Today we’d like to introduce you to Suzanne Batlle.
Suzanne, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
“If nothing ever changed, there’d be no butterflies.” I would like to think that the concept and invention of Azucar Ice Cream Company came from my passion for ice cream and my grandmother’s ability to create great flavors. In reality, it came from having to reinvent my career and soul searching about what really determines a life well-lived.
I worked in the banking industry for over 20 years. I started a family, had my children and lived a pretty peaceful life. I loved spending time with my family and friends. Life was easy. I divorced and battled thyroid cancer. This leads me to really evaluate my life. When the banking industry had major layoffs I found myself as a single parent without a job. To say that I was scared was an understatement. I started thinking about my family. We had never been in the restaurant business or knew anything about food service. I thought how great it would be to have a “family business”. I could incorporate the things in my life that were the most important, my family and friends.
Azucar Ice Cream Company was born in my kitchen talking to my best friend, my Goddaughter and my children. My grandmother made ice cream when we were young and invented flavors out of exotic fruits from different countries. Wouldn’t she smile from the heavens?
It took 18 months to put the company and store together. It was quite difficult to start a business such as this one. I had to learn everything from scratch. I learned and pursued classes at Penn State’s world-renowned school for ice cream. I also attended the Frozen Dessert Institute in St. Louis.
Azucar opened its doors in late July in 2011 and it has been a blessing ever since. We have had press from The Miami Herald to The Wall Street Journal and NY Times. We have been in Cooking Light magazine where Azucar is featured as the #1 place to go to in Miami! The BBC Worldwide did a special on us that elevated Azucar to new heights. We were interviewed by CNBC and the program was viewed by 25 different countries! The Cooking Channel just aired Beach Bites with Katie Lee in which I make ice cream with Katie and Amanda Freitag comes to taste the flavors of the day.
I recently opened Azucar number two in Dallas, Texas. It has been so inspiring to work with the local farmers in Texas. We really adhere to the “Farm to Cone” concept.
I have been blessed to ride this wave with my family and friends who are always around to lend a hand. It has brought our family closer and brought our friends Little Havana. Everyday is still a challenge, but a very exciting one indeed!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There are always struggles along the way but if you are really doing the “right thing”, you will always succeed! I can’t imagine a business without struggles, but if you look at them as daily decisions that must be made, it’s not that bad.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Azucar Ice Cream – what should we know?
Azucar Ice Cream specializes in slowing the world down to share and capture the memories of eating ice creams. I always try to capture a memory from the past by using with natural ingredients and making each ice cream in small batches. We pay attention to each flavor knowing that it will be in the hands of our guests.
We have a trademarked flavor that is very Cuban in nature. Most Cuban people love to have a Maria cracker and a slice of cream cheese and a slice of guava as an afternoon snack, so we made it into ice cream. It is affectionately called “Abuela Maria”.
What makes me the most proud of our company is the culture that we have created in the ice cream world. We have been open for eight years and still have family and friends come by to work. The employees that have been with us have turned into family! We are different in that we make our ice cream and sorbet flavors daily, continuing to challenge our creativity with new tropical flavors and striving to bring delight to our client’s faces.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
I believe that the quality that I share with our guests and staff is that we always have fun. No one comes to have an ice cream in a bad mood. We make the stores as festive and lively as we can. Life is a celebration!!!
I always say….”Life is uncertain, eat dessert first!”
Contact Info:
- Address: 269 North Bishop Avenue
Dallas , Texas 75208 - Website: www.azucaricecream.com
- Phone: 469 872 0090
- Email: suzy@azucaricecream.com
- Instagram: azucaricecream
- Facebook: azucar ice cream dallas
- Twitter: azucar ice cream
- Yelp: Azucar Ice Cream
Image Credit:
The Loews hotel gave the picture to me to use as I wish.
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