Sno Cream: Kenya’s 65-Year-Old Ice Cream Shop That Is Also Tanzania’s Oldest Ice Cream Parlour

Sno Cream, located in Nairobi CBD, is arguably one of Africa’s oldest ice cream shop in Africa.

Established in 1958, the shop has become a popular spot for Nairobi residents thanks to their variety of ice cream products.

The ice cream shop boasts an American style decor complimented with yellow and white wall tiles and countertops.

The business was established by Paul Mullen who sold it to Wendo Mwapachu and Yusuph Zialor, who then sold it to an Indian family in 1960.

Here is their story as told by WoK.

Sno Cream was established in 1958 by Tanzanian British artist, Paul Mullen.

He ran the business for 28 years before selling it to the late Wendo Mwapachu and the late Yusuph Zialor.

In 1961, a year after acquiring the business, they expanded to Tanzania and opened an ice cream shop Dar Es Salaam.

Maryam Zialor

The business which is also the oldest ice cream parlour in Tanzania is headed by Zialor’s daughter, Maryam Zialor.

The shop sells a wide range of affordable ice cream products, from the ice cream to the cone which are made from scratch at the shop.

Maryam took over Sno Cream in 2008 at the age of 25 despite her late mother’s opposition on grounds that the company had no hope of survival.

“In 2014, I leapt on the brink of a sinking ship that was Sno Cream. Sales were low, staff morale was affected, and product quality was on the edge of decline. When I stepped in, I started working on product quality,” she said.

To bring back the company to life, Maryam had to restructure the existing management and administrative methods.

This included how they how they ran their kitchen to their services delivery. She also trained the staff on the importance of customer care and quality maintenance.

“There were many challenging steps in between to rebuild the brand and take it to where it is today,” Maryam said.

Sno-Cream has three more shops in Nairobi with a total of eight employees.