Today we’d like to introduce you to Moni Burgin and Rachel Horesovsky.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Moni and Rachel. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Rachel and I have been close friends since elementary school, and for a long time, we have dreamt of having our own dessert shop. In January 2016, we decided it was time to put together a Kickstarter campaign and make it happen. We raised $10k over 30 days to bring vegan milkshakes to Austin and spent the next year and a half fixing up our trailer, buying ice cream equipment, and perfecting our recipes.
On September 9th, 2017, we opened for business and were completely blown away by the amount of support we received! We sold out on both days of our opening weekend, and during our first week, the biggest struggle was keeping up with demand.
Now, we’ve been open for three months, and the vegan community has continued to be wonderfully supportive. We’re keeping our flavors new and exciting with monthly shake specials, a rotating seasonal menu, and we are now selling packages of flavored meringues as well, with hopes to expand more in the future.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Construction was definitely our biggest challenge. When we first bought our trailer, we hoped we would only need to re-work the cabinetry and add some shelving to make it fit our needs.
Unfortunately, it needed a lot more work. At this point, we’ve replaced the floor, patched the roof, replaced windows, and installed new electricity and plumbing. The plus side is that we’ve gained so many new skills from this experience, and now if something breaks on the trailer, we know how to fix it.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Milky Way Shakes – what should we know?
Milky Way Shakes offers creative, delicious, and visually stunning vegan shakes. We make as much of our menu as possible from scratch, including our sauces, compotes, meringues, and our ice cream, which is made from coconut cream.
We put a special emphasis on making our shakes as aesthetically appealing as possible, dressing them up with edible glitter, candied flowers, and star-shaped crispy meringues. Our shakes taste as good as they look too, living up to their unique presentation with a twist on classic flavors like chocolate and cayenne, or strawberry and lemon.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
It takes a village to raise a food trailer! Firstly, none of this would be possible without our Kickstarter backers, who gave us the first push that got us rolling, and who are still supporting us today. Also, we owe so much to the help and patience of our knowledgeable friends, who taught us how to install plumbing, fix a floor, and tow a trailer, among many other things. We are both lucky to have very supportive families and friends.
A special shout-out is also due to our former boss, Diane, at Via 313, who has helped us in countless ways, especially by hiring us even though she knew we would be leaving for Milky Way Shakes when our trailer was done. A special mention goes to Nic Patrizi as well, who encouraged us to run a Kickstarter in the first place. We are grateful for everyone’s help.
Contact Info:
- Address: 2908 Fruth St Austin, TX 78705
- Website: www.milkywayshakes.com
- Email: milkywayshakesatx@gmail.com
- Instagram: milkywayshakes
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