For many, enjoying a shaved ice with family and friends is as much a summertime tradition as lemonade or swimming. Connoisseurs - young and old - say shaved ice quenches a thirst better than soda. It is lighter on the stomach than a scoop of ice cream and when made just right, melts in the mouth just the same. "I just moved here from California and there wasn't anything like it there," explained Kathy Guenther. "It's very refreshing." Just don't call it a snow cone.
"That's a four letter word," joked Donald Griffiths, vice president of the Draper-based Tropical Snocq, one of three shaved ice companies that started in Utah and which sell equipment and products worldwide. For the uninitiated, there is a difference between a traditional snow cone and its more sophisticated cousin, shaved ice, sometimes referred to as "shave ice" or "slush ice."
Snow cones are cubed ice, ground into pieces. The ice is crunchy and has edges, which means the flavored syrup runs right off, pooling in the bottom of the cone-shaped cup in which it is served.
Shaved ice, is just that: ice shaved from a solid block until it is fine and fluffy - like fresh Utah snow. Shaved ice acts as a sponge absorbing the colored syrup so customers get flavor in every bite. It is typically served in paper cups and eaten with a straw that has a small scoop on the end.
Expect to pay more for shaved ice. A 16-ounce cup can cost between $2 and $2.50, depending on the company. Although, most stands offer several different sizes and prices.
Flavors are a big part of the shaved ice attraction. For example, Tropical Sno, a family-run business that started in 1984, manufactures 40 different base flavors, from strawberry and peach to lime and vanilla, said Griffiths. Two, three, even four flavors can be mixed together to create more options such as Ocean Pacific (blue raspberry, vanilla and lemon) or Georgia peach (strawberry and peach).
The most popular flavor, no matter the shaved ice company, is Tiger's Blood. Adults love it for its taste - a mixture of strawberry and coconut - and kids love the name.
Some stands even offer a Hawaiian sundae that includes a scoop of ice cream, topped with shaved ice, syrup and cream, if desired.
Utah history:
Shaved ice has a huge following in Hawaii and the Midwest, but over the last 25 years, the Utah-Idaho region has established itself as a sort of western Mecca for the treat.
Thank Carl Rupp, who first tasted shaved ice while on a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints in St. Louis. It was 1979, and every day Rupp would see a crowd of people outside a tiny shack near his apartment.
"I wondered why people would line up for a snow cone," he said during a recent telephone interview. "After about 2 months, I stopped and bought one. It was fine and soft and every spoonful was saturated with syrup."
The treat made an impression on Rupp and he decided to bring it to Salt Lake City. He constructed a small building, put it in a local parking lot and called his company Sno Shack.
Over time, Rupp set up a dozen more Sno Shacks around the valley, even designing his own ice shaver and creating his own flavors when he couldn't find products he liked.
Soon friends and acquaintances asked if they could set up Sno Shacks in their neighborhood. Rupp ultimately began a contract business, supplying everything a person would needed to run a shaved ice operation.
Rupp's wife Cheryl took over Sno Shack when the couple divorced several years ago. (It was recently purchased by Jared Sommer, who moved its headquarters to Rexburg, Idaho.)
But Carl Rupp couldn't stay out of the business long. He started a new operation, Snowie, with his brother Gordon in the mid 1990s. Today the company has customers throughout the country and in some 36 countries.
Profitable business venture: People from all walks of life - from teachers to college students to retired military personnel - operate shaved ice stands as a way to supplement their income. Depending on the location, and how well the shaved ice stand is operated, the seasonal business actually can bring in a full-time salary.
Sommer said he knows of a few shack owners who have grossed $100,000 in a summer, although the average gross income is about half that. That does not include the expenses of purchasing the shack, the ice shaver, syrups, cups, paying employees and leasing a spot in a local parking lot.
Families, like the Didier family of Holladay, invested in a Tropical Sno shack this summer so their teenage children would have a flexible summer job.
"They are learning to be responsible and sacrifice," said mother Karen. Fortunately, the shaved ice business is a social one.
The stand, located in a strip mall at 4040 S. 2700 East, is busiest in the mid-afternoon when many children stop for a treat after swimming or other activities. Business picks up again in the evenings when families, often pushing strollers or riding bikes and scooters, come for an after-dinner treat. Later in the evening, its a popular places for teenagers to hook up with friends.
Some people, like Brett Binford, stops for a jumbo-sized orange cream concoction several times a week.
"It's the bomb," explained the Skyline High school basketball player. "I come here every day after basketball practice and get the same thing."
Maybe part of the reason for shaved ice popularity is its seasonality. Shaved ice lovers can only enjoy their treat between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
"There's only a window of time you can eat a raspberry off the bush or a peach off the tree," said Rupp. "Shaved ice falls into that same category."
Contact Kathy Stephenson at kathys@sltrib.com or 801-257-8612. Send comments about this story to livingeditor@sltrib.com
