eliz clark-heider

willits, CA (USA)
Role(s):
Founder/Owner/Principal

Mendocino Shaved Ice

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Location: willits
Industry: Food Service/Restaurant
Year Founded: 2008
Number Employees: 1-10 people
Description: I am starting a Hawaiian Shave Ice mobile service in Mendocino County, California. This year we were hit with a lot of wild fires that burned around 50,000 acres in our county, and fire fighters from around the country worked here for over a month to put the fires out. In response to that, I became determined to get my business plan for shave ice up and running this summer, so that we could do a benefit for our county's fire fighters, to help restore some of the funds spent on fire fighting, and also to give the fire fighters free shave ice, which would taste so good if you're dehydrated from fighting fires 12 or more hours a day. I have been working on my shave ice business plans for about six months now, long before the fires hit. I researched the best shave ice machine on the internet, watched countless shave ice making videos, visited the health department and got all the information I need to pass health inspection, I've researched the business permits I need, I've gotten an accountant to help me with my books, I contacted local farmers' markets to assess basic demand for shave ice in our area, I've developed a small group of local people and organizations interested either in working for the shave ice benefits, or in having a shave ice event of their own. The local hospital wants to feature our shaved ice at an event of theirs next month. I have been begged by local managers to please get shave ice going in this area, as all we have in town are two small ice cream counters, (and ice cream is more fattening than shave ice,) and at this point the only thing holding me back is that I've lost the funding I had lined up, to pay for the shave ice machine itself, which will cost $2080, including shipping. I have planned to pay for the other things needed to start up: the cups, ice, syrups, straws, spoons, napkins, ice chest and so on, out of my personal savings, which will come to about $500. But I have no way of coming up with $2000 before the end of the summer. I currently work 30 hours a week to meet my own living expenses, and using the extra from that, it would take me 10 weeks to buy the shave ice machine, and by that time summer will be almost over. So I am trying to get a micro loan for that one big piece of equipment, and I am willing to make it a chattel mortgage loan, such that the machine, or my car can be held against the loan. Or, the loan could be held against part of the value of the 38 acre homestead I own, which is mortgage free. I would dearly like to get the shave ice machine in time to do the Howard Hospital benefit, which is on August 16. Everything but the machine is in place. The company I will buy it from says they can ship it in two days of receiving payment. I know that shave ice is going to be very profitable in this area of the country: it gets so hot and dry here, and the summers last from June to October with almost no rain. People here would love to have a refreshing treat that hydrates them, and in time we would like to develop our own flavored syrups that are not as sugary as the commercial ones. We could make organic "healthy" flavors for the shave ice. I even heard of freezing blocks of green tea, and making Green Tea shaved ice. I think there is a lot of potential to make people happy, and healthy here, and I also think the business will be profitable. I haven't had a chance to test it out yet, but I believe from what I've heard from one of our group who's run a shave ice machine, that we can earn $100 an hour when it's operating. For a three hour farmer's market, that's $300, minus expenses, let's say conservatively a profit of $200 a day, 8 farmers' markets in the county, we could make $1000 a week if we had the machine going every day. I apologize for running on like this - I haven't quite got this into a neat presentation yet- but I know it will work! I am praying for that $2000 to get us started, and will be glad to pay it back, by the end of the summer, and we can still do our firefighter benefits. Thank you for your time reading this! Eliz