Today we’d like to introduce you to Christina Strickland.
Christina, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I was in the veterinary field for over 20 years. I’d planned to stay in that field until I retired, but God had other plans. I felt led to open Texas Sno Fruit, not so much to just be a shave ice business but to be a part of our community. I wanted to be able to hire young people and mentor them through their first job. I wanted to provide a bright spot in the lives of the customers that we serve. I wanted to serve our community, and shave ice has been a vehicle for that.
My husband and I began preparing a year or so before we opened in March 2020. It was important to me to serve a natural option for shave ice. I started making shave ice syrups at home, but scaling that to a professional level, proved to be difficult! We ultimately found a company in Utah that manufactures natural shave ice flavors and decided to use their flavors for our company. Most of our flavors are naturally flavored and colored, using things like vegetables and fruits. We do have a few non-natural flavors by customer request!
It was equally important to me that our company be good stewards of the environment. One of the ways we’re doing this is by using products that are biodegradable. You won’t find styrofoam, plastic spoons, or plastic straws at Texas Sno Fruit. But you will find a great experience and whimsical substitutes that do the job in a responsible way! Our bowls are made of sugar cane, straws are durable paper, spoons are bamboo, and our ripple cups keep your shave ice cold without freezing your hands.
Opening during a global pandemic has certainly had its challenges, but it has also given us the opportunity to be a bright spot in the lives of our neighbors. Our most important goal is to provide excellent customer service. Yes, it’s just a shave ice, but it might make a difference in someone’s day. Bringing a little normalcy to our community is what we’re all about!
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I honestly thought that our little shave ice business would be a very small operation for a while. I didn’t think we would need to hire anyone for the first several months. I was mistaken! I was not ready! Our community embraced us in a big way! I needed to hire help, get more supplies, and get a system/protocol down for the lines of people that showed up for us. We were incredibly blessed by the way our community embraced us!
Please tell us about Texas Sno Fruit.
There are lots of fantastic shave ice places in the Houston area. What sets us apart is two-fold:
1) Our customer service. We are not doing our job if you don’t feel happy when you leave our truck. You never know what someone may be dealing with and how a simple interaction may cause a change in the direction of their day.
2) Our shave ice is naturally flavored and colored. We use cane sugar to sweeten our syrups (unless they’re sugar-free, then stevia). The natural flavors make a huge difference! When my family and I were trying different flavors, we were amazed at the difference in the natural flavors. They are refreshing and delicious! You won’t be disappointed.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I think I’m too new to second guess myself too much, but I wish I would have prepared for success. I prepared to have a slow start and didn’t prepare for the amount of success that we had right out of the gate. I think I was trying to protect myself from failure but instead hindered myself from accepting the success. I needed to have hired and trained people to help earlier.
Contact Info:
- Address: 359 Willis Street
Alvin, TX 77511
(Scopel Square) - Website: texassnofruit.com
- Phone: +832-660-7554
- Email: texassnofruit@gmail.com
- Instagram: Instagram.com/texassnofruit
- Facebook: facebook.com/texassnofruit
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