By Andy Furman
NKyTribune reporter
Finally, a connection.
“They reached out to us a while back, and now we’re a force,” Tony Lamb, founder and
CEO of Florence-based Kona Ice, told the Northern Kentucky Tribune.
The partner – Brandgenuity – Brand Licensing Experts.
“They license programs for some of the beloved global brands,” Lamb gushed. “They
provide thoughtful, tailored strategies, as well as execution.”
Some of the brands represented by the company — Arm & Hammer, BMW, and Nissan, just to name just a few.
Kona Ice is in good company.
“We couldn’t be more excited to have partnered with Brandgenuity to lead our
licensing efforts,” Matt Fultz, VP/ Commercial Branding, told the Northern Kentucky
Tribune. “They’ll use their relationships to help us expand into the food and beverage, and toy and collectible and lifestyle industries.”
So how does a prominent shaved-ice company make such a move?
“We’ll be using some of the hallmarks of the Kona Truck, like the patented Flavorwave
and universally-loved flavors like Tigers Blood, Blue Raspberry and Monster Mango, to
enter the retail space,” Fultz said.
For food and beverage, Fultz continued, it may very well look like fruit snacks or drink
mixes, and for toys Kona Ice envisions everything from ride-on and role-playing toys to
diecast replicas of the truck.
“Lifestyle,” Fultz said, “will include things like apparel, such as shirts and swimwear and other accessories.”
Lamb claims Kona Ice is a very marketable as well as national brand, yet he added: “Their (Brandgenuity) call did somewhat surprise me.” The founder of Kona Ice, however, has always been sweet on licensing to help fuel growth for the world’s largest mobile food franchise and suggests will help bring the popular brand – its iconic trucks, colorful characters, and kid and adult-loved flavors to new categories and retail channels.
Kona Ice is a mobile shaved-ice franchise with a tropical theme that began in Northern
Kentucky in 2007.
Founder, Tony Lamb, then a former vacuum door-to-door salesman and marketing consultant, started Kona Ice after a bad experience with an ice cream truck.
Lamb’s idea was to create a fun and inviting alternative to ice cream trucks. And, in
June 2007, he drove the first Kona Ice truck around Boone County. Franchising began a
year later (2008) and in 2012 Kona Ice launched the Kona Mini, a smaller version of the
Kona Ice truck for selling shaved ice indoors during the winter.
And, of course, Kona Ice trucks play music to create an island atmosphere.
If you’re wondering, shaved ice is a frozen dessert with ice shaved into thin,
delicate flakes, creating a soft and fluffy texture that melts in your mouth. Flavored syrup is poured over the ice, resulting in the treat.
“We know that sometimes the best part of the Kona Ice experience is the surprise of
seeing the truck on a perfect summer day,” said Fultz. “That will always stay the same.
We hope our relationship with Brandgenuity will allow Kona Ice fans of all ages to get
the essence of that experience on a more daily basis.”