
Support Auntie Viv's Dream: Reaching for the Next Chapter
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Hi, my name is Vivian Brandt and I am the founder of Auntie Viv's .
Auntie Viv's is an AAPI woman-owned and family operated small business adventure. The picture that you see at the top of this page is a picture of my husband Bill and my two girls, Chloe and Ella, back in May of 2017. This is when we visited Maui for the first time, and I fell in love at “half bite” with my very first Hawaiian shave ice.
Here's how I describe this phenomenon: “It literally was like a deliciously flavored, puffy cloud that instantly melted in my mouth and tasted like liquid gold. It was the best epicurean experience ever."
Upon returning to the mainland, I had my sights set on opening my own shave ice business and spending more time with my husband and two young daughters. I found myself being unhappy, working really long hours and with a 1.5-2 hour commute each way. Not only did it take a toll on my physical health, but my mental health as well.
One day, when I was actually home before my girls' bedtime, my youngest daughter Ella looked at me like I was a stranger and called for her dad. That was it for me. So, a month later, I quit my job and a couple weeks after that, I started Auntie Viv's in September of 2017. How crazy was I to start a shave ice business heading into the winter?
I didn’t want to serve the typical crunchy, icy, sno-cone, with gross high fructose corn syrups. Auntie Viv’s prides itself on its handcrafted syrups made with real, natural, ingredients and 100% pure cane sugar.
No one shared recipes with me or taught me how to use a shave ice machine. I researched, taste-tested, and self-taught myself everything that the business is today.
Shortly after starting the business, I added on the now-famous Auntie Viv’s Artisan Furikake Snack Mix and Auntie Viv’s Artisan Seasoning to the menu.
That was over six years ago. By 2019, we had gained a lot of momentum. We received so many inquiries, we were turning away business, and our snack mix was in a handful of retail spaces.
On January 1, 2020, Auntie Viv's transitioned from an LLC to an S-Corp. This was the first year I was going to start paying myself. I was so excited.
Then in March of 2020, the pandemic hit. I had no choice but to place the business on hiatus. We applied for all the pandemic relief funds we could, and luckily, with our business model, we could re-open again one day.
In March 2023, a couple weeks before we had our Grand Re-Opening, our generator was stolen from our cargo trailer. It was still a tough year for the business with the economy, increased food costs, discontinued ingredients, and also a tough year for my family and me health-wise. I knew that in order to grow the business, be able to add on a vehicle that my Ohana Team could drive safely to and from events and be able to help me in the long run (again health-wise), purchasing and converting a van into a food truck was the way to go.
Not only would the van help with all the above, but it would allow Auntie Viv's to serve a variety of other events. We would be able to add on more school, sports team and non-profit organization fundraisers that we already offer. Auntie Viv's could participate again at Farmers' Markets and set up at regular locations during the week.
It would allow Auntie Viv's to extend the service season to year-round offering a location for customers to pick up their snack mix orders and add on Fall and Winter events with Auntie Viv's made-from-scratch hot cocoa service.
We have already purchased the van with a personal loan and had planned for Auntie Viv's to purchase it from the family, but due to some recent unforeseen circumstances and some financial hardships, we are needing your support today.
This is not something that I feel comfortable asking for. I am one who likes to earn it and not ask for money. We were planning on selling the van, but with the encouragement of friends and family, we humbly ask that you help share our story and contribute what you feel comfortable with.
The amount that we are seeking is to just take a bit of pressure off the loan of the van. The whole food truck project itself will be about $180K. The rest of the funds will be raised by the hard work I continue to put into this business.
We appreciate all the support from friends, ohana and the community throughout the years. With your support, we hope to continue to bring smiles and the Aloha Spirit to all that we serve.
Mahalo nui loa,
Vivian a.k.a Auntie Viv
Organizer

Vivian Brandt
Organizer
Dublin, CA