Freezee in the Jerusalem Post

New Year - Freezee are Expanding

Everyone is sending around Shana Tova wishes. Why not me? Well, I wanted to do it in style and have a FREE Freezee day in honor of the new year. Then I thought about all the wonderful things that have my glass more than half filled and decided to pick the most recent major addition and make a Freezee day for her.
My new granddaughter! Wow! That makes me sound old. I still feel like I'm 25.
Yes, Tsofia, who is just one month old, deserves a special Freezee day. I'm going to convince my wife and my partner that we should have FREE Freezees in her honor and invite all our family and friends to one of the Freezee locations to enjoy a free Freezee.
In the meantime, Karen, with Fran's help, developed a new landing page on our Facebook "freezee israel" spot. Go there and let me know what you think. Once you sign up and also click like on the page, you will find out about FREE Freezee days and other specials that we will be running. You will also have an opportunity to win T-Shirts and other "stuff".
So, have a Shana Tova from all of us at Freezee and may your cup be overflowing like a Freezee!

Pizzeria Efrat Becomes a Super Freezee Location!

I can't believe that it has been two months since using Blogger to keep you up to date on the excitement at Freezee!
Today we installed a machine in Efrat! Thanks to the Goodmans who own this great pizza store, the machine is self serve. What a hit that makes. People love to fill their own cups! You can mix flavors or be a purist and pick one of the three flavors to fill your cup up to the very top. Even the kids have been quite neat about filling the cups and it's sure much more fun!
Pizzeria Efrat must have sold about 100 cups today! I left after about 2 hours and watched about 40-50 cups get filled. One kid even came back - he wanted more - and gave another 10 shekel to refill his cup and walked back out.
I posted a few pictures on the Facebook page. If you know any of these people let them know their pictures are on Facebook.

3 New Machines

So many things are about to come together and yet I'm spaced out. Why you ask? Well, I just had surgery and they tell me it will take a day to recover if I was a kid. However, adults usually take two weeks off from work to recover! How can I take off when there are 3 Freezee machines arriving today in Ashdod?
There has been more demand for machines from a couple of store owners but the best would be to convince a large chain to put them in all over the country! I'm tempted to start telling people to ask at a certain chain "when are you getting a Freezee machine?" "How come you haven't ordered one?" "Don't you know how great they are?" People have been coming from all over to Modiin's little Kaiser neighborhood just for a Freezee. The resulting feedback is great! They love the Freezee drink.
Let's see what you guys think. What would be the best hang out pizza store to convince to put in the machines?
Do you know what's really cool. Giant Pizza in the Givatayim Mall wants to put one in and make it self serve just like in the U.S. That way you can get the flavor mixture you like best!
I hope to write more once all the anesthesia gets out of my system.

Freezee Coming to Jerusalem

Just ran into my wife's cousin's son and his wife at a wedding in Jerusalem. They are from the U.S. and asked about the Freezee. (They had heard about the write up in the Jerusalem Post.) When I told them we are bringing it to Jerusalem within 2 weeks they got excited. The one thing they missed coming to live in Israel was their Slurpee at 7eleven and now with the Freezee in Israel...
Can't wait to see the machine working in the Central Bus Station in Jerusalem!

Her First Time!

I took my wife to Holy Bagel in Modiin for the first time since the machine was installed. Although she had tasted the Freezee from various kids that brought them home, she never really understood why it was such a big deal. As she waited in the car for me to talk to the owner (he had just ordered syrup for another 1300 cups of Freezee), I took a sample of cola and brought it out to her. What a great reaction! She kept talking about how fantastic the Freezee is. I wish I had it on tape - it would have made a great YouTube video! "So fluffy!" "Such a cool drink!" "Wow!" "Cold and sparkling, I love the bubbles!" " This is great!" I guess nothing beats a freshly served Freezee.
What more can I say? Can't wait for the next three machines to arrive in port so that we can install them here in Israel.

