Happy retirees and Kool Shaves owners Agnes and Camilo Reyes.

For many, retirement means the end of their working days, where they just get to hang around the house or travel, or have regular get-togethers with other retiree friends. “I thought that after my retirement, I would just go out and play golf,” says Camilo Reyes, a former CFO of a big corporation. His wife, Agnes, after maintaining a clothing business for 20 years, also thought she would be resting on her laurels as well.

But fate had other ideas for this dynamic duo, and now, they are the proud owners of the Kool Shaves carts that can be found at the Alabang Town Center, BF Pergola Mall, and most recently, at the SM South Mall.

After being married for some 30 odd years, with three grownup sons, Kool Shaves is their new baby. And like any other baby, they sent it to school. The first branches of their stores sprouted up as a result of their forays into school fairs, which eventually led them to setting up permanently in four institutions in the south: San Beda Alabang,  Woodrose, Southville, and Southridge. They also have a collapsible cart that they offer for kiddie birthday parties.

“It was only after a year that we brought Kool Shaves to the malls. Now we are inundated by offers from SM branches like Dasmarinas, Lucena, and Batangas!” says Agnes incredulously. Their next step is franchising, and they have a system that is ready for roll out. They also have begun construction on a commissary to keep up with the demand. “As of now, we are running everything from our kitchen at home,” laughs Agnes.  

Their product premise is really quite simple. She says, “In our travels, we look for something new, and we noticed stalls in other countries selling shaved ice products. We also have some here, where they put milk, fruits, and other toppings on their shaved ice. Of course, there is also our native halo halo. We just had the idea of putting the flavoring in the ice itself, instead of pouring it on as syrup or as a mixture to milk. Then, the customer can choose to put toppings or eat our finely shaved flavored ice by itself.”        

The Kool Shaves ices come in different variants: Polar Milk, Choco Iceberg, Glacier Coffee, Ube Blast, Mango Frost, and even a peanut butter flavor! Toppings include sweet treats like colorful candy sprinkles, chocolate cereal, crushed cookies, and mini marshmallows.  One cup of ice costs P39, toppings are an extra P6. All of the ice flavorings come from natural sources, as Agnes and Camilo are keen on providing a healthy product. “We keep in mind that kids are our main clients, so we want to offer them something healthy. Powdered flavorings may be cheaper for us, but we will feel that we are shortchanging them. It may be more expensive to use real ingredients, but for us, kumita lang kami ng konti, we are happy.”

More than the profits, the couple says that it is the enjoyment they get from the business that keeps them going. “Natutuwa kami sa business namin, because we feel so happy when we see kids enjoying the products,” Camilo shares.  Their young clients really mean a lot to these doting grandparents. In fact, their Focus Groups were first, and foremost, kids. “Our first idea was to sell halo halo, with toppings like red beans, monggo, and kaong. But the kids turned them down! Iba na ang gusto nila ngayon, they were looking for toppings like chocolates, cereals, and cookies,” recalls Camilo.

With this observation, the couple smilingly shares that this business keeps them “current.” “We also have a Facebook account, but we never really bothered to update it. Until we found out that our customers were leaving comments on it na pala!” Camilo says.

“My grandson also suggested that we use a brand of wafer stick as one of our toppings. I had no idea what that was, so I went to the grocery to look for it. When I saw it, I thought, ito pala yun!” Agnes exclaimed. The couple also find themselves doing that simple teenage pastime called “malling”. “We never really used to do it before,” Agnes laughs, “but now we go to the malls, and check out the foot traffic, etc. It also gives us an opportunity to interact with our customers.”

The business, they say, not only also keeps them on their toes, but it also helps them bond better as a couple. “Now, we have more to talk about at the end of the day,” she says. Camilo, who also takes time to mentor students at the UA & P, goes further by encouraging other retirees to roll up their sleeves again. “Use your retirement time to do something productive. With a business, you keep busy and active, plus you get to help others by giving them employment.”   For more information, contact Kool Shaves at 807-35-72/telefax 850-9962.