Today we’d like to introduce you to Ikaika Anderson.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Ikaika. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I have family ties back to Hawaii where shave ice is an everyday treat. I would always want shave ice here in Georgia to beat the summer heat yet, I couldn’t find anything that compared to the shave ice in Hawaii. While they’re on vacation I decided I would bring shave ice back to Georgia. I researched while I was there, ask questions about the machines they used, and how to create the flavors. Initially, I had no business plan, I simply wanted good shave ice for myself. Shortly after purchasing all the equipment, I began setting up a small stand at a to share shave ice. That first day of doing so I sold out of ice within an hour. That was in 2017. I realized then I had a product that would truly sell. following that day I experimented with flavors and how to better my product. I spent the following summer selling shave ice in the field and put together a plan to grow the business. I titled the business “Gemelos Shave Ice” after my twin sons, in May of 2019 I opened my first location. Now we are working to create a fully mobile unit to do events and working on opening another location in metro Atlanta.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road is never as smooth as you would like, but understanding that it is all lessons to be learned along the path allows for those rough times to be appreciated. Anyone who has tried starting a business understands that creating a start up capital is always a struggle. While at the fields where it started I would run into all sorts of small struggles such as not having power, running out straws or spoons, or ice melting. Those smaller struggles taught me ways to deal with advertising and how to be prepared for anything at any time.
Opening the brick and mortar location was very different from being in the field. I then had to learn how to build clientele, how to market, along with having employees that worked for me. It was a major shift from being in the field. Creating ways to track inventory, being prepared for the next day and sometimes running out of products with large crowds there. The last year was more of the learning curve on how to run a business rather than producing quality product for people to enjoy.
Tell us about your company. What do you do, what do you specialize in, what are you known for, etc. What are you most proud of as a company? What sets you apart from others?
Gemelos is a family based company that specializes in true Hawaiian shave ice. Once you’ve had our shave ice it’s hard to try any other shave ice around. Our ice is shaved very thin, creating a product that melts in your mouth, rather than a crushed iced. Our most popular product is our Unicorn Rainbow, topped with condensed milk, the flavors created a tropical taste with a creamy feeling of ice cream. My favorite part of the about the business has been watching people try our shave ice for the first time, watching their facial expressions as we create large ball of shave ice in an eco-friendly bowl, and serving it with wooden spoons and paper straws, to wide eye face they make when they have their first bite is something I will always enjoy. Creating smiles on the faces of families is something I extremely proud of for Gemelos.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Perseverance, quality, consistency, are extremely important in success. There will be times in business that you will face adversity, but finding ways to cope with that is what keeps a business moving. Producing a consistent quality product is important for me to me. I want people to know that they are getting the best quality product at all times from Gemelos. Understanding that business is a marathon and you must be in it for the long haul is the key to success in all businesses.
Pricing:
- Shave ice $4.00
- Shave Ice with condensed milk $4.50
- Shave Ice with ice cream & condensed milk $5.50
Contact Info:
- Address: 2710 Jefferson st, Austell, Ga 30106
- Website: Gemeloco.com
- Phone: 4049803237
- Email: Ikaika@gemelosco.com
- Instagram: Gemelsco
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