Good Neighbor Podcast: Cooper City
Bringing Together Local Businesses & Neighbors of Cooper City
Good Neighbor Podcast: Cooper City
EP #326: Sweet Aloha Ice Cream with Jimmy Anderson
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A scoop shop can be a neighborhood landmark when it pairs bold flavors with a true spirit of welcome. We sit down with Jimmy Anderson of Sweet Aloha Ice Cream to unpack how a military-to-corporate journey led to a homemade, Hawaiian-inspired concept in Davie, Florida—and why service with real aloha turns casual visits into lasting community ties.
Jimmy walks us through the evolution from Hollyboy’s Shave Ice in California to Sweet Aloha in South Florida, where the menu blends tradition and island flair. Think ube, Kona coffee chocolate chip, and a South Florida favorite called cafe con le Kona—a playful nod to cafe con leche with Oreos. Add in Italian rainbow cookie for nostalgic punch and tropical staples like macadamia nut and pineapple, all crafted in-house alongside shave ice and syrups. By sourcing natural extracts and iterating with the seasons, the team keeps flavors vibrant while honoring local tastes.
Beyond the glass, we dig into what it takes to keep a small food business healthy: cash flow discipline, process-driven operations, and a culture where employees carry the mission. Jimmy explains why he favors corporate-owned stores with local family partners over traditional franchising, aiming to scale without losing authenticity. We also touch on the myths of “cursed locations,” the reality of 12-hour days, and the payoff of building a team that treats guests like neighbors.
If you’re curious about flavor innovation, building a resilient brand, or how aloha culture translates into memorable customer service, this conversation delivers practical insights and heartfelt stories. Explore the menu, plan a visit to the Davie end-cap on State Road 84 near Pine Island, and taste what a community-driven dessert shop can be. Enjoyed the conversation? Follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a quick review—what flavor should we try next?
For more information visit https://sweetalohaicecream.com/ or follow Sweet Ahola on social media (https://www.instagram.com/sweetalohadaviefl/) to stay up to date on the deliciousness they create daily!
Meet Sweet Aloha Ice Cream
SPEAKER_01This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Jeremy Wolf.
SPEAKER_02Well, hello, hello, friends, family, wonderful community. We are back for another installment of the Good Neighbor Podcast. Our guest today is actually someone I met through the Davy Cooper City Chamber of Commerce. He hails all the way from Hawaii. Aloha, everyone, and he brings with us a beautiful concept, a beautiful business called Sweet Aloha Ice Cream. And they're whipping up some tasty treats. And I can't wait to get into this to learn more about his story. So I'm here with Jimmy Anderson. Jimmy, thanks for coming on the show, brother.
SPEAKER_00Thanks for having me. Aloha.
SPEAKER_02Yes, aloha. So I love the idea of community. The more I uh dive into this project I've been working on for many years, the more great people I meet. And we we spoke briefly the other day, um, and you told me all about your story. And I think that's probably a good place to start. Um, you know, I think more interesting than what you do now is like how you got here. So why don't you talk a little bit about your journey that led you up to bringing this great concept to us here uh in South Florida?
SPEAKER_00Well, it's kind of a crazy journey. Um, actually, I, you know, I was in the military, served in the military, traveled around the world, experienced different cultures, and then landed myself in California where I decided to call it poem. Um, eventually I met my uh Hawaiian wife. Um, and you know, we were dating and uh together for a while. I got integrated with the culture with her family. Um, and then, you know, through you know, different job opportunities and searches uh and different struggles, um, I got frustrated in the corporate world and uh make kind of made a joke about starting uh our own business. And uh shave ice was kind of the idea, and we both thought it was a good idea. So um we decided to open in California in 2014 under our original brand, Hollyboy's Shave Ice. Um, and so from there it kind of just segued in. Well, once we moved here, it kind of segued into uh the Sweet Aloha ice cream brand.
What Makes Sweet Aloha Unique
SPEAKER_02Sweet Aloha, baby. I love it. I love it. First of all, thank you for your service to the military. We appreciate that. Um so tell tell us a little bit about Sweet Aloha. What makes you unique? What are you what I know you're serving up all sorts of uh we talked about it when we when we spoke, you're serving up all sorts of interesting concoctions over there. Talk a little bit about what you offer and how it differs from what you typically find out there.
