Having “served up smiles” since April, Katrina and Jeremy Hepner are still getting established as Kona Ice truck owners. Just a few months into owning their own Hawaiian-style shaved ice truck, the Hepners have worked events at local schools, day cares and around Colorado. When there aren’t any events to go to, the truck goes around neighborhoods providing cold treats during the hot summer months.

Katrina works full-time with the ice truck and her husband, Jeremy, helps when he can at large events or just when Katrina needs a break. Sometimes their four children help out, as well.

Getting started proved to be a challenge, Katrina said. She and Jeremy needed help from other local Kona truck owners in order to get the proper inspections and licenses to be able to sell the shaved ice. They refer to other Kona Ice franchisees as part of the “Kona family.” Because they are all divided into territories, the various Kona Ice franchisees do not see each other as competitors, but as friends.

Katrina said there really is no competition for her truck. Other Kona trucks have to ask her to enter her territory, which includes the Old Farm Park and Fountain Park areas, and her shaved ice offers more varieties than many local ice cream trucks, she said. Kona Ice products are Smart Snack (federal guidelines)-approved, according to the Kona Ice website. Each serving has 25 calories, is gluten-free and contains vitamins C and D. This allows her to take her truck to schools and day cares, where many competitors wouldn’t be able to go because of not being Smart Snack-approved.

“Most of the kids don’t even know that it’s healthy,” Katrina said. “They just love the fact that they get shaved ice.”

Katrina had been a school counselor for about 10 years before deciding she wanted to open her own business. She said she had always wanted to be a business owner, but didn’t know what exactly she wanted until a Kona Ice truck came to the school she worked at.

“I wanted to be connected to the schools, but in my own way,” Katrina said.

Katrina still gets to work with kids, except instead of trying to talk them through their problems, she gives them cups of shaved ice that they get to add their own flavors from the syrup spouts called the Flavor Wave on the side of the truck.

“I just love to bring the happiness,” she said. “I drive up and kids will go crazy, and they’re smiling and jumping.”

Another great part of Kona Ice, according to Katrina, is when she goes to schools or nonprofit organizations, 20 percent of the proceeds go back to the organization, which allows her to stay connected to the community.

When Katrina first told Jeremy she wanted to get a Kona Ice truck, he was skeptical. They decided to check out the Kona Ice convention in Kentucky.

“We were just trying to get negative response from over 700 people there,” Jeremy said. “Nobody said anything negative.”

All the positive response at the convention convinced Jeremy that getting the truck would be a good idea, and he said he hopes to get another for future summers.

“When we went on our way, there he was still on the no side,” Katrina said. “When we left, he wanted five trucks.”

Katrina and Jeremy currently only have one truck, though they plan on purchasing another truck for the future. Jeremy said their children should be able to help out some, though they may have to hire another driver when they do finally expand. For now, they are just trying to get established.

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Contact Kelsey Kendall: 636-0142