Today we’d like to introduce you to Joe Dukes.
Joe, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
The Dukes Family started creating their mmm-azing gourmet shaved ice and ice cream combos in 2012. Since day one, our goal has been to create one simple product so amazingly well that people want it over and over again. So, we put our own unique spin on the classic snowball we grew up with in Baltimore, and Baltimore Snowball was born. It’s truly a Southern California original. Our simple menu has expanded to include hundreds of the coolest combinations on the planet and our family continues to deliver a Baltimore Snowball experience that you won’t soon forget!
In the Spring of 2018, after two years of research and development, we introduced our new prepackaged Baltimore Snowballs. The same amazing shaved ice and ice cream combos that we are famous for only perfectly blended, packaged up, frozen and ready to grab and go! The initial response has been outstanding and we are very excited about this endeavor as we hope to bring Baltimore Snowballs to the world!
We now distribute Baltimore Snowballs to grocery stores, resorts, convenience stores, entertainment venues and more. From Fallbrook to Point Loma, Escondido to Del Mar, Rancho Bernardo to Cardiff, and lots more coming soon!
You can still find us at The Shack every day creating all of your favorites so grab the family and some friends and come on down. If we aren’t there, swing by one of our fantastic retailers and grab your Baltimore Snowball to go. In fact, grab a few.
Has it been a smooth road?
Building a small business, especially a food business and especially a specialty dessert business is challenging to say the least. Even proven concepts are known to fail. Throw into the mix that we are a family business and you have a whole different set of challenges to deal with. So, it hasn’t always been a smooth road. We have faced many struggles along the way. And honestly, every day presents another. One of the greatest challenges we have faced was expanding the business. Initially, after we had some success, we set out with what seemed to be the logical next step… opening more locations. These new locations and an ever-growing mobile operation, turned out to be an unbearable strain on our family as the operational logistics of operating multiple locations were overwhelming, especially for our two youngest children who were thrown into store management while still both in their teens. So, we systematically shut down the expansion efforts, tightened up the mobile operations and went back to the original Escondido location. By this time, the kids had lost interest and wanted to try other things and so off they went. We learned a tremendous amount about ourselves and our business during this time. It was during this period, call it an unquenchable desire to bring this product to a wider customer base, that our prepackaged Baltimore Snowballs were born. And with that a new set of struggles and challenges to deal with!
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Baltimore Snowball – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
Baltimore Snowball is just a cool little company! Our mission statement is to make one product so amazingly well that people can’t help but want it over and over again. And so, that is what we do. We create some of the coolest shave ice and ice cream combinations on the planet! We pride ourselves on delivering these special creations to our customers in such a way that an entire process is an unforgettable event.
One of my fondest memories growing up as a kid in the Baltimore suburbs was the gathering of friends and family on a summer night, sharing stories and having a snowball. It’s a long time tradition in Baltimore. And so, we strive to create that same atmosphere at our store and with all of our customers. It’s as if we were hanging out in the backyard having a party. Personal attention is given to our guests and we have developed some great relationships with them over the years.
This past year has been awesome as we rolled out our new prepackaged shaved ice & ice cream blends. Our new Baltimore Snowballs are hitting the shelves of grocery stores and resorts all over San Diego County. We are also in the process of opening our first Baltimore Snowball grab and go retail location in La Jolla this Spring. The new prepackaged Baltimore Snowball will allow us to expand the business and share this amazing product with a much greater audience than we had ever imagined.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
San Diego is just a wonderful place to live. We live where people vacation and so you can get wrapped up in that mindset if you are not careful. With the amazing weather and all, there is to do in our fine city, it’s challenging at times when you realize that you actually have to go to work! I think that is one of the reasons I wanted to start a business that was fun, delivering a product that brings joy to both young and old. Our work makes people smile and that makes us smile. So, it’s like we get to enjoy that little bit of vacation time with them.
Contact Info:
- Address: The Shack is located at 148 W. El Norte Pkwy Escondido, Ca. 92026.
Our new grab and go location will be 1237 Prospect St in La Jolla this Spring. - Website: www.baltimoresnowball.biz
- Email: baltimoresnowball@gmail.com
- Instagram: @lovebaltimoresnowball
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/BaltimoreSnowball
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/baltimore-snowball-escondido
Getting in touch: SDVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
