Today we’d like to introduce you to Farbod Freddy Papen.
Farbod Freddy, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My maternal side of the family is from Tehran, Iran. My grandfather specialized in making authentic Persian Ice Cream, and that was his business when they lived in Tehran. In the mid-1970’s, before the Iranian revolution, my maternal side of the family immigrated to the United States. In 1980, my grandfather opened a grocery store on Westwood blvd., the business specialized in ethnic middle-eastern items. He decided that he will continue making his ice cream and selling it at his store. Customers would come buy groceries from him and grab a scoop of ice cream while they do their shopping. At the time, there were two Iranian-owned businesses on Westwood blvd. (a region of LA that is now known as Persian Square), our supermarket and an Iranian restaurant directly next door. One the Iranian-revolution had taken place, the influx of Iranian immigrants in Los Angeles boomed. More businesses began opening up and the demand for my grandfather’s ice cream increased rapidly.
In just a few years, there were dozens of Iranian-owned restaurants and markets throughout Southern California, and they would sell my grandfather’s products at their business. Growing up as a kid in LA, I began to notice the popularity of my grandfather’s ice cream, I would go to different markets, friend’s houses, parties, cultural events, etc. and I would always see my grandfather’s famous Saffron with Pistachio ice cream there. By the time I was 18-19 years, I had begun working for my grandfather. Every Saturday morning, I would go to his shop, they would fill a truck up with different orders (pints, quarts, ice cream sandwiches, etc.) and I would drive all over Orange County to different markets and restaurants to deliver the orders.
At the time, my grandfather would oversee the business, my mother and uncle (my mother’s brother) would run the register and manage inventory, and I would deliver the ice cream. We began to notice that the majority of our customers would only come in for the ice cream and not for the rest of the supermarket items, in 2006 we sold the supermarket and moved the business to smaller location where we strictly focuses on the ice cream. At this point, I was in my early twenties and I was more involved in the business. I would run the register, scoop ice cream, and help run the ice cream shop. February 5th, 2010, my grandfather passed away, he had a heart attack at our shop and by the time the ambulance got him to the hospital, it was too late. The dynamic of our business changed, and I took on a greater role in helping the business stay stable. I would work 5-6 days per week, go to class in the evening. I received my degree in business management, and I took the knowledge I learned and applied it to my grandfather’s business.
I began to hire my own employees and would work side by side with them to make sure the shop was running smoothly, After a year or two, I was at the shop most of the time, my uncle was manufacturing and distributing, and my mother was doing the accounting. I noticed a slight change in our clientele, the consumer was not just older Iranians, we had began to create a buzz with younger americas as well. I spoke with my mother and uncle and proposed that we renovate and rebrand the business so that we can appeal to larger consumer base. At first they weren’t receptive to the idea, but after a year and lots of planning, they decided to give it a shot. I designed the new layout, made a new logo, renamed the business, and carried my grandfather’s legacy into a new phase. February 14th, 2010, we reopened for business. Within the first year, we had a hike in sales, made the front page of LA Times, ranked #19 on Yelp’s top 100 businesses in America, etc. That gave me the motivation to ride on the momentum and try to grow the business as much as possible. I am currently opening a second location, something we have never done before. It is going to be Irvine, we are in the final stages of construction and we are aiming to have a grand-opening of late May/early June.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Whenever you are involved with a family business, there are tons of pros and cons. We are able to talk to each other honestly, knowing that there are no ulterior-motives, deception, greed, etc. We trust each other completely, thus we know every move one of us wants to make is for the betterment of the business. On the flip side, there are disagreements, things we do not see eye-to-eye on, and a difficulty of separating our business-life from our personal-life. We have a rule that all three of us (my mother, uncle, and myself) must unanimously agree on a big decision, or we will not do it. Just like any business, we have hit hard times, but we persevere and come together to overcome all obstacles.
Saffron & Rose Persian Ice Cream – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
What separates Saffron & Rose Persian Ice Cream from other ice cream companies, is our variety and quality of products. We make all of our own ice cream, and the texture of the ice cream is unlike anything else out there. Not only is it all-natural and organic, but you cannot find these flavors anywhere else. Our bestseller is still the Saffron with Pistachio, but we have expanded our menu to ice creams like Orange Blossom, Ginger, Jasmin, Cucumber, Pink Rose, amongst others. What really helps set us apart is the fact that everything is made with real ingredients. Our flower-inspired flavors are naturally flavored with real flowers, our passionfruits are flown in from New Zealand, saffron directly from Iran, etc. Every time a magazine, newspaper, website, etc. writes an article about us, it makes all the hardwork worthwhile. Whenever a TV show contacts us to film in our store, it is a great feeling. But I think we can all agree that our proudest moments are when our customers come in and tell us how good of job we have done to keep my grandfather’s name and product relevant. In summation, what sets us apart is we started as a family who immigrated to this country, and three generations later, we have achieved the American dream. We create authentic products that people truly enjoy, and we love what we do.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Hindsight is always 20-20. If I could do things differently, there would have been so many risks I would’ve taken earlier. Business-moves that I was initially intimidated by wasn’t sure whether they would work or not; I wouldn’t have doubted myself. The beauty of owning your own business is, you learn something new about it everyday. Sometimes you have to add things, other times you have to subtract. It is like a puzzle that is constantly changing. But when you love what you do and you are dedicated to it, those challenges become fun, and you grow with your business.
Pricing:
- Small (2 scoops) $4.50
- Medium (3 scoops) $6.00
- Large (4 scoops) $7.00
- Pint $7.50
- Quart $13.00
- Half Gallon $24.00
Contact Info:
- Website: www.saffronroseicecream.com
- Phone: 310 477 5533
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saffronandroseic/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SaffronAndRoseIceCream/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/saffron-and-rose-ice-cream-los-angeles
- Other: https://www.businessinsider.com/best-restaurants-in-america-2015-1
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