Meet Kevyn Lee-Wellington | Owner & Founder

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kevyn Lee-Wellington and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kevyn, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Creating Fluffy’s Sno-Balls was a 15+ year dream of mine, since arriving here in California as a result of Hurricane Katrina. Having climbed the corporate ladder and ascending to the role of Vice President of Operations for US Foods; I was fed up with “Corporate America.” Often times being the only person that looked like me in the room or having a seat at the decision making table, I wanted to create a company that I felt was opposite of the status quo.

As I created my company I was intentional with every decision I made from choosing the color palette of the store, to creating every standard operations procedure, to being intentional with the kind of culture I wanted my company to have with the right talent.

I had a specific vision of how I wanted my company to be, and what I wanted my company to represent; taste, quality and authenticity, were at the forefront of creating Fluffy’s Sno-Balls. I incorporated my network and village living in New Orleans, to help me perfect my flavors, I sourced out the top vendors with high quality products and we begun to pull all of the compartmentalized pieces together one-by-one resulting in the creation of Fluffy’s Sno-Balls.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Creativity is built in the DNA of Fluffy’s Sno-Balls. Our goal is to delight our customers; and to do that it requires us to be creative and innovative. Fluffy’s Sno-Balls is different from other shaved ice companies because we have created a company where no one is invisible. We provide over 65+ savory delicious flavors. Including sugar-free options for each of our flavors. We also have non-dairy flavors and we have a unique option, our Snapping Gator is our energy sno-balls. In addition, Fluffy’s Sno-Balls is home of the cheesecake “stuffed” sno-balls. No other sno-ball or shaved ice company offers the varieties that we have created. What truly sets Fluffy’s Sno-Balls apart is our genuine interest in giving our customers a complete holistic experience wrapped in southern hospitality. Each time our customers enter or store, its like us seeing our favorite cousin that we haven’t seen in awhile.

As the owner and founder of the company, I am most proud of the team that I have built; which is totally committed to excellence, customer service and community engagement. I hire primarily local high-school students. I first offer them a paid 120-hour paid internship and then I convert them to a permanent employee. It is so important to me to invest in these young people and pour knowledge, wisdom and business acumen into them. I want to build leaders whether they are with my company or another.

Fluffy’s Sno-Balls is now in its 2nd year of business and we have been committed to excellence. As of December 2022 I completed the highly competitve Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Cohort, and I am exciting about my 5 year growth plan that I have created for my company.

Life for me was not a crystal staircase. I have worked strategically and smart at overcoming life challenges along the way, which has resulted in maturing me, into the man that I am today. I have always been in leadership positions, whether it was in academia or the world or work. I am an avid reader and one of the most influential books I have ever read, was the
“Four Agreements” by Miguel Ruiz, which really help re-shaped me as a business man. Also I inherently understood that I can’t control what happens to me in life, I can only control my response. My response was always to excel and achieve by any means necessary as long as there is a positive outcome.

Fluffy’s Sno-Balls was created in the middle of a global pandemic. This company was conceived in my mind and I decided to take action on creating it when the entire world was uncertain and the state and local governments were shutting down restaurants. I believed in myself and I knew that my company had to be different, in terms of how it engaged customers, hired talent, and remained in constant pursuit to bring authentic quality sno-balls and products to Southern California. We love what we do here and that is why the customers will always benefit, and we have become one of our community’s most trusted companies.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Some of my favorite spots in the city I’ll start with museums Getty Museum, California African American Museum, LaBrea Tarpit, and LACMA.

I love spending time with my two standard poodles, “Lord Kensington” and “Duke Herrington” so Rosie’s Dog Beach is always fun, Santa Monica Beach, Malibu Beach and the ever eclectic Venice Beach.

Some of my favorite parks to picnic or visit is the Arboretum, The Huntington, The Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden, and Hollywood Park,

My must see places in L.A is the Hollywood Blvd, The Grove, and Rodeo Drive

Favorite restaurants Fluffy’s Sno-Balls, Sushi Dan, Crustaceans, Dave’s Hot Chicken, The Lobster and Paradise Cove

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Firstly, I would like to express immense gratitude to my husband, Darren. My husband has believed in me and made so many sacrifices and have worked beside to me to make my dreams come true. I also would like to thank the City of Long Beach’s Honorable Mayor Rex Richardson for giving us the opportunity to serve his guest at his inauguration. With all of my being I would like to thank the citizens of Long Beach and all of our customers near and far, who have continually supported us, poured into us, and helped us through some of our toughest times. I also would like to thank all of the media & print outlets who have supported us since day one, such as KTLA, Long Beach Business Journal, Press Telegram, Long Beach Post, Signal Hill Tribune, QVoices, and so many others.

Website: https://fluffyssnoballs.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fluffyssnoballs/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fluffyssnoballs/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/FluffySno

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FluffysSnoBalls

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/fluffys-sno-balls-long-beach

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCovmM9zdBNVx2RyipcF04hA?view_as=subscriber