08/14/2026
A Little Behind the Scenes ā¤ļø
Recently, we were turned down by an event organizer who noted a few of our marketing images are AIāgenerated ā and yes, that is true.
So I wanted to share a little about what happens behind the scenes at our small business.
For the past 4 years, every single rolled ice cream has been handcrafted by my temporary staff and me. From taking the order to preparing the ice cream, rolling it, adding toppings, and handing it to the customer, one serving takes about 3ā5 minutes of hands-on work, and the entire process can take around 10 minutes from ordering to reaching your hands.
When weāre busy, there isnāt time for me to step away from the food truck and take beautiful photos of the lineups or every dessert we make. Honestly, once an ice cream is ready, my priority is getting it to the customer while itās fresh ā not stopping to take a photo.
Thatās also why, during our first four years, we barely had time to post on social media.
Over time, weāve improved our processes, and AI tools have given us another way to create marketing visuals without taking time away from serving our customers. Every AIāgenerated image is based on our realālife photos. The original photos we take are often far from perfect, so AI helps us enhance them for promotion.
Iām a small business owner, and most days Iām also the only person working in the business. I make the ice cream, handle sales, do the bookkeeping and accounting, communicate with government departments, manage permits, control costs, purchase supplies, and try to keep up with social media.
And outside of the business, Iām also a wife and a mother, with all the responsibilities that come with family life. English is my second language as well, so running every part of a business comes with its own challenges.
Some people have suggested that we hire someone to manage our social media. Of course, that would be wonderful. But weāre not a large corporation with a marketing department. Weāre a small, family-run local business trying to make a living and raise our kid peacefully.
So yes, sometimes, we use AI as a marketing tool for a few promotional images and to help out with English writing.
But there is one thing AI does not make for us:
Every ice cream you receive from us is still made by my own two hands. ā¤ļø
The hard work, the long hours, the recipes, the rolling, the toppings, the smiles, and the care that goes into every order are all real.
Weāre simply using the tools available to a small business today to help us compete and reach more people ā without taking time away from the customers standing in front of us.
Thank you to everyone who supports our little local business, whether youāve stopped by for an ice cream, shared a post, left us a review, or simply told a friend about us.
Your support truly means more than you know. ā¤ļøš¦