As temperatures rise, athletes should drink � slushies - KansasCity.com

As temperatures rise, athletes should drink � slushies - KansasCity.com

Vote for your Favorite Flavor

You can vote for your favorite flavor at our blog freezeeisrael.blogspot.com
While there you can also read the latest blog about Freezee in Israel.

Freezee Publicity

We had a great article written in the Jerusalem Post. Yesterday, we also got written up in "Gilor News & Views" (Volume 5 #21 - Edition 217 - May 21, 2010). Although they had a lot of family news and pictures - A new baby grandchild including the Shalom Zachor and Brit and a family wedding, the editor still managed to put a picture of me standing next to the 2 meter roll up that Nati Y. designed. It has a big Freezee cup filled with Cherry Freezee sitting in Ice.

What's Been Going On??

In case you didn't hear...The first Freezee machine in Israel is up and running. A three flavor machine that has Chillin Cherry, Rippin Raspberry and Kola Kavod. Well the names aren't for sure as we are still taking suggestions.
It has been so busy but I wanted to share some news since my last blog. It looks like we are a go on the spots we want in Jerusalem for the next couple of machines. I can't wait to get one in the Tachana Merkazit. It should be very busy and lots of fun and hard work.
The machine has so many settings and readouts so that you can adjust all kinds of numbers to get the consistency, flavor, sweetness and coldness to the liking of the clientelle. However, we kept getting a bad reading from one of the three flavors. Finally something went wrong and, after testing, it seems that one of the parts is faulty. Thankfully, the machine comes with a great warranty and we should be OK pretty soon.
Our website is almost ready and I will announce here when you can sign up and get special coupons for discounts on the Freezee.
Our next shipment of syrup just made it through and should be delivered to our warehouse sometime this week. We are already talking about our next syrup order and have to decide on flavors. All input is welcome. Just send us a note on our facebook fanpage at
Freezee Israel.
Chill with a Freezee!

Another Freezee Happy Ending

I bought a refractometer from Charlie Downs in the U.S. Three weeks later it still hadn't arrived. He was listed on EBay as a great supplier. He was an expert in this specialized gadget and knew what he was talking about.
So I called him and he said that he "has my back" and he would actually resend one without my having to pay for it. However, I need it now! So we agreed that I would check at our local post office first. (It was sent regular U.S. mail to Israel).
Our post person said it wasn't there but similar packages take 2-3 weeks based on the ones still sitting on the shelves. I came back one evening and was given the phone number to Ramle post office but they can't track anything without a tracking number (duh).
Today I went in and low and behold she said she found it! EXCEPT that there is a problem. The little post office here was broken into. Some things were just found slightly damaged or maybe worse! The minute of explanation seemed like an hour until she pulled out the package. It was opened but not fully and not damaged and YEAH - we have a refractometer. Next post I might even explain what it does to make the Freezee perfect!

Freezee Weekly Update

We needed a stand for the machine to sit in our first location. Wood wasn't strong enough so we went with Steel.
We needed the syrup rushed here. Sending it by sea wasn't fast enough so we airlifted a bunch of it.
We needed water filters and electrical work done at the location. Next week wasn't good enough so we got them to do it within two days.
We needed names for the drinks. So we asked the hundreds of fans on facebook and got over two dozen answers.
We needed a larger tank of CO2 to give the Freezee it sparkling taste. So a guy came rushing over just before the store closed and looked over the measurements to get it done right.
We needed a Mehadrin Kashrut so Rav Lau gave us the OK which is perfect for Modiin.
We needed an additional syrup pump from the U.S. so they zipped it over to us by Fedex.
We needed a refractometer to measure the Brix level of the syrup to make sure each drink is formulated perfectly. So we reached a guy who advertises on EBay and got it sent straight over.
We needed the license for importing each flavor. Moshe's staff (and Josh's company) helped us get all the paperwork together and we paid online through our Mizrahi account so we could get it done quickly.
We needed a facebook page optimized, a twitter account opened and a website set up so Fran has been working diligently on getting us up and running.
We needed a hundred other things but I don't want to bore you cause all we need is a nice ice cold FREEZEE!

