The snowball business, for most, is just a hobby or job. Maybe even a summer project.
But not for Baton Rouge residents Debbie Nelson and Laura McDavitt. Their passion for snowballs has trans- formed Cool Tiger Ice from a small stand serving locals to serving Holly- wood movie sets.
Breaking in the Business
Nelson one day had the idea to start up a snowball stand. McDavitt, who had yet to become a partner of the business, said that she came to Nelson one day in order to hire her for a charity event. When she arrived, Nelson had just accepted a big contract and turned to McDavitt for help. McDavitt, who was not working at the time, agreed to help her friend. In half an hour she walked out knowing how to make a snowball, keys in hand and $50 to open the register the next morning.
When McDavitt stepped in as man- ager of Cool Tiger Ice she noticed that the trailer used to sell the snowballs was different. Nelson had designed a trailer that fit Cool Tiger Ice’s specific needs.
“It’s not something that you just go buy off the line,” said McDavitt. “It’s something we designed, she created, wonderfully done in the whole bit.”
Nelson and McDavitt also debated the specifics of their snowballs, from flavor to consistency. Cool Tiger Ice makes its snowballs with very fine ice that resembles the consistency of snow, McDavitt said. The thinner ice enhances the snowball flavor and pre- vents icy clumps, McDavitt explained.
“When you receive your snowball, you don’t want to be biting into an icicle,” said McDavitt.
Flavors
When choosing Cool Tiger Ice’s flavors, it’s a matter of taste.
“If Denise and I like it, we add it,” McDavitt said. “It’s that simple. If it’s good to us, we sell it.”
Snowballs come in a variety of flavors, ranging in complexity from grape to Bananas Foster. Most stands create flavors by mixing premade concentrates with simple syrups of sugar and water.
“We like to add more of the concentrate to our syrup,” said McDavitt. “By adding more of the concentrate we make a more intense snowball.”
McDavitt said Cool Tiger Ice also experiments with less traditional flavors. “We also make our own chocolate flavor,” McDavitt said. “We make it by mixing three different chocolate syrups and adding plenty of sugar.”
A Family Affair
A snowball stand can be a family affair, and Cool Tiger Ice is no exception.
McDavitt said most of her children and family have worked for the stand.
“My son actually just had his last day,” said McDavitt. “Once we started the business my family would ask if so- and-so could work and of course my answer was always yes.”
During Cool Tiger Ice’s eight-year run, McDavitt and Nelson have seen young customers become employees.
“We have pretty much watched these kids grow up and become adults,” said McDavitt. “I feel like just yesterday their moms were driving them to the snowball stand, and now you see them in the car but with their mom in the passenger seat!”
Tiger Pride
Self-proclaimed LSU aficionados, the Cool Tiger Ice owners said the University has inspired some of their most popular flavors.
The Purple Haze Ultimate, a combination of piña colada with raspberry drizzled over the top, was named after the Ultimate Frisbee team at LSU.
“The team spent 45 minutes try- ing all the different types of flavors we had,” McDavitt said. “Once they found the flavor combination that they liked the most, Debbie and I tried it and loved it. We then decided to name the flavor in ode to them.”
Loving the Job
After eight years of business, both Nelson and McDavitt said they still appreciate the happiness snowballs can bring.
“I like making a product that is the happy spot in somebody’s day,” explained McDavitt. “When I hand out that nice cool sweet treat out the window and I get nothing but smiles. That’s why I do this.”