Entrepreneur Aachal Reddy ventured into setting up Fiji’s first rolled ice-cream business. Ms Reddy was a successful recipient of the soft loan from the Fiji Development Bank.
She first started her business from her Mead Road home in Nabua selling juice and milkshakes. She is married and is still praying to have a child after losing two pregnancies.
The challenges she faced resulted in the inception of a small business, “Sweet Sips,” to keep Ms Reddy occupied.
“We applied for the FDB COVID grant and were able to get a small business loan. So we decided to bring something new,” Ms Reddy said.
“We had seen a video on YouTube of rolled ice-cream and decided to buy a rolled ice-cream machine.”
“We first introduced this roll ice cream machine in Rups Nakasi during Eid celebration.”
Rolled ice cream is also known as stir-fried ice cream that is spread on a really cold metal surface then scraped up into totally a perfect spiral and stacked vertically in a cup to serve.
Rolled ice cream uses less sugar than traditional ice-cream which means fewer calories per serving, and no air is added to the mix, which makes it denser than typical ice cream.
Ms Reddy said customers loved their rolled ice cream in a cup even though they had to wait in line. With the help of her husband, the couple have 10 rolled ice cream flavours including strawberry, orange, oreo, lime, banana, chocolate, pineapple, passion fruit, peach and mango.
They will soon launch three new flavors; guava, blackberry, and watermelon.
“We have received feedback from our customers that rolled ice cream is tastier because it is made on the spot,” she said.
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