Getting Closer

The machine is here. The syrup is getting on the plane. The water line will be run tomorrow. The CO2 guy is going to be on location on Friday. That day we are finalizing our deal with our first test location in Modiin. The electrician will finish on Monday. The cabinet to hold the heavy machine will be worked on and will be done before Tuesday. We may be able to serve the first drink on Wednesday! Of course that means that Misrad Habriyut and Meches and a host of other things fall into place.

On another note, we are asking people to come up with names for our first three flavors. If your suggestion is used you will win something cool like a Freezee T Shirt or Cap. The flavors are Cola, Cherry and Blue Red Raspberry. We already got a few responses most noticably from Caryn G. and Brenda L. Keep 'em coming.

Wow it is almost Pesach!

I have been incredibly busy with Freezee and Pesach sort of snuck up on me. The good news is that after today, I get to sleep a little and catch up with the family. Can't really do anything to move ahead with Freezee during Pesach.

However, the first machine just cleared customs and should arrive in our offices just before Pesach. The syrup is on the way and we have a great Facebook fan page set up and being worked on as we speak.

If we get everything together soon we should have a test machine all set up right after Pesach and then we can get everyone to try the Freezee!

Got to get back to scrubbing the house :)

Texas was interesting. The factory that makes the Freezee machines is really very clean and well laid out. They have 100,000 square feet of office and assembly space in their building. All with great high ceilings and well marked assembly lines. I took over an hour and a half of video to help create a training video for our repair crew. I was very busy in Texas so I didn't even get to visit the Alamo. However, I drove past it and it is much smaller than I imagined. Read up about it here: www.thealamo.org

Going to visit the syrup factory tomorrow. Still having fun dealing with the Kashrut but I will see for myself what is going on in the factory. It has approval of the Star-K and we really should have an easy time of it but...

While in the U.S. I am picking up various kinds of specialized equipment like Refractometers and Multi-Meters for our service personnel. The machine also requires special kinds of clamps and hoses to deal with the pressure of the CO2. However, those I can get in Israel.

My father asked me to join him at the NY Sports Club where I tried to keep up with him on a half dozen different exercise machines. It was a great experience and I wish I could go there every day to work out. Maybe then I could keep up with my 86 year old father!

Google, Freezee, Israel, JFK

This is a great article on how to increase your exposure on the Net
How to Really Build Backlinks and Dominate Google

The first Freezee machine hits JFK on the way to Israel today or tomorrow!

Today I get to take apart and put back together a Freezee machine. I am in Texas at the manufacturer's 100,000 square foot plant where they build the machines. Yesterday I took about an hour of movie footage of the training class.

History of Freezee (50 years old)

When was Freezee invented? Omar Knedlik, in Coffeyville, Kansas is credited with inventing the idea of the Freezee some 50 years ago. He started by placing bottles of soda in his freezer. People really liked them almost frozen so he spent a few years until he developed the first Frozen Sparkling Beverage machine. The original name developed for the drink was ICEE and it is known by other more famous names such as Slurpee a trademark of 7eleven.

Many people have tried to bring the machine that makes Freezees to Israel. Rafi Offenbacher was the force behind Brisk Beverage's decision to bring these machines to our corner of the world (or the center of the world!). Brisk will not only be the first but will be the choice to go to with the expertise to supply and service the Freezee machines.

Weekend Summary

Last night I got confirmation about my trip. Now I can plan everything for a quick trip to learn all about the insides of the machine. I plan to spend the weekend at my parents and it will be great spending a couple of days with them.

Still looking for a great solution for our Web, Social Network Marketing and Email that we need to do to make Freezee a huge success in Israel. I have spoken with some talented and experienced people but haven't decided with whom to spend our money.

Next week I need to finish with the syrup so that I can order it produced. We need the final OK for Mehadrin certification. We also need all the paperwork to get the Misrad Habriyut to approve the Freezee.

I gave the lawyer all the information to complete our contract with our first 4 locations. Hope to finish that also this coming week.

Cola seems to be winning on the voting for the favorite flavor. My guess is that more adults answered as the kids usually like the colorful flavors. Once our website is up and running, I will publicize this blog and get a lot more votes. Of course, once we have the machines running and selling Freezees, we can get real votes based on trial tasting.

