Hokulia Shave Ice franchise: cost, fees & unit track record
Opening a Hokulia Shave Ice franchise takes $209,800 – $786,000 all-in, per its franchise disclosure filings (data as of 2026-05). The initial franchise fee is $17,500 – $50,500. Ongoing, franchisees pay a royalty of 6% on sales plus an ad-fund contribution of up to 2%. To qualify, Hokulia Shave Ice asks for $75,000 in liquid cash and a $200,000 net worth. Anything the filings do not state is marked "Not disclosed" below — never estimated.
Hokulia Shave Ice franchise costs and fees
| Verification mark | Cost item | Low | High | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise feeOne-time, paid to the franchisor at signing | $17,500 | $50,500 | $17,500 to $50,500 | |
| Initial investment (all-in)FDD Item 7-derived range: build-out, equipment, opening costs | $209,800 | $786,000 | $209,800 to $786,000 | |
| Net worth requiredFranchisor's stated qualification minimum | $200,000 | $200,000 | $200,000 | |
| Liquid cash requiredFranchisor's stated qualification minimum | $75,000 | $75,000 | $75,000 | |
| Cash to open (all-in range) | $209,800 | $786,000 | $209,800 to $786,000 |
| RoyaltyOngoing, % of sales | 6% |
|---|---|
| Ad fundOngoing, % of sales | Up to 2% |
| Initial termLength of the first franchise agreement | 10 years |
See the full Hokulia Shave Ice cost breakdown — what's in that number and what isn't
How Hokulia Shave Ice's cost compares
A dollar figure means more with a yardstick. Here is where Hokulia Shave Ice's disclosed cost sits against the Food & Beverage category:
- Minimum startup cost of $209,800 — about 26% below the Food & Beverage median of $282,500.
- Initial franchise fee of $17,500 — about 50% below the Food & Beverage median of $35,000.
Category medians are computed from the Food & Beverage brands in our data that disclosed each figure — a benchmark for scale, not a quality judgment. See all Food & Beverage franchises
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How Hokulia Shave Ice's units have held up
Openings and closures from FDD Item 20-style unit history, 2012–2017: began the window at 0 units; 80 units opened, 20 closed, ending at 58 units.
What about earnings?
We don't publish per-brand earnings figures — for Hokulia Shave Ice or anyone else. The only primary source is Item 19 of the brand's own franchise disclosure document (FDD), and no law requires a franchisor to publish one, so the "average owner income" numbers circulating elsewhere are usually unsourced or survivorship-biased. Ask Hokulia Shave Ice for its current FDD and read Item 19 yourself — and if there is no Item 19, that silence is information too.
What this data can't tell you
Everything on this page comes from disclosure filings — fees, ranges, and unit counts. Four questions that matter just as much are not in any filing we can source, so we say so instead of guessing:
- The hours and the labor
- No dataset field says whether Hokulia Shave Ice is a manage-from-a-laptop business or a 60-hour week in disguise. Item 15 of the FDD states whether you're obligated to run the business personally, and Item 11 lists what the franchisor actually does for you — then ask current owners what their week looks like (validation calls), not the sales team.
- How hands-on the ownership really is
- "Semi-absentee" is a pitch, not a filing field. Treat any hands-off claim as unverified until it's consistent with Item 15 and with what multiple current franchisees tell you — what absentee ownership actually means.
- Your territory — whether it's protected, and whether it's open
- Two territory questions sit outside our data. Whether Hokulia Shave Ice grants a protected or exclusive area is set in Item 12 of the FDD and varies brand to brand — some grant none, and the carve-outs (online sales, national accounts) matter as much as the map. And filing data can't say what's open in your market this month; only Hokulia Shave Ice can confirm current availability. Ask both before you inquire, and get the answer in writing.
- What owners earn
- Covered honestly above: our dataset has no earnings fields, the only primary source is the brand's own Item 19, and here is how to read that evidence.
About the Hokulia Shave Ice franchise
Hokulia Shave Ice is a food & beverage franchisor with 58 units at the end of 2017 (FDD Item 20-style unit history). Between 2012 and 2017, it began the window at 0 units; its filings record 80 unit openings and 20 closures, ending at 58 units. Its parent company is Hokulia Franchising, Inc. The filings indicate financing options are available; terms come from the franchisor, not from us.
No franchise-related lawsuits reported in the disclosure data we hold (FDD Item 3, as of 2026-05) — an absence in our sources, not a guarantee; confirm against the brand's current FDD.
From the franchisor's materials
As a franchisee, you will operate either a seasonal mobile kiosk business serving shave ice and other frozen desserts or an inline store front business offering smoothies, shave ice, scoop ice cream and other frozen desserts.
Hokulia Shave Ice franchise: quick answers
- How much does a Hokulia Shave Ice franchise cost?
- $209,800 – $786,000 all-in to open, per Hokulia Shave Ice's franchise disclosure filings (data as of 2026-05).
- How many Hokulia Shave Ice units are there?
- 58 units at the end of 2017 (FDD Item 20-style unit history).
- How have Hokulia Shave Ice's units held up?
- 75.9% of units at risk between 2015 and 2017 did not close, per our metric recomputed from FDD Item 20-style unit history (methodology published on our verification page).