Transparency and a Love of Community Inspired this Couple to Open a Kona Ice Franchise

As Kenny and Laura Salorio found themselves drawn to the franchise world with a dream of owning their own business, the couple explored various options but found many franchises out of reach and overly complicated. However, Kona Ice — the shaved ice truck franchise — stood out immediately with its transparency and reasonable investment requirements. After nearly eight years of waiting for the right moment, Kenny and Laura officially dove in with Kona Ice in their community of Imperial County, California.

Launching their Kona Ice franchise last month, the couple’s vision extends beyond business success — they are passionate about community involvement and plan to expand their operations while supporting local schools and sports organizations. The sense of family unity, with their relatives actively participating in the business, adds an extra layer of fulfillment and community connection.

“What I love the most about Kona is the family aspect of it — the kids are involved and are helping, nephews and nieces are helping out, my mom is coming out to the events,” said Laura. “That is a beautiful thing.”

1851 Franchise spoke with the Salorios to learn more about their backgrounds, their journey to franchising and their plans for the future. 

1851 Franchise: Frame your personal story for us. What did you do before franchising, and how did you decide franchising made sense for you?

Kenny Salorio: We both liked the idea of Kona. I’ve always wanted to open up a franchise, but a lot of them were just out of reach.

1851: What was your perception of franchising prior to becoming a franchisee, and what do you want people to know about franchising now that you are in it?

Kenny: It was really Kona that drew us into the franchise world. It seemed like they had the model perfected. We were the first Kona Ice in the area that we live in.

1851: What made you pick this brand? What excites you most about this company?

Kenny: We were looking at Kona for almost eight years, but we weren’t really ready for it. Eventually, it all fell into place. So this is really a dream come true and a long time coming. 

Kona Ice seemed to be more reasonable than most other concepts. They were more open with the details and the steps. That is what really attracted us to Kona Ice — the transparency. Other franchisees always rated it really high too, which says a lot.

Another thing that attracted us was the quality of the build of the trucks, the graphics, the build-out, the quality, etc.

The support has been great — any bump that we’ve had, they’ve been there to help us out. That goes a long way. Not all franchisors are as supportive. They have helped us a lot.

1851: What do you hope to achieve with your business? What are your plans for growth?

Kenny: Last month we got started. It's been exciting and scary. There have been some ups and downs, but luckily, we have achieved everything we wanted. Everyone who sees the vehicle falls in love with it. As we were driving home from Kentucky, people were already calling because they saw our phone number on the side of the truck! Everyone that has tried it has offered nothing but good reviews.

Laura Salorio: We are hoping to buy more trucks and expand to more territories. We also want to give back to the community — we come from a small community where this isn’t common. We really love that we are able to fundraise for schools and organizations.

1851: What is the one thing about your story you want us to know?

Laura: What I loved the most about Kona was the family aspect of it — the kids are involved and are helping. We have three children: Kriss, Kenny, and Kenzie. The family comes together, nephews and nieces are helping out, my mom is coming out to the events. That is a beautiful thing.

1851: What advice do you have for other people thinking about becoming a franchise owner?

Kenny: We’ve had a couple of bumps along the road, but I would say you should definitely dive in. Don’t wait eight years like I did. I wish I had done it a long time ago; our business would be even more advanced now. Go full steam ahead as a franchisee.

For more information on franchising with Kona Ice, visit www.ownakona.com.

About Kona Ice

Founded in 2007 by Tony Lamb, Kona Ice launched its first Kona Entertainment Vehicle (KEV) in Florence, Kentucky, offering a unique combination of cleanliness, friendliness and a one-of-a-kind experience. Today, Kona Ice has grown to more than 1,700 mobile units that serve 49 states across the country. Kona Ice has been named to Entrepreneur Magazine’s Franchise 500 list for 11 consecutive years, earning a spot on the Franchise 500 Hall of Fame, and most recently being named #1 in the “Frozen Desserts” and “Ice Cream” categories. In addition, Kona was named to the Franchise Business Review Top 200 list in the overall “Top 50” and “Enterprise” categories. Other accolades include being named a “Top 100 Most Innovative Franchise” by Franchise Business Review and a “Top Franchise for Veterans.” With a commitment to giving back, Kona Ice has donated over $180 million to communities nationwide. For more on Kona Ice, visit the brand’s online Newsroom and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for the latest news. For more information about booking Kona Ice for a fundraiser or event, visit www.kona-ice.com. To learn more about available franchise opportunities, visit www.ownakona.com or call (800) KONAICE.