Kashrut and Learning Every Day

We received official Kosher certification from the Chief Rabbinate of Israel! Now we have to get Mehadrin in order to be able to place the machines in various locations throughout the country. It will get done but it seems that many of the Kashrut agencies............................. (I wrote something negative about Kashrut agencies and was told by the one person who really tried to help that it is Lashon Harah. Therefore I removed it.)

We are always learning new things in starting the Freezee business. Today we learned to put labels on the post. Can't wait until we get full training on many of the social network marketing tricks.

Jerusalem Post

Yocheved Miriam Russo wrote up an article in the Jerusalem Post about the merging of two great organizations, Table to Table and Leket, into Leket Israel. I had taken my family a couple of times to volunteer and pick fruit and she interviewed me about the experience. In the print article (slightly different from the online one), it mentions FREEZEE! People over the weekend started asking me what a Freezee is!

The plan is to have the first machine picked up in Texas this week and flown to Israel to be checked out by the Machon Hatekanim.

This morning, a former Teaneck resident volunteered the thought, that Freezee is better since it is sparkling. So few people realize why the Freezee (ICEE or Slurpee) is so much better than a plain Barad. We have a lot of work ahead of us in educating the Israeli population.

Blog got deleted

I wrote and edited a nice little blog right here and lost it when the internet connection went out. I reported how well we did with our lawyer (Tom Greiff - I highly recommend him) and accountant. They and Amnon, our advisor through Mati, have really helped us get everything moving in the right direction.
However, the post is gone like a melted snowman. (A Freezee doesn't melt because you can't stop slurping it until it's completely consumed down to the last drop that you scoop out with the long "spoon straw".) [ed. note - the blog was just found somewhere in electronville and I reposted it]
Have a great weekend!

Lawyer & Accountant

Choosing the experts to help the business grow isn't easy. We found a great lawyer, Thomas Greiff, from Ramat Bet Shemesh. It has been great dealing with him through all kinds of contracts and set-up hurdles. I needed an advisor as well as a lawyer and he has helped on all fronts. I should mention that MATI assigned an advisor for our company that has brought tremendous experience and expertise in directing us.

We didn't want to break the bank with an accountant. Wow do they know how to charge. Of course in this country they do a lot of work that I used to do myself on the computer in the U.S. However, we found a very competant and professional accountant right nearby in Kiryat Sefer thanks to one of a dozen different recommendations by friends in the area. They actually have been proactive to deal with various aspects

Getting Close

We are working on so many fronts at once and everything is slowly coming together. Our first machine was officially ordered - they started working on it a couple of weeks ago and it is about done. Our Kashrut should come through this week.
So much fun though dealing with Israeli bureaucracy. Even my bank made me show up in person to wire funds overseas. I still can't get used to all the hassle and expense of banking here compared to the U.S.
I am dying for a Freezee and can't wait to taste some samples next week in the States. I even have the official Kosher list from the cRc website of Slurpee flavors so that I can taste and compare them. The great thing about our flavors is that they can be adjusted based on feedback from all the Israelis that will be trying them out. I am sure it will be a big hit!

Penguin Our Mascot

If you find a cool (publicly available) penguin, who would like to be our mascot, let me know. If he or she knows how to ski on a snowboard even better!

Trip to the U.S.

Scheduling my last trip before getting a machine to Israel! Can't wait to get back and I haven't left yet. I am going with our repair representative to train on the machines in Texas. The flight to San Antonio is quite long as we have to change planes at least once if not twice. We are also going to visit the factory that is making the syrup for our Freezees. They are located on the East Coast. I would like to arrange to stop at my parents in Manhattan for Shabbat before returning to Israel.
Have to get moving on a few items like our social network marketing and creating the website. Shipping, importing, contracts with our locations, Misrad Habriyut, Printing cups with our logo, buying water filters to make sure that you get the best drink ever and a host of other projects are on tap for today.
Hope you enjoy the results of all this work!