One of the next new concepts sweeping the country in the ice cream business is called Shaved Snow, a product created in Taiwan and not to be confused with a similar product called shaved ice, a Hawaiian frozen delight which is a combination of ice, cream, and flavor syrups.
By seeing the name for the first time one would believe Shaved Snow is simply a frozen water based product with flavor added. Actually, the name is more about the process and the way the product is served at the counter. A Youtube video clearly demonstrates the look of the product in a block form and the equipment shaver required to serve the product. The trick to formulate, and goal of the product, is to have it served with a creamy and smooth texture whether or not the “block” consists of all dairy, non-dairy or simply water.. It’s challenging indeed to make a high quality frozen solid product that does not contain air or overrun like conventional ice cream and be creamy.
Besides being a tasty product, the intrigue and uniqueness of Shaved Snow is the shaver which thinly shaves the bottom of the block, dropping slivers of product into the serving dish. Once shaved, the customer has the option to top off with additional syrups or inclusions such as fruit or nuts.
When investigating the shaved snow business, you will quickly discover that much of the information available on-line for equipment and ingredients is offered by Taiwanese and Chinese companies. It is not a problem to make 100% of the purchases from an overseas company, but don’t be reticent to also purchase some equipment and ingredients domestically.
Once you understand the items necessary to make authentic Thai shaved snow, you will quickly realize that most domestic suppliers carry products that make the same product. If anything and in some instances, product quality is higher by using fresh dairy ingredients like cream as opposed to using the powder offered by an Asian company.
When making a purchasing decision, simply by listening to an online sales pitch or website demonstration, you may be paying more for a lower quality product. In regions of the world where pasteurized fluid dairy products like cream or milk are not readily available or are more costly, many overseas companies recommend and demonstrate a base powder as the “only” why to make the frozen product block.
Once you understand what constitutes the block you will see that fresh produces a higher quality shaved snow product. Additionally, if deciding to purchase large or small equipment from China or Taiwan, then be prepared for measuring marks to be in metric format. Some motors may only be available from an overseas company. Investigate all items before purchasing and use common sense when determining what can be purchased overseas or domestically.
I really like the concept for its uniqueness in presentation and great value for the beautiful products served. The shaved snow business is simple while delivering a high quality product with exceptional profit margin. When compared to starting a conventional ice cream or liquid nitrogen shop, the investment to get into shaved snow business can be much lower and, if done correctly, the product will be as good if not better.
Contact Darryl to help you get started in the shaved snow business. He will point you in the right direction for product development, equipment selection and process.
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