By Ganga Bhujel
Imagine watching your business lose nearly three-quarters of its revenue in a single season. That’s exactly what happened to Mehrad Moarefi when his ice cream business took a massive hit during the Canadian winter. Sales dropped by 70%, and it became painfully clear that people just didn’t want ice cream when it was freezing outside.
Mehrad Moarefi had been a producer in the dairy business in his shop and ice cream was one of his products. Moarefi stated that, “Soon I realised that ice-cream was the best-selling product and it’s profit is higher than whole other product of my shop.” “So, I decided to do focus on only ice-cream”, he said. But the seasonal slump made it clear ice cream, as people knew it, wasn’t built for winter. Instead of accepting defeat, he went searching for a solution. That search led him to Seneca College, where he took a course “Diploma in Business Marketing” that broadened his perspective on entrepreneurship. Soon after, he joined the Helix Program, an incubator designed to support innovators like him.
It was at HELIX that the breakthrough happened. Surrounded by like-minded entrepreneurs, Moarefi started thinking beyond traditional ice cream. “I realized I had to create something entirely new something that would make people rethink ice cream in winter,” he recalls. “Why should ice cream be a summer-only treat?” That’s when the idea of Hot Ice Cream was born, an ice cream that not only satisfies a sweet tooth but also warms the body. He added, “After 3 to 5 minutes of having hot ice-cream you will feel warm inside through your stomach as I added many natural ingredients like ginger, pepper, honey, dark chocolate and many more.” But having an idea was just the beginning. Bringing Hot Ice Cream to life meant navigating a maze of financial and manufacturing challenges. The process of developing a product that retains the creamy cold texture of ice cream while providing warmth was no easy feat. “It felt impossible at times,” Moarefi admits. “But every great idea sounds crazy until it works.”
Manufacturing costs were high, and securing funding was tough. Without the right support, the idea could have remained just that an idea. Moarefi said, “Because of financial difficulties sometimes I thought I should postpone the production of hot ice-cream for the future but never ever disappointed from the result as I was 100% sure it is going to work.
Thankfully, the HELIX Program played a crucial role. Through mentorship and resources, Moarefi gained the guidance he needed to move forward. The program connected him with experts who helped refine his product and strategize its market entry. “The mentorship at HELIX was a game-changer,” he says. “I went from having a rough idea to actually building a product that could hit the market.” Despite the struggles, he persisted, determined to prove that ice cream could be more than just a summer delight. He said, “HELIX gave me financial support so that I was able to make some samples and try it out in the real market.” He added, “After trying the sample more than 85% consumers gave me good feedback which help me build my trust on my new product Hot-Ice Cream.”
Now, Moarefi is on the brink of launching Hot Ice Cream in his company named “Hot Choco Chill Canada Inc”, a product he hopes will revolutionize the industry. He mentioned that he was offered a teaching position at Seneca Polytechnic but declined, as he envisions a future as an entrepreneur, transforming ice cream from a seasonal treat into a year-round comfort food. “This is just the beginning,” he says. “I want to change the way people experience ice cream.” His journey, filled with setbacks and breakthroughs, is a testament to resilience and innovation. From watching profits plummet to reimagining an entire product category, Mehrad Moarefi is proving that sometimes, the coldest winters bring the hottest ideas.
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