As the first Kona Ice franchisee in downtown Los Angeles, Jenny Jean-Michel is hard at work building relationships in her community.
“Tiger’s Blood is the reason I think I bought the franchise,” said Jenny Jean-Michel, a Kona Ice franchisee in Los Angeles. “I tried Tiger’s Blood when I booked a truck for our drivers, and I’ve been hooked ever since.”
A reward for her hardworking Amazon delivery drivers led to a career change for Jean-Michel. Her love of Kona Ice’s treats (in particular the watermelon-strawberry-coconut mix that is Tiger’s Blood) is realized every day in downtown L.A.
Kona Ice, with more than 1,600 trucks and $265 million in sales last year, serves shaved ice treats featuring dozens of flavors, including sugar-free and fruit-forward options. Among its newest franchisees is Jean-Michel, who opened her truck about a month ago.
A former regional manager and field operations director for fashion companies including H&M and The Gap, Jean-Michel later became an Amazon Delivery Service Partner, effectively owning her own delivery business. As a titan in the online retail space, Amazon’s Prime Days are extremely busy. Last November, Jean-Michel wanted to reward her drivers for all their hard work. She scheduled a Kona Ice truck to come by and fell in love.
“My daughter and I were getting firsts and seconds, and all our drivers were really happy,” she said. “I just felt like it was something fun and interesting to do.”
Jenny Jean-Michel, LA Kona Ice franchisee (and Tiger’s Blood enthusiast).
She spent three months researching the brand and said she saw how franchisees felt about running a Kona Ice truck and the opportunity to become involved in a community. After speaking with CEO Tony Lamb, she was sold.
As an added bonus, the crux of Kona is customer service, which is table stakes for Jean-Michel.
“When we work with our clients, we ensure that they have everything that they expect to have,” she said. “Working in retail, you do have to have an entrepreneurial spirit, and you do need to be a problem solver.”
Jean-Michel is also self-assured after her training via what the brand calls Kona Kollege. It includes both hands-on and classroom training, with an emphasis on local area marketing so franchisees know how to gain exposure in their territory. While there are other Kona Ice trucks in surrounding neighborhoods, Jean-Michel’s franchise is the first in West L.A.
The initial investment cost for a Kona Ice franchise ranges between $173,356 and $222,141.
Since opening a month ago, Jean-Michel has been contacting local schools and organizations to plant the idea of bringing her truck to events. “I’m really excited to continue expanding Kona ice in Los Angeles,” she said. “I just look forward to more opportunities to partner with different industries so they can have the taste of Kona Ice.”