Who would have guessed that disliking something in the beginning made you end up liking it and even made it into business? Such is the case of Astrid Hadywibowo, the owner of a well-known ice cream shop, with milk!

One can say that it’s a mixture of far-sighted vision, right momentum, and the courage to dive in, but those are the reasons why Astrid Hadywibowo is known for her business initiatives. As the owner of LIN, the first liquid nitrogen ice cream shop in Jakarta, she has all the right to be content, but instead she chooses to keep herself busy plotting for a grander business scheme.

Before meeting Astrid at her ice cream shop in Kemang, we spotted her earlier overseeing a new restaurant project located just beside LIN. Curious, we asked her about it. “After the liquid nitrogen ice cream, it’s time to unveil the noodle burgers!” It may not be new concept abroad and some restaurant might have already put it in their menu here, but for Jakarta, it will be the first time hearing a restaurant specializing fully with this and the trend of having it as a meal might be starting very soon for the citizens.

Looking back, it’s been a long journey for Astrid as she drew inspiration for her business concept since her college days abroad and she started it first as a home business. She enjoyed selling baked goods but it had always been her dream to have her own business and through her husband’s support, they started it with Papabubble candy shop in Grand Indonesia.

“I am always fascinated with anything artisan and hand-made candies quickly caught my attention”, said Astrid. She took the effort in learning how to make the candies and that’s also how she did it with the liquid nitrogen ice cream business as well.

Despite her ice cream business, Astrid originally didn’t like milk at all. “When I was a kid, I always closed my nose whenever I drank milk. Luckily, my mom made me es mambo instead so that I can still get the benefit from milk and from there, I grew up liking it”, she said.

Es mambo has always been a popular dessert in Indonesia, especially for elementary school kids. It’s basically a frozen dessert made from sweetened milk or fruit juice. After mixing all the ingredients, the liquid is then poured inside a slim plastic pouch and put into the freezer. Like enjoying popsicles, all you have to do next is to sip the entire flavor coming out from the ice.

“Although es mambo is considered more suitable for kids, it doesn’t make me stop enjoying it from time to time!”, said Astrid admitting it out loud. Truly, who would have imagined that disliking milk made her ended up having a successful ice cream shop?

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Featured in THE FOODIE MAGAZINE April 2014 edition

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Photos by: Dennie Benedict