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FRANCHISE RESALES

Buy a Hokulia Shave Ice Franchise

Hokulia Shave Ice is a Hawaiian-themed frozen dessert franchise built around authentic island-style shave ice: fine, snow-textured ice layered with proprietary Hawaiian flavor syrups, a scoop of premium ice cream and a signature “Sno Cap” of sweetened condensed milk. The menu also covers tropical smoothies, super-premium ice cream in 30-plus flavors, and gourmet popcorn. The brand was founded in 2009 by a Utah couple and has franchised since 2012.

Hokulia is backed by Farr’s Ice Cream Company, a Utah dairy with more than 90 years of operating history that supplies the ice cream and gives the system manufacturing and supply-chain depth. The brand offers several operating formats: mobile “shacks”, inline brick-and-mortar stores of roughly 1,400 to 1,700 square feet, free-standing drive-thrus, and food trucks, letting owners match footprint and investment level to their local market.

The network has grown to more than 50 locations, concentrated across the western and mountain states including Utah, California, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and Nebraska, with units reaching as far as Georgia. Franchisees hold exclusive territories and serve local consumers looking for a fun, family-oriented treat.

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Why buy a Hokulia Shave Ice Franchise?

Hokulia operates in the experiential treat category, where a distinctive product and a recognisable brand identity matter as much as location. Its authentic Hawaiian positioning, proprietary syrup recipes and the backing of Farr’s Ice Cream Company give the system a supply chain and product story that an independent shave-ice operator would struggle to replicate.

The four-format model is a genuine flexibility advantage: a buyer can step into a low-overhead mobile shack or a year-round inline store, and many owners run mobile units alongside a fixed location to smooth seasonal demand. Exclusive territories protect an owner’s market, and the franchisor’s purchasing, marketing and operating systems are built for operators without prior foodservice experience.

Hokulia Shave Ice Franchise Costs & Information

  • Minimum Qualifications

    • Initial Franchise Fee

      $27,900 - $50,000

    • Initial Investment

      $81,500 - $133,500

  • Royalty

    • Royalty Fee

      6%

  • Training & Support

    • 3 days on the job training

    • 5 days classroom training

    • Ongoing support

    • Marketing support

Hokulia Shave Ice – Additional  Information

  1. Training & Support

    Initial training is delivered in person at Hokulia's corporate headquarters in Utah: 5 days of classroom instruction plus 3 days of on-the-job training covering products, preparation, financial management, scheduling and hiring. Ongoing support includes marketing and national media advertising, purchasing co-ops for supplies, and field operations support, with Farr's Ice Cream Company underpinning product supply. Buyers of an existing Hokulia unit should confirm what transfer training and headquarters onboarding the franchisor provides to incoming owners, and whether existing staff hold the know-how the location depends on.

  2. Ideal Owner

    Hokulia suits a hands-on, customer-focused local operator who enjoys a fun, family-oriented retail setting; several franchisees run the business as a family venture. Prior foodservice experience is helpful but not required, as training and systems cover product preparation and day-to-day operations. The model rewards owners who are comfortable hiring and managing seasonal staff, driving local marketing, and maintaining consistent service quality across peak summer demand. It fits people who want an owner-operator role rather than a purely passive investment.

  3. Recognition & Awards

    Hokulia has built its recognition through rapid growth to more than 50 locations across multiple states, its distinctive authentic-Hawaiian product, and its partnership with the long-established Farr's Ice Cream Company, whose award-winning ice cream and 90-plus-year heritage lend the system credibility. The brand's reputation rests largely on customer loyalty and word of mouth in the communities it serves. For resale buyers, brand-level recognition should be weighed alongside the specific territory's reputation, including local reviews, repeat custom and community visibility.

  4. Industry / Market

    The US ice cream and frozen dessert market is valued at well over $10 billion annually and is supported by steady consumer demand for affordable, experiential treats. Specialty and novelty formats such as Hawaiian shave ice benefit from interest in unique, photo-friendly products and nostalgia-driven spending. Demand is seasonal, peaking in warmer months, which makes format mix and shoulder-season strategy important: a key reason multi-format and year-round indoor units exist. For resale buyers, local foot traffic, climate and the unit's seasonality profile are central to evaluating revenue durability.

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