SPEAKER_00Well, every ice cream shop typically offers most traditional flavors, and then they kind of uh have some specialty flavors that they uh bring out. Um, what we've done is we've consolidated our original uh Holly Boy's shave ice brand into an ice cream uh brand to kind of bring them together, but also expand the ice cream uh flavor concepts to include Hawaiian flavors uh to go along with the traditional flavors. We are always creating different flavors based on the holidays, um the months of the year, the seasons, and and we like to focus our flavor profiles also on our regional area as well. Um, so California, Southern California, where we come from, might have slightly different flavor profiles that are integrated into our recipes uh compared to South Florida, for example, or upstate New York, uh, when we decide to uh open up there. Um, but what what makes us really unique, um honestly, is the aloha spirit that kind of uh is instilled in all of our flavor um recipes as well as our service. Um you can go anywhere and just get service. Uh you can't go just anywhere and get aloha kind service. You got to come here for that.
Hawaiian-Inspired Flavors In Florida
SPEAKER_02Yeah, man. Well, so what are some of the unique flavor concepts that you you you've arrived at here being in South Florida? What do you got on the menu?
SPEAKER_00Uh well, ube is an incredibly popular flavor. Uh it's not ube. It's it's not a it's not traditionally Hawaiian, so to speak. It comes from the Philippines, but because of uh because Hawaii is kind of a melting pot of different cultures and especially food culture, uh the Filipinos had brought Ube and other things, other food concepts to Hawaii, and Hawaii kind of popularized ube. Um, so we have ube, kona coffee, chocolate chip. Uh, we used kona coffee, our standard recipe to make a salford diffusion. We call it cafe con le kona cafe con leche with Oreos. Um, that's a phenomenal flavor. Yeah, that that might be one of our best flavors to date. Um, but then you know, we take other concepts too, like Italian rainbow cookie is a very popular uh dessert, uh, especially from New York with our Italian customers. So we decided to take Italian rainbow cookie and throw it into a uh a batch of ice cream and uh you know test the flavor profile and everybody loves it. It's it's awesome, it's an awesome flavor. So besides that, we have macadamia nut um and pineapple ice cream, a lot of tropical flavors uh specifically.
SPEAKER_02So you're cooking up all of this in the lab, so to speak, right? Whereas some of these other uh companies, they just get it shipped in from corporate or whatever it is. You're actually out there making your own flavors, growing your own brand. I got that right?
SPEAKER_00This is true. It's all homemade, including our Shea Vice and our Shea Vice syrups. We make everything in-house. Um, we do buy our flavor extracts from large manufacturing companies, but they're all natural. Um, so other than that, pretty much everything else is homemade here.
Homemade Craft And Quality
SPEAKER_02So now you're you're located in Davy. Is that the first location for Sweet Aloha ice cream? And do you like what are the plans for it? Are you looking to uh grow the brand and franchise it out? I want to speak to people out there that might be interested in getting involved at some point. I know a lot of these concepts end up going to the franchise model. Is that the vision ultimately for the business?
Growth Vision And Local Partnerships
SPEAKER_00Honestly, I think uh it's hard to tell what the future holds for us. I think uh yes, this is our first shop. Um, the idea is to open three to five hundred across country and get all the way over to Hawaiian, the Hawaiian Islands, and open up across all eight islands, uh, if we can. Um, but as far as franchising goes, like the model that I envision is more of a corporate partnership. Um we want we want to maintain the locally owned and operated kind of philosophy. And we also want to keep uh the community mindset. And sometimes the best way to do that is to keep it mom and pops. Um, so if we if we go too much franchising, I we might lose some of that. So the idea you know would be to have corporate owned stores, but partner with local families in different areas that want to have the aloha experience or share that with their community.
SPEAKER_02I love that. That's an important aspect, this this whole idea of being rooted in the community. People like to do business with those they know, like, and trust. And anytime you have a local family, a local business owner uh that is is deeply connected to the community, uh, right, or they say rising tide lifts all boats, right? So if if uh you know we're doing well and everybody's doing well, I love it. Then you mentioned your wife, she's from Hawaii, so obviously you got the concept or the idea at least from from that lens. Do you work with her in the business as well?
SPEAKER_00So uh yeah, she started working with us in the very beginning. So she's always had a part or a part-time or full-time job. Um, and I I also had a full-time job for a long time until I quit in 2021 or 2022 just to focus on this business alone. But um, she's working her way through court reporting school, so we're trying to get her to get her state certification. What school? I'm sorry, it's uh court reporting certification.
SPEAKER_02So we're okay, got it.
SPEAKER_00We're working towards her finishing her court reporting certification, which you know has taken uh more than a few years. So um we want her to complete that process before we pull her back in and and start helping with the store. So pretty much uh I run pretty much everything and our employees.
