Meet the Texas entrepreneurs turning sweet treats into community, joy and legacy

What began as a warm day at a Texas outlet mall for Mia and Ondrey Lawson quickly turned into a life-changing moment. After some convincing, Ondrey reluctantly tried an Italian ice that Mia had picked up while shopping. To her surprise, he finished the entire cup, sparking a simple question: why wasn’t this refreshing treat more accessible in a place as hot as Texas? A few months later, armed with an MBA and a formal business plan, the couple launched their business, Phrostbite Italian Ice, and have been serving up joy and building community ever since.

“Here in the south, it is all about shaved ice and snow cones, so it was just enough novelty for them to be intrigued, share with other people and help us grow,” Mia said.

Based in Houston, Texas, but serving the state at large, Phrostbite Italian Ice is a frozen dessert business offering signature Italian ice in a plethora of flavors, from Cowboy Cherry to Yeehaw Yellowcake. Known for more than just its flavors, Phrostbite’s mobile model allows the business to cater events and special occasions, host pop-ups and offer deliveries, making it not only delicious but a well-known community staple.

“We know what the climate is in our country right now, and something as simple as taking ten minutes out of your day for a sweet treat can make all the difference. We pride ourselves on our customer service because we do our absolute best to make the customer feel like a real person in the moment they’re at the window,” Mia said.

For Mia and Ondrey, owning their business has been an avenue for not only financial freedom but also a path for fulfillment through serving their community and offering moments of joy. But even with all their success, Phrostbite isn’t immune to changes in the small business landscape. 

From rising supply chain costs for items like napkins and spoons to gas prices increasing by 142% in a matter of a week, navigating higher expenses has continued to be a challenge. To manage, they’ve had to absorb costs and slightly adjust their prices. But for both owners, keeping costs balanced while maintaining affordability remains of the utmost importance.

“For the longest time, I would tell my husband, we don’t need to go up. But I feel like it got to a point where we would literally sit down and he’d be like, ‘Hey, we’re gonna have to increase our prices. It doesn’t have to be by much, but we can’t charge $6 anymore,’” Mia said.

While small businesses want to help fuel their local economies, Mia and Ondrey recognize that businesses like theirs cannot continue to thrive without lawmakers helping to level the playing field. “I think a lot can be done for small businesses. Large businesses and corporations get a lot of different things done, but small businesses don’t seem to get as many breaks or as many policies geared toward them. We do get some relief here and there, but there should be additional relief just for small businesses, just like there’s additional relief for large corporations,” Ondrey said.

In spite of the ups and downs, Phrostbite Italian Ice has remained strong, continuing to bring joy and strengthen community ties by offering jobs to local youth and creating opportunities for mentorship and hands-on learning. With future plans to open a brick-and-mortar location and create a post-high-school scholarship for employees, their business demonstrates that building generational wealth and legacy is possible, and serves as a model for their son and other young people in their community.

“We've honestly built our relationship on kindness, on legacy, on giving back—and that's always been something that we wanted to do with Phrostbite. Representation is really important. Being a decent member of society in the community shows that there is still hope for the community. It sets an example for the generations that come after us. And once you look in the face of your child and you realize that they are part of the next generation to come up and to make something of themselves, you want to be better, to do well, to be great. When you're a joyful giver, it comes back to you tenfold,” Mia said.