Get All Access for $5/mo

How 2 Friends Quit Their Jobs and Pursued Their Dreams of Purple Ice Cream That Gets Thousands of Likes on Instagram The founders of Soft Swerve in New York City discuss the creation of their signature product and how they keep customers coming back for more.

By Stephen J. Bronner Edited by Dan Bova

Soft Swerve

Business inspiration struck best friends Jason Liu and Michael Tsang of New York after enjoying the Filipino desert of halo-halo, a mix of shaved ice, evaporated milk and ingredients like sweet beans, coconut, sago, gulaman, tubers including purple yam and fruits. But Liu and Tsang thought they could do it better.

So in 2016 they opened Soft Swerve, a soft serve ice cream shop in New York City's Chinatown. The shop primarily features four flavors: coconut, green tea, black sesame and its signature purple yam ice cream, which has brought attention from media and visitors clamoring to get this unique and colorful dessert in their Instagram feeds. The treat is not just an amazing visual, however, it's a culinary sensation that has attracted lines that stretched down the block and customers as far as Europe.

Related: How This Entrepreneur Found Her Sweet Spot and Scooped Up $30 Million in Sales Last Year

Watch the video below to learn more about the origins of Soft Swerve, what their newest flavor is and how they keep their customers coming back after their first "wow" moment.

Stephen J. Bronner

Entrepreneur Staff

News Director

Stephen J. Bronner writes mostly about packaged foods. His weekly column is The Digest. He is very much on top of his email.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Leadership

7 Telltale Signs of a Weak Leader

Whether a bully or a people pleaser who can't tell hard truths, poor leadership takes many forms.

Franchise

Kick-Start Your Small Business With These Cost Effective Strategies

Starting a small business is an exciting adventure, brimming with both opportunities and challenges. A key to success is effectively managing costs from the outset.

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.

Side Hustle

'Hustling Every Day': These Friends Started a Side Hustle With $2,500 Each — It 'Snowballed' to Over $500,000 and Became a Multimillion-Dollar Brand

Paris Emily Nicholson and Saskia Teje Jenkins had a 2020 brainstorm session that led to a lucrative business.