Miko's Italian Ice

What Miko's Italian Ice does

Miko's Italian Ice is a Chicago-based, family-run frozen dessert retailer founded in 1997 that produces and sells dairy-free Italian ice (water ice) made with real fruit. The company operates two walk-up window retail locations in the Logan Square (2236 N Sacramento Ave) and Irving Park - Albany Park (4125 N Kimball Ave) neighborhoods of Chicago, serving a rotating menu of 30+ flavors during a seasonal window that runs from May through October, daily from 12:00 PM to 10:00 PM. The product is sold across multiple cup sizes (Baby through Quart), with supplementary offerings including advance pre-order quarts, party packs, custom orders for events, eGift cards, a loyalty rewards program, and branded merchandise.

Sales channels are direct-to-consumer only and physical-first: in-person walk-up at the two windows, supplemented by Square-based online ordering for daily pickup, pre-orders, and party-pack fulfillment. The transaction and customer-engagement stack is entirely off-the-shelf Square (ordering, payments, loyalty enrollment, gift cards, merch storefront). The business is structured as a small family-run operation under owner Zach Roombos, complemented each season by hired seasonal scoopers, with no stated outside investors, funding rounds, subsidiaries, franchises, patents, or trademarks of record.

The customer base consists of local Chicago residents, families, and event organizers (weddings, birthdays, BBQs) seeking a dairy-free, real-fruit frozen dessert; there are no named enterprise or B2B customers, no wholesale line, no delivery footprint, and no geographic operations outside Chicago. Technology, AI, and data assets are not a material part of the offering, and competitive advantage is grounded in brand longevity, neighborhood presence, and flavor variety rather than in technology, scale, or structural cost advantage.

Name

Miko's Italian Ice

Legal name

Miko's Italian Ice

Website

https://mikositalianice.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Miko's Italian Ice is a Chicago-based, family-run frozen dessert retailer founded in 1997 that sells dairy-free, real-fruit Italian ice from two seasonal walk-up window locations in Logan Square and Irving Park - Albany Park, serving 30+ rotating flavors from May through October.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Frozen Desserts

NAICS

Ice Cream and Frozen Dessert Manufacturing (311520)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Ice Cream & Frozen Desserts (2024)

akta.pro primary industry

Shaved Ice, Snow Cones & Italian Ice Shops (THAFAGAJ)

Keywords

• Frozen dessert retail
• Italian ice products
• Water ice flavors
• Frozen treats manufacturing
• Seasonal food retail

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Retail Italian Ice Sales: Direct sales of Italian ice to consumers at walk-up window locations. Product sold in various sizes (Baby, Small, Medium, Large, Jumbo, Quart). Rotating 30+ flavors throughout the season.
2. Pre-Order Quarts: Advance ordering of quarts for pickup. Requires at least one day's notice.
3. Party Pack Orders: Custom party packs for events including cups, spoons, napkins, and serving spoons packed on ice. Sold at $10 each.
4. Custom Orders: Custom flavor and size orders for special events with one day's notice required.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Miko's Italian Ice manufactures and sells dairy-free Italian water ice made with real fruit, offering 30+ rotating seasonal flavors available in Baby, Pint, and Quart sizes. The business operates seasonally from May through October via walk-up window retail at two Chicago locations (Logan Square and Irving Park), with online pre-orders, party packs, custom catering orders, branded merchandise, and digital gift cards sold through the Square platform.

Product overview

Miko's Italian Ice operates as a single-location family business offering frozen fruit-based Italian ice (water ice) as its core product. The company serves a rotating selection of 30+ seasonal flavors throughout the operating season (May through October). The product portfolio centers on the core Italian ice offering available in various sizes (Baby, Small, Medium, Large, Jumbo, Quart), with supplementary offerings including Pre-Order Quarts for advance purchase, Party Packs for events (including cups, spoons, napkins, and serving spoons packed on ice), and Custom Orders for special occasions. Additional services include a Square-powered Loyalty/Rewards Program, eGift Cards, and branded Merchandise. All products are dairy-free and made with real fruit, with allergen information available for customers with food sensitivities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Italian Ice (Water Ice) Dairy-free Italian water ice made with real fruit, offered in 30+ rotating seasonal flavors and available in three sizes (Baby 5oz, Pint 16oz, Quart 32oz) at walk-up windows and via online pre-order for Chicago consumers.
• Pre-Order Quarts

Quantifiable outcome

• 4 quarts serves up to 25 guests

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Culver's: Midwest-focused quick-service chain best known for frozen custard. Directly competes with Miko's for Chicago and Midwest frozen dessert occasions, with stronger scale and full food menu.
• Dairy Queen: National frozen dessert QSR chain with iconic Blizzard and soft-serve products. Competes for the same 'frozen treat' occasion as Miko's but with far broader menu, scale, and year-round operations.
• Tropical Smoothie Cafe: National franchise serving frozen smoothies, wraps, and flatbreads with broad menu diversification. Overlaps with Miko's in frozen, fruit-forward, warm-weather treats but operates a much broader, year-round menu.

Regional players

• Oberweis Dairy: Chicago-area dairy and ice cream retailer with home delivery and storefronts across the metro. Comparable as a regional frozen-dessert brand competing for the same Chicago consumer treat occasions, though it is dairy-based rather than water-ice.

Direct peers

• Tropical Sno: Shaved ice franchise specializing in flavored shaved ice desserts, often with flavor-of-the-day rotations. Comparable product, walk-up format, and seasonal demand, though with smaller national footprint than Rita's or Bahama Buck's.
• Pelican's SnoBalls: Specialty snow cone / shaved ice chain serving flavored shaved ice through walk-up and drive-through locations. Same frozen water-ice category, similar flavor-rotation strategy, and similar impulse-driven summer demand profile.
• Rita's Italian Ice: Largest dedicated Italian ice franchise chain in the U.S., offering frozen water-ice desserts in rotating flavors through walk-up and counter-service locations. Directly comparable category, product format, and customer use case to Miko's Italian Ice.
• Bahama Buck's: Specialty shaved ice and frozen dessert franchise with a focus on rotating flavors and family-friendly walk-up service. Closely comparable product category (frozen water-based dessert), GTM motion, and seasonal demand pattern.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/MikosItalianIce
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile/100063025069269
• Instagraminstagram.com/MikosItalianIce
• TikToktiktok.com/@mikositalianice

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Miko's Italian Ice