchise fees in the U.S. Dealers operate from umbrella-decked carts, brightly lit trailers at big-box retailers, permanent mall kiosks and even freestanding stores.
For first-time business owners, the investment in an ice shaver, dry-mix flavors and serving gear is fairly small compared to other franchises. Sno Biz offers a starter package for under $5K, backed by a worldwide support network.
Novetzke recently returned from a training session in China, a growing international hot spot for Sno Biz shave ice. The newest Chinese distributor is Xu Hou, an energetic man who works from an office in Montreal, Canada. Mr. Hou said he sees tremendous prospects for Sno Biz shave ice dealers in his home country. His family opened a Sno Biz store last year in the 300,000-square-foot Golden Resource Shopping Center in Beijing.
“Sno Biz is making it easier to serve customers with excellent flavors,” said Mr. Hou. “I find it doesn’t matter what background, age or which part of China the people come from, they are curious to taste—and they say the flavor is good.”
Mr. Hou concedes that it’s not always easy to start a business in China. But Crystal Fresh has worked with him to overcome the hurdles. Sales for June, July and August were up for him.
“Sno Biz has everything that’s the same quality or better than McDonald’s or other famous brands,” Mr. Hou said. “And people are starting to know which flavors they like.”
Paul Hobeika, owner of Sno Biz Eastern Canada, is seeing the same potential for success. He started working with the Crystal Fresh team in 1999. Now he coordinates with more than 25 dealers in Quebec and Ontario, and he has developed the concept in Australia, China and Spain—so far. “I have more countries that I’m working on,” he said. “The Sno Biz concept is simple and easy to prepare, product cost is good and, as a food business, there is less waste. We have very good support from Crystal Fresh; they are a good team. We are always in contact to discuss business and exchange ideas.”
Carlo Chehab, a leading Sno Biz distributor headquartered in Lebanon, added, “Crystal Fresh has always supported our international and local deals with a wealth of information and details that can enhance our sales,” he said. “They are continuously improving the quality and the image of Sno Biz products.”
Chehab supports nearly 20 operations in Lebanon as well as other dealers and distributors in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Cyprus and Egypt. He said, “Our customers in Lebanon and abroad appreciate the product a lot, and know that it is an American one. Sno Biz means an American Culture to Lebanese and Arab tasters. It is a way of getting familiarized with American products.”
For the Sno Biz brand and the team at Crystal Fresh, that sounds like a world of opportunities.
For more information about Crystal Fresh, the Sno Biz flavors or dealership opportunities, visit www.snobiz.com.
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