We were lucky to catch up with Charles James recently and have shared our conversation below.

Charles, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. It’s easy to look at a business or industry as an outsider and assume it’s super profitable – but we’ve seen over and over again in our conversation with folks that most industries have factors that make profitability a challenge. What’s biggest challenge to profitability in your industry?

For us it comes down to finding good help, battling rising food costs and being in the right place at the right time. It’s harder now than ever to find passionate employees in the restaurant industry and the cost of turnover can be detrimental for a small business. As a mobile business we’re constantly doing market research and strategizing how to get the truck in high volume locations. With prices rising on everything from fuel to food, calculating our operating costs is an around-the-clock job for us right now.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

My name is Chuck James and I’ve been a chef in Denver for around 20 years. While traveling overseas to cook I got the idea for a liquid nitrogen ice cream concept and that was the start of Eskimo Bros. coming to fruition.

We started out selling wholesale ice cream to Denver restaurants and hotels while building the trailer. We now have Ice Cube, our custom mobile unit fully equipped with liquid nitrogen cryogenics. 2020 was an interesting year for the industry but we managed to survive and had a great season of weddings and concerts in 2021. We are looking forward to a packed schedule in 2022 with events all over Colorado.

Our ice cream is made-to-order. We use liquid nitrogen to freeze the ice cream on the spot, giving it a smooth, creamy texture you won’t find anywhere else in Denver. Most of our mix-ins are made by our production chefs so that we can source local ingredients whenever possible. It’s a true chef-driven operation.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

Our best source of new clients thus far has definitely been word of mouth. We pride ourselves on cleanliness, punctuality and only serving the highest quality product. We want every customer 100% satisfied and then to share that experience with their friends and family. We’ve done a number of weddings and private events for people who first tried our ice cream somewhere else. We’ve built strong relationships that have turned into repeat business for us. It’s been really crucial having our loyal clientele, especially as a small business navigating the pandemic the last couple years.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Really the start of Eskimos Bros. was a pivot. My father passed away and I was let go from my job. It was a rough time but in retrospect, probably what helped propel me past my apprehensions of starting the business. Now part of owning a small business is constantly having to adapt and evolve on a daily basis.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.eskimobrosicecream.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eskimobros_nitro_icecream/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EskimoBrosDenver
• Other: https://www.thrillist.com/eat/denver/best-ice-cream-shops-in-denver

Image Credits
Alvaro Saucedo https://www.alvarosaucedo.com/ Instagram: saucedoalvaro_