Julie Sha and Matt Hardman launched a franchise of Kona Ice in 2016, at a time when they were stretched to their limits.

Sha shuttled her husband, Hardman, and two children to work, daycare, elementary school while working full-time until she was burnt out and realized she needed a change.

The couple was drawn to the franchise opportunity at Kona Ice because of its giveback program, which actively supports schools, sports organizations and non-profits through fundraisers.

“When I was in college I did a lot of community service, from teaching kids at the Ninth Ward (in Rochester, New York) to cooking at soup kitchens and stuff like that. But after having family and kids, it wasn’t something that I was able to do with a corporate career,” Sha said.

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Launching a new truck

Earlier this year, the husband-and-wife team expanded their impact with the launch of Travelin’ Toms Mobile Coffee Truck, based in Bend. A subsidiary of Kona Ice, the coffee truck offers iced and hot drinks, including coffee, hot chocolate and energy drinks.

It has a similar business model to Kona Ice, allowing Sha and Hardman to continue giving back through fundraisers. Sha estimates total contributions for 2024 generated by the two trucks are just shy of $20,000.

“It’s written in our business plan to be able to give back to the community,” Sha said.

The couple plans to continue growing the two businesses as Central Oregon increases in size and foresee adding a second Kona Ice truck to their fleet within the next year or two, Hardman said.

Since its soft opening in August, demand for Travelin’ Toms has grown faster than Kona Ice, according to Sha.

“I don’t think I’ve had anybody tell us that they don’t like our coffee drinks or our beverages,” Sha said. “It’s been really heartwarming to hear all of the compliments from all of our customers.”

In addition to youth sporting events, the mobile trucks accommodates customer and employee appreciation events.