SPEAKER_02Now, if I'm not mistaken from our last conversation, you had mentioned that the background that you had was more in the corporate world, right?
SPEAKER_00Yes, sir. Um I have a manufacturing operations background specifically. Operations management, logistics, I think we talked about. Uh more manufacturing operations. Logistics is a little bit more transportation side, probably, and inventory. Um, I I I uh my specialty is manufacturing operations and process improvement and perfection.
SPEAKER_02What would you say now after having made the I I guess the leap from the corporate world to uh starting a business in the entrepreneurial space in 2021, 22, what would you say was one of the most rewarding things? And on the other side, one of the most difficult challenges that you faced in in launching this business?
Culture, Team, And Community Impact
SPEAKER_00Uh well, the most difficult aspect of launching a business is obviously cash flow management. Um, it's easy to start a business and just throw a bunch of money at it, but eventually you have to start pulling money out of the business to and be profitable so you can pull money out of the business. Um, so that's always the biggest challenge, especially in a restaurant industry. Um, you know, so we're constantly trying to manage our cash flow until our sales uh far exceed our um expenses, of course. So we're still we're still working on it. We are profitable, um, but we are working towards increasing profitability so that we can work on opening that second, third, fourth, fifth store. Um, and as far as the biggest reward is um being able to, so there's it's kind of multi-part. One is building a team that is self-sufficient and is able to carry the mission uh of the business. And then two, how that impacts our community because people come in day to day, they get to experience what our employees are are resonating, that aloha spirit, and it completely changes the the experience and the visit for for everyone, which I think is the most rewarding part.
SPEAKER_02I love that answer, by the way, the most rewarding part. Thank you. It's phenomenal. Talking about number one, the culture of the business, right? An emphasis on the employees, uh, making sure that you're elevating them and you're one big family. That that obviously uh amplifies the brand and the messaging to the community, and then and then leading that into the community that we talked about, being connected and plugged in, um, really bringing that aloha spirit. I do love that, Jimmy.
SPEAKER_00Thank you.
SPEAKER_02It's good stuff, man. Yeah, and it's funny about you mentioned being in the restaurant business. I mean, that's I I believe I'm pretty sure it's got the highest attrition of any industry, right? Like, like the turnover in restaurants is ridiculous. In fact, there's a I live out in a West Cooper City in the countryside shops. They're just opened the third, I think it's an ISIS place, just opened the third one. First, they had an ice place that went out of business, then they had a rolled ice cream place that went out of business, and now they just opened another one in the same spot. So I don't know if that place is the location is cursed or or what, but uh I wish them the best of luck. I hope they do well. But um incredible amounts of turnover in the space. So my my hat's off to you for what you're doing with business, literally.
SPEAKER_00I I think location is a I think location is one major factor, but if you're able to overcome location, then there's I don't believe in a cursed location. I just think that you have to figure out how to overcome the different challenges that are faced in your business and and make it work. And that's what we've been trying to do for four and a half years now.
The Grind: Cash Flow And Operations
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I was I was joking about the cursed location. The thing the thing I've come to learn in my 46 years on this floating rock is that the when you start blaming external factors that are outside your control, you lose control. And the only thing that really determines whether or not you're successful is is ourselves. Um, and so the biggest difference I think that the problem is with turnover in restaurants and small business in general, is just that it is it's challenging running a business. There's a lot, people get into it many times coming from a typical nine to five type job where they have one role and that's their assignment, right? And that's all they got to do. Uh, and then you get into something maybe you're passionate about passionate about it, you get into it and you realize that well, now you gotta wear every hat, right? You gotta be a manager, uh you got to be an accountant, you gotta be all these different things, and you have to uh juggle a lot of balls, and that can be very, very difficult for a lot of people.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I didn't sign up for all that. What are you talking about? No, I'm just kidding. Uh yeah, a lot of people don't realize how much extra work is involved. You know, an average 12-hour day is an easy day, you know.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, you gotta be willing to put in the blood, sweat, and tears, but it it it's it's super rewarding on the other side for sure.
SPEAKER_00Yes, sir.
SPEAKER_02So you're a surfer or what?
