Have a Happy and Safe Fourth of July

From everyone here at 1-800-Shaved-Ice.com, HawaiianShavedIce.com, and CottonCandyExpress.com, we wish you and your family a safe and happy July 4th! We hope that all of you will enjoy time well spent with friends and family. We also hope that you will take a moment to thank a member of our armed forces for their dedication, bravery, and sacrifice as they continue to protect the freedoms that we enjoy here in the USA.

To all of the men and women who proudly serve our country in the armed forces...THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE. We appreciate it immensely and are grateful to you.

Happy Fourth of July everyone!

Order Our Top 5 Flavors in One Package

Attention home shaved ice and snow cone aficionados! HawaiianShavedIce.com has packaged their top 5 best selling, most popular shaved ice and snow cone flavors together so you can order them together and save! Our "Summer Stimulus" sale is going on right now and you can save on our 5 most popular flavors.

This package includes one quart of ready-to-use premium shaved ice syrup in each of the following flavors: Blue Raspberry, Cherry, Grape, Lemon-Lime, and Strawberry.

Order today and they'll arrive in no time at all, allowing you to create delicious treats for your friends and family!

Hot Summer Days + Cold, Refreshing Shaved Ice = Potential Profits

Summer in many portions of the US has started out to be a hot one! If you operate a shaved ice or snow cone stand in these "warm" regions of the US, I hope you're enjoying a busy start to the summer.

In Amarillo, Texas, this stand is certainly reaping the benefits of hot summer days! Read more about their sales and other information that may be helpful to you in the operation and management of your own business.

I have friends who recently let me know that it was 102 degrees where they live in Texas. My suggestion to them? FIND A SHAVED ICE or SNOW CONE STAND to help them cool off!

It's hot out there! Some people don't like the heat and see it as burdensome. However, for folks like us, when we see the thermometer rise, we see dollar signs too! I hope your summer continues to be a hot and profitable one!

Cotton Candy Floss Concentrate

Are you looking to try a new, great tasting cotton candy concentrate for your business? If so, CottonCandyExpress.com invites you to try out Great Floss Concentrate. Each concentrate is stored in 16 ounce or 1 pound re-sealable tubs. In order to make your own floss sugar, just combine 1 to 2 tablespoons of concentrate to 10 pounds of cane or beet sugar. For the best results, mix thoroughly and do not use too much Great Floss Concentrate. You have the option of choosing from the following ten great floss concentrates:

Pink Bubble Gum
Orange
Blue Raspberry
Pink Vanilla
Cherry Red
Pina Colada
Grape
Strawberry
Mint Green
Watermelon

In order to make your preferred floss sugar from our concentrates, we recommend that you experiment with the ingredients before you sell your cotton candy. (If you have children or children in your neighborhood, they make great test subjects. Make up a batch of cotton candy, pass it out to them, and get their feedback on the taste and texture of your product.) You may find that you only need to use 1 tablespoon per 10 pounds of sugar, or you may find that you need to use more or less tablespoons per 10 pounds of sugar. Use what you like best or prefer, and stick with your own recipe regardless of what your competitors are using! Their recipe may be different than the one you use due the products or machine that they are using.

Order now and save even more on this great tasting product while it is on sale!

There Has to Be a Story Behind This Somewhere

I came across this article a couple of weeks ago. As many of you know, I like to look for shaved ice, snow cone, and cotton candy information that appears in the news media and then post it here.

This article and the local ordinance it discusses was amusing, but at the same time slightly annoying. Who in the world decided it was a good idea to set an arbitrary date for when a business could start selling snow cones and shaved ice. My first reaction was..."hmm...do they have a date for when ice cream sales can begin? what about hamburger and hot dog sales?" Anyhow...I thought it was interesting and worth posting a link to the article here in the blog.

Personally, I have never heard of a law like this being enforced. Have you? If so, please share the story with us!

Thanks!

Interesting Article about Shave It

As you know, I always like to feature shaved ice, snow cones or cotton candy articles that appear in the mainstream news. Last week, I came across an article from April of this year discussing a new start up company called Shave It (a California based franchise).

As usual, I encourage you to read the article about their store (as of this article, there are 3 locations in So. California). I also encourage you to visit their website (www.shaveitice.com). Check out their menu, their prices and how they market their company. There's a great deal of helpful, useful information there that may be of use to you in promoting your own shaved ice business. It's just good fuel for thought. Another "magic lantern" moment as I like to refer to them.

I hope you find it helpful for your own business.

Slush Machine 101, Part 2

The alternative to the bowl machine (as described in the previous article) is the box type slush machine. These larger machines generally come in single barrel or double barrel configurations.

Box type slush machines work differently than the bowl type. As we mentioned, box type machines are available in single or double forms. These machines hold the liquid mixture in two places: a freezing cylinder and a storage hopper. The freezing cylinder holds approximately 1.5 gallons (6 liters) while the larger storage hopper holds 5 gallons (18.5 liters). The total amount one side of a box machine can hold is 6.5 gallons (20 liters). The mixture is frozen in the freezing cylinder; it is not frozen in the storage hopper. Once the mixture is dispensed from the freezing cylinder, the same amount of product is replaced from the storage hopper into the cylinder. Because the freezing cylinder is smaller, you are limited in how many people you can serve at once. This machine is ideal for bars and restaurants where the machine will constantly be running.

Key advantages of box type machines:

• Requires less attention (automatically refills itself after each use and eliminates the need to create a full batch all at one time like bowl machines require)
• Great resource for bars or restaurants that create frozen, alcoholic beverages. Box machines create a great frozen base for margaritas.

Box type machines are generally used in less visible environments such as restaurants and bars because those locations do not need the visual attraction as much as convenience stores and other high traffic locations (carts, stands, etc.). 1-800-Shaved-Ice.com features Crathco box type slush machines. These machines are well known as "the original margarita machine" and are highly respected for their consistent, durable performance. We sell single barrel and double barrel machines. If you are considering the purchase of a box type slush machine and have questions, please feel free to contact us by either emailing us at CustomerCare@1-800-Shaved-Ice.com or calling us at 1-800-Shaved-Ice (1-800-742-8334). We will happily answer your questions!