Dippin’ Dots Entrepreneur
Smells Frozen Coffee Dots

Can coffee dots save Dippin’ Dots? The man from Grand Chain, Illinois, who created the summer ice cream treat more than 20 years ago is looking for ways to revitalize his company, which has fallen on hard times in the current recession.

“We changed the way folks eat ice cream,” explained Curt Jones, 49, a one-time microbiologist who came up with the idea of colorful ice cream pellets frozen in liquid nitrogen and built a company around them. “Now, we’ve got to change our business model.”

Summer is the season when Dippin’ Dots rise to the top of many kids’ must-eat list. The company does 60% of its business during the hot months. But in this coming summer-of-the-recession, all bets are off for a sweet treat that at $5, $6 or even $7 a pop can cost cash-strapped parents as much as they’re used to plopping down for a burger.

That’s why Jones is branching out with Dots ’n Cream ice cream blends and ice cream cakes.

But Jones has another big idea, one he hopes will finally take Dippin’ Dots outside the arena of seasonal treats. He’s about to take a similar colder-than-cold instant-freezing process for fresh brewed coffee.

That’s right, coffee dots. Add hot water and presto, “fresh-brewed” coffee without brewing. “The coffee of the future,” he calls it. But he may brand it Smokin’ Joe.