SPEAKER_00I tried surfing once. Uh so let's be honest, I used to be super athletic. I used to run five or ten miles a day. Um, I used to swim, you know, a mile or two pretty often, if not every day, almost every day. Um, super athletic, but um, I hurt my back in the military, so you know I'm service connected, disabled because of that. And so I did try to go surfing out once, and my friend had to tell me back, and uh it was embarrassing. I haven't been back since. Um, you know, when all the locals are teasing you because you can't you can't swim hard enough back, and I'm a good swimmer, but uh it just wasn't gonna work out for me. So have haven't tried to surf again since.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I think the last time I tried to surf was I think in college in Costa Rica, and I almost drowned, and that was it.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I was good, I was getting towed out to sea, and uh it was right there off of the Honeyton Beach Pier. I could watch the pier just kind of pass uh or I was passing it, you know, the the end, and I just kept going. No matter how hard I swim, it didn't matter. I I got caught in a riptide and uh I couldn't get myself out, even with my training uh back from the military. So it was crazy.
On Turnover, Location, And Ownership
SPEAKER_02So what do you like to do for fun? Obviously, yeah, I'm sure you're working a lot, but when you when you do have downtime, what what's on the agenda?
SPEAKER_00So some of my main most favorite things to do, uh I love playing poker to be honest.
SPEAKER_02It's one of my poker, yes.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I love I love playing poker. Um, I don't get to play enough poker, and uh I certainly can't afford big games anymore right now. Um, but uh, you know, I'm I'm a$1,$2 table guy right now. Um, but besides that, I love you know spending time with my family and friends doing you know different events, like you know, we'll host you know Easter at our house just to get together with friends and family. It it's you know in the Hawaiian culture, you're almost always hanging out with your family during different holidays and different celebrations. So we try to carry that forward with with our family and friends here. So that's that those are my two most favorite things to do. And then, you know, we usually go hang out at the beach too on on days where we just want to relax and de stress and you know, get our feet in the ocean and and uh you know feel some of that mana from you know Mother Earth. So I love it, love it.
SPEAKER_02You got kids?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, we have three kids, two two already out of college, one uh Marjorie Douglas Stoneman.
SPEAKER_02Ah, very cool, man. Very cool. So for anyone that's out there is listening, that's not freezing to death in this cold weather, that wants to indulge, tell us where you're located, what's the best way to learn more? I'm sure you're pretty active on Instagram. Let us know the best way to connect with you guys and come visit.
Life Outside The Shop
SPEAKER_00So it's pretty easy to go to our website, uh sweetaloha ice cream.com. Uh from there you can see our menu, you can order online, you can see uh our reviews even and and even get links to our social media. Um, you know, we're located on on 80 uh State Route 84. The address is 8600 West State Road 84. We're in Suite A, which is actually the end cap uh on the corner of the the whole parking lot. And we uh we're across the street from Billy's. If if if most people can figure out where that is, they can find us really easily. Um, Davy Florida, obviously, and then we're if you exit uh 595 and Pine Island, we're right there, kind of on that corner. Um, but we're kind of tucked behind the 7 Eleven and the shopping center. Uh like I said, opposite end cap. Um we're obviously on Instagram and TikTok. Uh our handle is sweet aloha Davey FL. Um, we did that in case you know we decide to open up more shops, we'd have uh uh one specific account for this and another account for another location. So beautiful.
SPEAKER_02We will, of course, drop a link in the description below to all of your information. So if you're listening to this, go check him out. Jimmy's a good guy, doing good work in our community. And I I I I gotta say, man, I have yet to experience the the sweet Aloha ice cream experience. So I'm gonna make it a point myself to come by and check out what all the buzz is about. And I hope you guys do the same.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, we could have done a podcast from right here. We could have been sample the whole time, you'd have been flipping out, you'd have been loving it.
SPEAKER_02Maybe round two, brother. Maybe round two. Round two. All right, very cool. Well, thanks everyone for tuning in, and we appreciate you joining us on this journey. And you know, the drill. If you like this content, don't forget to like, subscribe. Um, and and don't don't just be a voyer of social media. When you're watching this stuff, if something speaks to you, if something resonates, start a conversation, engage, comment. You don't know what door you're gonna open and what connection you're gonna make. Um, I found that when I started engaging with things that resonated with me, um, it really started making deeper connections in the community. And that's what really what it's all about. And I think that's what's missing in our community and in this world nowadays is deep connection. So I'm happy to keep this going and we will catch everyone next time. Have a wonderful day. Jimmy, take care. Nice seeing you, brother, and I will see you real soon. Thank you, brother. Aloha. Aloha. Take care, man.
Where To Find Sweet Aloha
SPEAKER_01Thanks for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast Cooper City. To nominate your favorite local business to be featured on the show, go to GNP CooperCity.com. That's GNP CooperCity.com or call nine five four two three one three one seven zero.