Cool Treat Puts Calories on Ice

0

From frozen yogurt to liquid nitrogen-cooled ice cream, Los Angeles has earned a reputation as the place where cool treat trends are nurtured in the United States.

What could possibly come next?

L.A. entrepreneurs Daniel Kultran and Kyu Kim are putting their money on a frozen Taiwanese dessert known as “shaved snow.”

The cold treat – think ice cream crossed with shaved ice – is made by carving thin ribbons off a cylindrical block of frozen puree that often includes fruit and some dairy. The low-calorie treat has a cotton candylike melt-in-your-mouth consistency.

The two are the first to franchise the idea from Chilly Ribbons of Orlando, Fla., and plan to sell the sweet snow from as many as 10 stores they intend to open in Los Angeles and San Diego in the next two years. The first Chilly Ribbons store in the United States is expected to open in Westwood this month.

The self-serve, pay-by-weight dessert shops – a familiar format to frozen yogurt fans – will offer at least 13 flavors of shaved snow, including mango, green tea, lemon, maple and chocolate fudge.

Kultran and Kim, who have also agreed to manage franchise development in California for Chilly Ribbons, expect the brand to have as many as 150 stores in the state within five years.

“I think this is more than just a trend,” Kultran said. “It has longevity. People are eating healthy now, and we exercise more. I think that’s going to be the key for this product.”

– Bethany Firnhaber

No posts to display