Meet the Co-Owner of Sweetly-Twisted, South Carolina’s 1st Froyo Truck

Sweetly Twisted truck SweetlyTwisted

What’s it like to launch a new frozen yogurt truck? To find out, we interviewed Dipali Britton, co-owner of the new launched Sweetly-Twisted, South Carolina’s first self-serve frozen yogurt truck. Sweetly-Twisted launched in late November 2013 and offers a rotating roster of frozen yogurt flavors with over 30 different types of toppings. The truck is available for special events and carries six self-serve frozen yogurt flavors. As a partner of Mobile Meals, Sweetly-Twisted donates a percentage of every cup of froyo sold to the organization, which delivers nutritious, hot meals to frail and homebound neighbors in Spartanburg County.

Dipali and Adam Britton, are co-owners of Sweetly-Twisted. They first met at Clemson University and have been married 3 years, together for 10. Both have full time jobs in addition to owning 2 Subway restaurants and the froyo truck. Dipali handles the customer service, business and marketing side of the business while Adam, an engineer, is in charge of operations.

Q: Congratulations on your new self-serve frozen yogurt truck, Sweetly-Twisted, the first in South Carolina. We’d love to hear more about your experience coming up with the concept of Sweetly-Twisted and the process you went through to get to the launch stage. What inspired you to open a frozen yogurt business and why choose a food truck?

DB: Food trucks are just becoming popular in the South and only recently have been allowed in downtown Greenville. It seemed like there was a great opportunity to capitalize on the interest in food trucks and healthy eating. We wanted the flexibility of a food truck so that we could take our delicious froyo and offer the self-serve experience everywhere. Sweetly-Twisted is the first dessert truck in the area.

Q: How long did it take you to go from concept to launch? What resources did you find helpful in the process?

DB: It happened very quickly. I started thinking about the froyo truck in June 2013. By July, I had the business plan. By the end of August we had the financing in place. In September we purchased the food truck and had a local artist develop our design. By November, we were ready for launch. It helped tremendously that we had the experience owning two Subway franchises because we had access to resources and mentors.

It’s funny but I hadn’t actually seen a frozen yogurt food truck in person but I had to come up with a design for our truck. I found the IFYA’s resources very helpful, including IFYA’s Pinterest board of froyo trucks.

Q: What was the biggest challenge or obstacle you had to overcome?

DB: I think the biggest challenge was to get our truck designed in South Carolina while working with a designer from Indiana. I had to communicate exactly how I wanted the truck to be. Luckily with technology, e.g., Skype, it’s easier but we paid for the truck before we actually saw it. I had various ideas for what kind of window I liked, the dry toppings bar, how many machines, etc. and the company that built our truck helped me figure out which ideas were feasible. I wanted the truck to be classy and distinctive, so I deliberately avoided having pictures of fruit or frozen yogurt on the truck.

Q: What advice do you have for aspiring froyo entrepreneurs?

DB: If it’s your first business, go for the franchise, especially if it’s a successful franchise like Subway. I think their marketing fee is totally worth it because they do an incredible job at marketing. I’ve learned so much during my five years as a Subway franchise owner. With Subway, you know that people will show up at your door on day 1. The risk is huge when you go the non-franchise route because you don’t know that people will show up on day 1. It’s up to you to generate interest in your business.

Q: What are your plans for Sweetly-Twisted?

DB: We’re still learning. In December we focused on special events and the holidays. In January we’re going to focus on sporting events like volleyball. February – November we hope to be open 5-6 days a week. We’re fortunate in that we don’t need to operate everyday to breakeven. Our costs are much lower for food, labor, utilities. We just order what we need.

Q: Tell us about your first cup of frozen yogurt.

DB: I was at the Mall of America in Minneapolis on a work trip and saw a froyo shop. This was 4.5 to 5 years ago when there weren’t any frozen yogurt shops in the South. I remember ordering birthday cake froyo with chocolate chips and caramel. I was amazed that it tasted so good and was healthy. At that point I hoped to open my own froyo shop one day.

Q: Describe your favorite cup of frozen yogurt

DB: Right now it’s sea salt caramel pretzel.