Meet Desmond Martin | Owner & Operator, Shave Ice Samura

We had the good fortune of connecting with Desmond Martin and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Desmond, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
When we decided to have children, my wife and I desired to instill values in them that would promote entrepreneurship, and encourage them to appreciate their God-given talents and abilities. We wanted to teach them the values of pursuing their dreams and attaining true freedom through business ownership. When we started Happy Honu Shave Ice, we were thrilled with the idea of having another stream of income even though we merely did it as a hobby. In 2009, we setup at our first major event, the AZ Aloha Festival. The success we experienced started a fire in me to pursue more events, and soon I was convinced that we could do so much more in a mobile trailer. I kept thinking about how well suited the Valley of the Sun would be for a shave ice business; it’s so hot here! Just a short 7 years later, we purchased our own trailer, and I was able to pivot out of my corporate career into doing shave ice full time.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
There are many different types of frozen treats in the dessert world. Kakigori is the Japanese style of creating shaved ice desserts. We use the Kakigori technique paired with Hawaiian style toppings and fillings to create the Happy Honu brand of shave ice. Growing up in Hawaii, shave ice was the ultimate “after beach” treat, and easily became a favorite thing to eat. In 2009, I decided to conduct research (Google and YouTube easily became my best friend) on how to make the ultimate shave ice. I became almost obsessed with collecting the best of the best flavored syrups by trying at least three vendors per flavor. We now carry over 40 varieties; some of them I personally created. I went even further to research how to freeze the perfect block ice so when it’s shaved it is the fluffiest, smoothest shaved ice. We no longer buy ice, we make our own. People who have tried my desserts have compared us to those the shaved ice moguls of Matsumoto’s, Jojo’s, Waiola, and Ululani’s in Hawaii. I’ve even been called a “shave ice snob” by some!

Some of the challenges along the way included finding the right way to present our desserts. The traditional flower cups, spoons, and straws all had a negative impact on the environment. Being that Happy Honu literally means Happy Sea Turtle, we decided to stop using plastics to stand behind the conservation of sea life and our planet. When we landed on what we felt was the right line of cups, they suddenly became so popular that they went on back order! We’re fine now. The market has recovered and we’ve found our cups.

Another real challenge was dealing with the way food trucks and mobile food vendors were viewed in the public space. When we started operating from the trailer, we found out we weren’t exactly welcome to just park on a street corner and sell. I used every resource possible to build bridges with city officials, health department officials, business owners, and food truck promoters who could put us in the right places to conduct business. I attended multiple hearings at the state capitol that pertained to the rights of food truckers in AZ. When Covid happened, we pivoted our business to adopt the Grab n Go concept at our trailer to enable customers to use us in their neighborhoods as a means to feed their families and assimilate some level of normalcy. We went from being considered a blight to a light in neighborhoods where food trucks had been thought to be “roach coaches”.

We strongly encourage and support community over competition. However, when we first entered the market, we were challenged by a group of franchise snow cone trucks that had saturated the market. I quickly realized that it took too much energy to make decisions based on competition and started focusing on promoting all things community. We suddenly found ourselves growing exponentially in popularity and the concept, “Let your food do the talking” became our marketplace mantra,

Family and Community have taken a major back step around the world these days. Turn on the TV, browse social media, and you will find more conflict, dissension, and misinformation about what’s really happening in the world. Everyone seems to be up in arms with each other and you’re most likely to be shamed about being unique than recognized and respected for it. Our company has the ability to bring both sides together over something as simple as shave ice. We strive to be the light in a darkened world. We want to be be a beacon of hope and an example for the future generations that love conquers all. In the end, love wins.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
The first thing I would do is take them out for breakfast at Biscuits. Then we would drive North to Cottonwood and ride the Verde Canyon Railway. We’d have cocktails and enjoy the Verde Valley River. Lunch would be in town at the Colt BBQ restaurant. Then, we’d head out to Sedona to do a Pink Jeep Tour and watch a sunset. The next day, we’d wake up and head north. Stopping in Williams for breakfast at Pine Country restaurant. We’d then head over to Bearizona and drive through the forest observing the animals. From there, we’d head over to enjoy an evening Glamping and star gazing near the Grand Canyon. The next day would be dedicated to exploring the Canyon and making the trek to Havasupai Falls. Beware of the gangster squirrels who will go through your backpack and jack your food when you’re not watching. We leave the canyon via helicopter because we can. We would end the day in Flagstaff. In the morning, we would head up towards Antelope Canyon and do some hiking. I’d probably take them back to Sedona for an early dinner and drinks at Dahl & Di Luca Ristorante. The next day, we head down to Lake Pleasant for a boat day, lunch and drinks at Dillons, followed by a night RV Camping onsite. To wrap things up, we’d finish up the vacation in Puerto Penasco at the beach.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
It takes a village to raise a child, and just like a child, this business has been built and cared for by our “village”. There are so many friends and family members (aka our “village”) who have contributed to our success. Over the years, we were fortunate to have many of them involved in the festivals and catering events we participated in. They’d volunteer to help us run our booths and post up with us in the trailer.

My first Shoutout would have to go to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It is through Him that all things were made possible. The blessing of answered prayers is evident when you see what we have had to go through to make it in this business, especially considering how we managed to keep pushing through Covid. This business was launched in faith and has flourished since the beginning.

The next Shoutout goes to Philip Kleitsch and the Kleitsch family. Philip and I met at Catalyst Church and instantly became friends. He shared his passion for entrepreneurship and eventually offered me a job at his family owned business. Over the years, we traded stories and shared our dreams about business ownership. Philip was always honest and open with me about the highs and lows of business ownership, and he always encouraged me to “jump in with both feet!”. When I gave him my two weeks notice, he immediately turned it down! He told me that I was going to resign immediately, with two weeks pay, and that I was to begin my new venture immediately!

Then there was Andrew Rodriguez. When I met Andrew, I was his appointed Youth Leader at Catalyst Church. Andrew was the most enthusiastic, comedic, passionate young man who loved God and God’s people. He was somewhat of a rascal and was always laughing and joking with everyone. He became involved in several events with Happy Honu and would sit with me and brainstorm about how the business would grow. He made it 100% obvious that he believed in the business and his heart was set in seeing it flourish. Andrew had just graduated from high school and was hit on his motorcycle by a car. We lost him in May of 2016, but he remains a part of the legacy of this company. We honor him by posting a lasting impression and quote of, “Smile Like Andrew” on our trailer. Good or bad, Andrew always wore a smile. When people ask us about the decal, we tell them about Andrew, and encourage them to share who the ANDREW is in their lives. Andrew continues to reach people with his love to this day, and we have respectfully modeled our business after his life.

Website: Happyhonushaveice.net

Instagram: @happyhonushaveice

Facebook: @happyhonushaveice