The decision to open a shop, according to Kamal, was a practical one. "It started to come to the point where we're paying X amount every month [as a pop up]," he said. "It's pretty much what a monthly rent would amount to."

Adopting more digital tools also helped the pair navigate the newness of training and scheduling a team, handling payroll, and accessing their business performance. "[These things] take a lot out of a business owner, especially for one who's just starting. I think it's very startup-friendly," Kamal said.

Getting the capital and the tools, however, were just one aspect of launching their brick-and-mortar. The owners also wanted to build their skills to provide the best experience for their customers. So, they sought mentorship. They went to ice cream school and made connections that helped them really understand the science behind the frozen delicacy, giving them the necessary education to play around with new flavors. "That was a very pivotal point in our journey because I felt like it gave us the skillset to really be able to take on a brick and mortar rather than winging it in a way and just doing a couple flavors," he said.

Kinrose Creamery has evolved into over nine flavors that each transcend cultural boundaries. Kamal is Egyptian and Oveysi is Iranian, and as they worked to combine their cultures into sweet treats, they discovered that what they were building was truly global. "Our lava shot flavor has tamarind in it, and tamarind is a very big thing that people use in Egypt; and we later found out that it's also big in the Philippines, India, and Mexico," Kamal explained. "This sort of interconnectivity that we're observing between people is helping us continuously develop new recipes."

Connection is a through line with Kinrose Creamery. Whether it's connecting cultures through ice cream or connecting their family roots to the present, weaving different elements together is a large part of the business's success. And, in a lot of ways, connection is one of the main things the ice cream shop seeks to create. "Our goal for the store is always to create a space where people are feeling joyous and happy, [a place where people] are able to bring their families, their dates, or their kids," Kamal said. 

As the business looks to the future, the idea is to take this philosophy of connection on the road. Oveysi and Kamal are already thinking about ways to expand their business in other cities and build a truly recognizable brand. "We want people to recognize [the rose]," Kamal said in reference to the Kinrose Creamery logo. "Cafe Rose is the restaurant where my mom made the Saffron ice cream, and the kinship is that flavor being passed down to us [to share with our customers]," Oveysi said.