Today we’d like to introduce you to Louis Torres.
Hi Louis, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
After a few years of corporate life (software sales) post-undergrad, I found myself unfulfilled. I prayed one night in 2007 and told God that I wanted to run my own business, what should I do? The next morning, I woke up and as I sat at the foot of my bed, I said out loud “Icees.” I knew at that moment that was my answer. I grew up in the Bronx NYC where everybody white, black, Hispanic, old, and young loved Italian Ice.
At the moment there were 1-2 Italian ice vendors in the Triangle but they were doing it on a small scale. Two years went by and all I did was procrastinate with the idea and God spoke to me again with a stern tone saying that “If I do not do what he told me to do, that He was going to give my blessing to someone else!” It motivated me to start building the business and to walk by faith. In the winter of 2009, I built a cart with a close friend of mine. By the spring of 2009, I was operating out of two carts at Watkins Flea Market on rock quarry road Raleigh which is now a YMCA. Every weekend, I will set up and sample this new frozen treat introducing a taste of NYC to southerners building brand and product awareness.
Wherever I was allowed to set up, I was there every weekend all over the state. Every year, I will reinvest back into the business and try new and bigger events. Now in 2021, I own eleven carts, two trucks, two trailers, two mobile ice vending vans where we serve large festivals all over the east coast every weekend and we have a mobile delivery service where we deliver our Ice to our customers personally or ship anywhere in the country via UPS.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Just as in any business, the first 5 years were of growth and challenges. During my season, which is from March through November, I will do well but by the end of winter, I was almost at “0” in my bank account desperately waiting for the Spring to come around. Never once did I ever doubted myself or this business.
I knew that it was my purpose and as long as I kept working hard at it, providing a great service, and living by faith that everything will come together. One thing I learned along the way when hit with setbacks, as I was forcing a situation. If I tried to force things to work in my favor and received all kinds of red flags then I was faced with a financial or time setback. I learned to grow, prepare, and allow things to fall in place. What is meant for you in time will come as easy as a lay-up in basketball. I was trying to make half-court trick shots early on in the business.
Every cart, freezer, truck, and the major event opened up for me at the right time when it was time for me to grow. I just had to be patient and perfect my craft and build the brand.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I graduated from Shaw University, Raleigh NC in 2002 with a degree in Business Administration concentration in Management. I make homemade NYC Italian Ice using my own recipe. I have grown the business over the last 13 years from 1 employee to 15. We serve our product every weekend at a large venue.
Over the last six weekends, we ended in Chicago, Philadelphia, DC, Nashville, Atlanta, and Richmond crowd size of 10-50k. We are given opportunities that most other frozen treat vendors are not given because of our ability to serve large crowds at a fast turnaround pace. This is why we travel every weekend to major festivals. Besides growing the business year after year, my passion and fundamental purpose is to provide the CocoCrissi experience. Through the opportunity to be on the CocoCrissi team, young men and women learn how to run a business, conduct themselves, practice time management, freedom to be creative, and bring new ideas to generate more income, money management, trust, and freedom to run the business.
On any given weekend, I can have up to four festivals going on at a time in four different states. I empower young aspiring entrepreneurs to run the business using my equipment as if it were their own company. I want to change the mind and work ethic of youth and charge them to teach others as they grow. This is how we create change. My employees are my colleagues and they have ownership as they are paid based on performance.
I want them to get out of the worker’s mentality and think and act like entrepreneurs. CocoCrissi has many alumni that have gone on to start their own businesses or side income aside from their 9 to 5. That is my passion!
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
Trusting the process!!! work hard, find ways to improve yourself, your company, and your employees. Be patient and give every opportunity 100 percent without thinking about how much money you will get in return, reinvest in you and your brand. Understanding your employee’s needs and goals, find ways to help them achieve it.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.cococrissi.com (Under construction at the moment. Completion in three months.)
- Instagram: CocoCrissi
- Facebook: CocoCrissi Tropical Icees
