About Us

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My name is Don and I’ll be 12 in August and a rising 7^th Grader.  I’m interested in gaming, running and hanging out with my friends.  I enjoy baking and cooking too. I’m excited about this new adventure for DoNette’s Homemade Ice Cream with my sister, Annette.  Our first flavor, CocoNilla, is awesome.

Hi, my name is Annette and I’m a co-creator of DoNette’s Homemade Ice Cream business.  I’m nearly 10 years old and I’m looking forward to working with Don.  I’m known to be lively and enthusiastic – I’m also on a hip hop team at C-Unit Studios – so I’m not shy and I can’t wait to promote and sell our homemade ice cream.  I’ll be DoNette’s promotional cheerleader.

DoNette’s
Homemade Ice Cream
Q&A

How’s does feel to start a business with your sister/brother?

D.         If feels good to start a business with my sister because we both have different qualities that might help it be successful.  I’m excited to learn how a business works, even if it’s just a fun project.

A.         I think it’s fun and interesting to do something with him. 

 

How did you come up with the name DonNette’s Homemade Ice Cream?  Were their any other contenders discussed?

D.         Originally, the name was going to be “Chinchilla in a Coconut,” but my mom kinda said “no” and told us to keep brainstorming.  So since Mom calls us “DnA” (short for Don & Annette – plus she thinks it’s witty and says, “Get it?  Cos, you’re my DnA!”), Annette and I came up with DoNette, a good combo of our names, which we like for now.  We haven’t given up on “Chinchilla in a Coconut.”  Mom compromised and helped us develop our current logo using a Chinchilla in a Coconut.

A.         We thought it would be better to have both of our names in the business name because we realized Chinchilla in a Coconut, while funny, didn’t really represent ice cream or what we were doing.

 

How did you come up with this business idea?

D.         We were in Aruba and we bought some ice cream in a coconut.  Annette and I thought this would be a great idea for a joint summer business to start.  We figured it could be fairly easy and fun to do.  I already own an ice cream maker and I’ve been trying recipes on and off.  We chatted to our parents and they supported this as a good way to “dabble” as mini entrepreneurs. But they warned us that if we wanted to do this, then said we had to be in charge.

A.         This year for spring break, we went to Aruba.  For one activity, we visited this Butterfly Farm where we saw lots of beautiful butterflies.  The Butterfly Farm also sold these really cool (and cold) treats: ice cream in coconuts.  So, then, we thought since we have an ice cream maker, we could make our own recipes and sell it for some pocket money over summer.

 

Which of the two of you developed your debut products recipe CocoNilla?

D.         I did.  I made various batches of a creamy coconut vanilla -- taste testing with Annette to get the right flavor.  We settled on the current flavor and we are really excited about it.  We also gave out samples with a quick survey to help us decide on the flavor.

A.         Don took the lead the lead creating the recipe and I helped make sure it was the right taste – not too much cream, coconut or vanilla  - just a nice tasting blend.

 Why was CocoNilla your debut ice cream?

D.         There isn’t that much coconut flavored ice cream out there, and I thought it would be a good flavor to have around our area.  We realized it’s not a popular flavor like just vanilla or chocolate but we wanted to be interesting.

A.         We know most people like vanilla ice cream but we wanted to sell an interesting first flavor and since we’d been inspired by coconuts we decided that’s the flavor to do.

What qualities do you each of you bring to this business.

D.         I love cooking and coming up with recipes, so I’ll create the recipe and Annette and I will decide which version tastes the best and might be a good seller. 

A.         I work really well with my brother, and together we’ll make some good choices.  I will also probably be the one who is promoting the ice cream the most because I’m more outgoing than Don.

What have you learned from starting this business?  Is it just about creating Ice Cream?

D.         I thought it was simple: Create Ice Cream, Sell it and make some pocket money … BUT … it’s not. 

Annette and I have to manage the supplies, we had to come up with a packaging concept, the logo and we have to do some accounts then promotion.  It’s harder than I thought, but we are excited to start and learn something.

A.         I thought it would be much easier than it actually is.  There’s a lot more to do in the background that we never really thought about it. 

Why did you develop a limited edition Goldenilla flavor.

D.         Because my mom was doing "May is Gold" month for her ModaFit Magazine and she said it might be cool to do a limited edition gold-themed ice cream and Annette and I agreed.

A.         Like Don said, Mom was doing a "May is Gold" month promotion and we wanted to be included so we ordered edible gold flakes to create something amazing.